Dive Brief:
- Under Armour has released the latest ad in its “Rule Yourself” campaign, showing American swimmer Michael Phelps training long hours for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero.
- Now 30 years old, Phelps will likely be competing in his final Olympics this summer.
- Another earlier ad in the Droga5-produced series features members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team training after hours.
Dive Insight:
Under Armour is continuing its advertising blitz in the run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games with another outing in its “Rule Yourself” campaign, this time a dramatic opus featuring Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals.
Similar to previous outings in the Droga5 campaign, the ad focuses on the punishing training and round-the-clock effort athletes must endure, tagged “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.”
An Under Armour endorser since 2010, the 30-year-old Phelps sports a beard in the ad, heightening the drama of the intense preparation required to participate in what’s likely his last Olympiad. The ad is scored with the Kills’ elegiac "The Last Goodbye."
Under Armour is raising its profile as a sponsor of professional athletics in search of a greater share of the performance apparel market. Its Q4 earnings results, posted in late January, reported a 31% revenue increase to $1.17 billion, compared to $895 million a year earlier. Under Armour expects that 2016 will see revenue rise 25% to close to $5 billion.
Celebrity endorsers like Phelps are proving vital to Under Armour's growth. Its footwear sales rose 57% last year, thanks in large part to its basketball shoe deal with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player.