For the next installment of its "It Comes From Below" campaign, Under Armour went above. On Monday, the sports brand will debut a video featuring footage from its recent two-day running camp where more than 30 athletes were tested on endurance in the mountains of Colorado.
The two-minute film showcases the heart of running in extreme conditions, like snow, sleet and a 10,000-foot elevation. Runners, who wear Under Armour footwear, came from crews around the world to attend the March event, called UA Run Camp-Elevation.
"We took these passionate runners and put them against the worst conditions, trying to test their heart and see how far they want to push themselves," said Bryan Offutt, VP-global brand management at Baltimore-based Under Armour. "The heart came through."
The video, which will air online and be pushed out through the brand's social channels, follows the campaign's first spot, which ran in July and featured Washington Nationals pro baseball player Bryce Harper. Under Armour is also putting out a social call to arms for participants of its next event, UA Run Camp-Desert, taking place in October. The brand is asking runners to post photos and share runs socially through special apps, using hashtag #earnyourspot.
Mr. Offutt noted that the new video coincides with the release of Under Armour's new sneaker, the UA Charged Bandit 2, which will retail online for $100.
Next month, the brand, which spent $20.6 million on measured media in the U.S. last year according to Ad Age's Datacenter, will debut a third and final spot featuring Carolina Panthers football player Cam Newton. Under Armour worked with event management specialist Human Movement, Ironclad Media Alliance, and its in-house team to put its experiential event together.
With the bulk of its $4 billion sales coming from the U.S., Under Armour has made strides in recent years to expand its presence both locally and domestically, as it competes with sportswear giants Nike and Adidas. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to sell at Kohl's, the 1,160-unit department store chain, beginning next March. The expansion is expected to provide Under Armour with greater access to female consumers.
Many sportswear companies are turning to long-form video to highlight athletic performance when wearing their brands. Canada Goose recently ran a two-part campaign featuring real-life users in extreme conditions, for example.
