I’ve been thinking a lot about brand loyalty recently. The incident that got me thinking was my foray into the world of the stock market. About a month ago I decided to put a little play money into the market. And when I say play money, I mean an amount of money that would seem insignificant to most people, but is ever so large to me. As one of my first stock purchases I bought Nike. I liked Nike as a stock at the time and it has done well since, which makes me like it even more. The interesting thing is that I am a diehard Under Armour supporter.
I am, if only in my own mind, a brand ambassador for Under Armour. I preach the greatness of their apparel. I follow all of their new products and sponsored athletes. I will only wear Under Armour for work out clothes. I even have an Under Armour sticker on my external hard drive for God’s sake. But when it came time to invest in an athletic apparel company I chose Nike.
It would seem only natural that I would invest in Under Armour, but the business side of my mind said no. The numbers just didn’t add up. While I would go out of my way, spend more money or give up my first born son for an Under Armour shirt, I wasn’t willing to bet money on them.
The idea I’ve been struggling with is whether or not this is an indictment on the Under Armour brand. I love their advertising, their product functionality, their product design, but all of that doesn’t make them a better company than Nike. Isn’t the point of all of the above-mentioned aspects to make Under Armour the best athletic apparel company there is? And if they aren’t the best athletic apparel company out there, why am I so drawn to their brand?
One of the emotional aspects that’s draws me to Under Armour is their advertising. The spot below aligns perfectly with the way I felt and acted as an athlete in my younger days. I still try to bring that attitude to my running, but it’s just not the same.
Is this the eternal struggle of any brand or am I just a weird cat? Would most people switch loyalties to align with their portfolio? Am I making a strange distinction between the feel and comfort that Under Armour brings during my workouts and the feel and comfort Nike brings to my portfolio?
-Dennis
P.S. I in no way wrote this post to encourage anyone to invest in Nike or any other stock. This is just the rambling of a strange mind.
I absolutely get what you are talking about. First, I love, LOVE the E trade baby spots, but they in no way, shape or form make me want to invest with them.
Coke. I have always enjoyed their advertising. I love their consistency (even when they’re all over the map). I even collect types of Coke memorabilia. But, I don’t drink Coke, I don’t like it a little bit.
That has always been a hurdle that I have been aware of in advertising. There’s only so much we can do to sway people.
Think of it this way, I have a friend, I love that friend, I like hanging out with them, but I wouldn’t trust them with my kid. (OK, I don’t have a kid, but you get it, right?)
I felt like I was going to make more sense than I did, but basically, I agree with you.
Thanks for the comment Kelli. You’re right about the baby example. I’ve always been aware of the limitations as well, but seeing it in my own life is pretty interesting.