The relatively young sportwear brand Under Armour has made a name for itself as an aggressive defender of its brand. Most recently it has engaged a basically non-existent ‘threat’ called Armor & Glory. It claims the company’s shirts are confusingly similar because of ‘armor’. The company’s name and artistic focus are based on biblical passages, and aside form the word armor, does not appear to position itself as a high-performance competitor to the giant.
Consistent defense of a brand mark is important to maintaining exclusive ownership. On the other hand, going after relative nobodies can backfire by creating a likable, ‘underdog’ – a favorite in American culture both on and off the field. The close scrutiny that comes when social media gets wind of a case like this can force a strategy course correction. So far, Under Armour has made no apologies for its take no prisoners approach, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out longer term.
Under Armour flexes muscle
The relatively young sportwear brand Under Armour has made a name for itself as an aggressive defender of its brand. Most recently it has engaged a basically non-existent ‘threat’ called Armor & Glory. It claims the company’s shirts are confusingly similar because of ‘armor’. The company’s name and artistic focus are based on biblical passages, and aside form the word armor, does not appear to position itself as a high-performance competitor to the giant.
Consistent defense of a brand mark is important to maintaining exclusive ownership. On the other hand, going after relative nobodies can backfire by creating a likable, ‘underdog’ – a favorite in American culture both on and off the field. The close scrutiny that comes when social media gets wind of a case like this can force a strategy course correction. So far, Under Armour has made no apologies for its take no prisoners approach, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out longer term.