@UnderArmour welcomes @JoelEmbiid to the #sqUAd!
Source: zapatillas de running Under Armour pie normal apoyo talón media maratón negras
First before I dig into my typical analysis of Under Armour, I beg you to take about 8 minutes and click the link above and read.
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Under Armour just landed a big man and big men don’t sell shoes. If we go back down the line of bigs who earned sneaker deals, the best selling big man was Shaq. Shaq’s personality was headliner material. The Big (insert nickname) is still one of the most visible NBA players in marketing circles. Joel Embiid, in this new marketing arena, is Shaq. From his highly publicized Twitter “romance” with Rihanna, to his constant statement to Philly of “Trust the Process” the big man has a quick wit and his game has spoken for itself as the 76ers are once again relevant behind his multifaceted talents.
But that’s not what this post is about. I analyze things, and as much as I want to dig into if Embiid will matter to Under Armour, I have to pause and explain to you where Under Armour is. UA has seen the worst three years in the history of the company. The share price hovered around 10 dollars a share and it seemed that the company remains on the brink after several rounds of layoffs. I’ve long stated that the brand had a lot of work to do not in product, but in marketing. The reality is less than two weeks ago the company announced that they would be laying off 3-4% of its workforce. That’s between 3-400 people. If I’m honest, the last thing I want to see is spending money on a big man to stimulate interest in a brand that has yet to figure out the casual side of sportswear.
…and then I read this introduction on the UA website. I remembered that the foundation of marketing is finding your soul. Under Armour’s rise resonated with “Protecting this House!” They were an upstart company fighting for a place and having the NFL as a launch pad was perfect, but as perfect as that match was, it lacked soul. Steph Curry helped to carry Under Armour to a new level, but as “human” as Steph is, he’s the son of an NBA player. He grew up in what most would call the perfect household and he lives what many call the perfect life. He’s the anti “idea” of an NBA player… Well, not anymore as it seems that the league has become filled with legacies, but the typical Mens of a professional athlete is that they arrive from the hood and broken homes to overcome a dire situation. Whether that’s true needs to be tested, but perception is reality and Steph Curry simply doesn’t have the story to drive a connection to the soul of a brand.
Embiid does.
I’ve long stated that Under Armour is a few moves away from breaking through. I’ve screamed that Will Barton needs to be more prominent. I’ve yelled that Bazemore needs to be a story that’s told and while both players have gotten some spotlight, neither has been halo the life that this Embiid relationship has started out with.
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One of my sore spots with UA was their lack of news/blog/CMS on their site. I discovered this story on Embiid joining UA on a branch of the site the brand launched in July. The UX of the news site’s interface is clean, the location and how the site is integrated into UA’s actual website is poor. Now you know this wasn’t going to be all good right? Wrong. The UX may have problems, but I can bypass all of that for this one section in Embiid’s story:
I didn’t believe in myself at all.
This coach came up to me, talking all this nonsense, like, “You go to this camp, and then you can get invited to Basketball Without Borders in South Africa, and then you can get recruited to play in America.”
Camiseta Under Armour Echo Azul, America? I can’t even dribble, sir.
I was so scared to show up to the camp and get embarrassed that I just didn’t go.
My mom was on vacation visiting family in France, and my dad was working, and I didn’t even have a cell phone back then, so nobody could find me. I had the chance of a lifetime, and I literally stayed home with my little brother Arthur and played FIFA all day.
Joel Embiid has been playing basketball for 7 years. At this time when he was invited to the camp he was a volleyball player. He was a scared 16 year old afraid to be embarrassed. At 16 Steph Curry was already killing kids on the AAU circuit. As a matter of fact every player that Under Armour currently has signed to their roster were basically young professionals. They specialized in the sport that they now compete in.
That’s not Embiid. Embiid had to overcome to actually be where he is today. In this process he had to move away from his family. He had to learn a new culture, alone and during the time he was away from his family, he lost his brother to a tragic car accident. He then had to face the prospect of being a draft bust after injuries sidelined him for two years.
Big men don’t sell shoes. The soul of a brand does and Under Armour just signed its soul, although the brand has had one all along with guys like Barton and Bazemore… maybe, just maybe, this time they get it.