"Under Armour grabs attention, mixed reviews for 'bold' Maryland uniforms"

From Baltimore Business Journal


Review by Sam Dowell in KIN 332 (Section 1)


Under Armour and the University of Maryland open up the college football season this year with a uniform that caught just about everyone’s eye. The design was so radical that it sparked conversations and got everyone talking about the University of Maryland. Interestingly enough, there were as many negative opinions as there were positive ones. The two-sided jerseys seemed to serve the purpose of giving Under Armour and the University of Maryland plenty of exposure.

The specific jerseys that the Terrapin players sported were the Maryland Pride uniforms which showcased the two different patterns on the Maryland flag. This was a great marketing move because it garnered support from the Maryland citizens as UMD wanted people to know that state pride is an integral value of the university. The Maryland Pride jerseys are one of 32 different combination patterns that Under Armour has designed for the 2011 season. Under Armour is taking a page out of Nike’s book, who designed the Oregon Duck’s uniforms that became incredibly popular last season. The one thing that both Oregon and Maryland’s jersey had in common was the fact that they were both eye catching and they created free publicity. Free publicity is a fantastic way to market a university but the only downside is there is no way to control what the public thinks of the product once it is out there. Some observers from Maryland’s season opener described the uniforms as “wild” and “hideous.” This is the one downfall for designing such a bold product but in the end, the positives seem to outweigh the negatives and the jerseys served the purpose of getting the program noticed and talked about nationwide. Under Armour is at the forefront in changing the strategy of a traditional marketing program. Under Armour as well as Nike are starting to put more emphasis on appearance than on merchandise. They are customizing helmets, gloves, football pants, etc, to garner as much attention as possible. Fans don’t regularly purchase these products so; these schools are counting on adding fan support through the style and originality of their gear. I personally think this would be most effective establishing a larger fan base with the youth population. This market loves the cool, sleek new jersey styles and is less likely to be loyal to another university. Once the fan base is established, the merchandise will also become more and more popular. The University of Maryland blazed a new trail with their creative jerseys and I expect other Universities to come up with some wild designs themselves to get their name out nationally as well.