Masters of Scale

Rapid Response: Under Armour’s pivot to growth, w/CEO Stephanie Linnartz

Oct 12, 2023

Stephanie Linnartz, the first female CEO of Under Armour and former Marriott executive, shares her insights on reviving the sportswear brand. She discusses leveraging lessons from hospitality to enhance product segmentation and engage women customers. Stephanie highlights the influence of cultural phenomena like Taylor Swift and the hiring of designer John Varvatos. Her hands-on approach to experiencing Under Armour's offerings reveals how customer feedback shapes the brand's future, emphasizing adaptability and innovative marketing in a competitive landscape.

22:03

Episode guests

Stephanie Linnartz

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Under Armour is pivoting back to growth by focusing on sports style, sharper product segmentation, and targeting women as customers.

Under Armour recognizes the untapped opportunity in serving women athletes and aims to market to women differently, using female athletes as ambassadors and exploring partnerships with social influencers.

Deep dives

Under Armour's Unique Position in the Sports Apparel Market

The competitive landscape in sports apparel and footwear is quite complex. It's not just Nike and Adidas, there's lots of other smaller and rapidly growing players like Lulu and Hoka. Under Armour believes it is uniquely positioned to win because of its brand authenticity, global reach, and the performance aspect of its products. They plan to tap into new spaces, including sports style and footwear, to continue growing in the market.

Intro

2min

Leadership Changes and Innovative Strategies

4min

Embracing Risk: Under Armour's Bold Future

8min

Navigating Gender and Leadership in Business

2min

Strategic Insights in Business and Loyalty

9min

Embracing Feedback for Growth

5min

Can you reinvigorate a beloved but troubled brand by applying lessons from a different industry? Under Armour CEO Stephanie Linnartz firmly believes so — and earlier this year made the leap from Marriott to become the first woman to helm a major sports apparel brand.

She joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to talk about how her 25 years with Marriott is giving her unexpected insight as she works to pivot Under Armour back to growth by leaning into sports style, sharper product segmentation, and an amplified emphasis on women as customers.

Stephanie shares why she hired fashion designer John Varvatos, the importance of the Taylor Swift phenomenon for all brands, and what trying every single item in Under Armour's female line taught her.

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