In this edition of How’d They Do That, we examine digital marketing strategies from leading athletic wear brands. Yuyu Chen of ClickZ authored an excellent post describing the digital marketing philosophy of Under Armour, one of the leading athletic brands giving both Nike and Adidas a serious run for category dominance. Developing a small business digital marketing strategy is not an easy task, but Under Armour’s approach delivers a few takeaways to maximize your marketing momentum.
Here are a few excerpts from Chen’s overview to inspire your digital marketing objectives.
Under Armour and Nike have a lot in common: the two brands design and develop premium athletic wear, and both have made forays into utilizing sponsorships with professional athletes to drive sales.
However, the two companies’ marketing approaches differs greatly:
*Under Armour is very focused on professional athletes, while Nike democratizes fitness.
*Under Armour acts like an underdog, while Nike is a mighty King.
*Under Armour is about proving others wrong, while Nike is about proving yourself right.In terms of channel strategy, both Under Armour and Nike are leveraging social media. Compared to Nike, Under Armour has a much smaller following base on social and it posts less often on Twitter and Instagram. … Under Armour doesn’t measure its social media success by how many fans it has on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook. Instead, the company is more focused on defining what its goals are and then determining what platforms will help it achieve the goals. While Nike has more product selections so promoting its products is the goal on social, Under Armour aims to change people’s perception of the brand before the company asks consumers to purchase something. Therefore, it constantly posts inspirational quotes and graphics about sports influencers for brand awareness.
The most important strategies one can learn from Under Armour are:
*Be clear about your brand mission.
*Although targeting the right audience is always priority, appealing to universal humanistic experiences and emotions creates more potential to expand the brand audience.
*No matter what your channel strategy is, don’t be afraid to provide your consumers an experience beyond a simple call-to-action.Read How does Under Armour Differentiate Itself from Nike via Digital Marketing at Clickz.com.
The videos below further illustrate how Under Armour differentiates its brand from its rivals, Nike and Adidas.
Under Armour:
Nike:
https://youtu.be/o2P5E7cFt9s
Adidas:
If you’re in the early stages of a digital marketing program, QuickSprout offers a great series you’ll want to review, The Beginner’s Guide to Online Marketing, as well as, this infographic, How to Build Brand Awareness for Your Business:
The phrases: I Will, Just Do It and Impossible is Nothing, brand taglines from Under Armour, Nike, and Adidas, respectively, are easier said than done. Let the takeaways from their collective success inspire a solid path for your business and brand’s digital marketing endeavors.
What is your approach to digital marketing? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section of this post.
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