Cover Story: Growing Up With Under Armour

"Under Armour was smart in realizing areas of opportunity to grow the brand," says Brent Niemuth, vice president/creative director at the multichannel design and marketing firm J. Schmid & Assoc. "This wasn't random growth or a shotgun approach; it was calculated and precise. Under Armour knew it was competing against the behemoth Nike in many ways, so it decided to attack small, niche markets first and try to own them. It did this successfully with football — more specifically, high school football. It positioned itself as an aspirational brand, knowing that high school football players aspired to be like their NFL heroes. Teenage boys were the perfect target for this aggressive, in-your-face brand."