"You look
at the largest sports-marketing assets out there in the world, it
really doesn't put us out of the game for anything," Mr. Plank told
analysts during an earnings call. "We could theoretically go buy
anything we wanted to, but we don't have all the money in the
world, so we just have to be really thoughtful and we have to pick
the right deals."
Even
though that's a significant figure, it pales in comparison to rival
Nike, which spent $2.7 billion
globally on advertising and promotions during its most recent
fiscal year, according to its annual report.
Mr. Plank
highlighted Under Armour's sponsorship of Jordan Spieth, who became
the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in 82 years just months after
signing on with the sports brand. He also touted deals with Notre
Dame and the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
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"We want
to remain opportunistic about staying close enough to the athlete
and the consumer to find those Jordan Spieths out there, and as you
know, they're incredibly rare," Mr. Plank said. "But I promise
that's what we're trying to do is find athletes before they're
really out in the open and the market really has a chance to
understand what we're doing."
Under Armour has increased sales by more than 20% for
16 straight quarters, and it's pushing overseas to continue that
pace, including deals with soccer teams in Mexico, Chile and the
U.K. The brand also has a closely-watched deal with the U.S.
speedskating team. It's deft handling of a public relations snafu
-- speedskaters blamed the company for slow times during the Winter
Olympics in Sochi -- helped it minimize damage to its brand.
-- Contributions from Bloomberg News
