How one controversial decision led Under Armour to groundbreaking success

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Under Armour might be a household name now. But back in 2003, it was the new kid on the sportswear block. Founded in 1996 by then-24-year-old Kevin Plank, Under Armour was facing hefty competition from industry giants like Nike, Adidas, and Reebok.

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Plank, a former special teams captain on the University of Maryland’s football team, was trying to disrupt a seemingly impenetrable industry from his grandmother’s D.C. basement. Despite it all, the brand continued to grow and when it came time to create their first commercial, Under Armour made a surprising decision to develop it in-house.

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This week, Case Studied looks into the groundbreaking “Protect This House” commercial that cemented Under Armour’s brand and put it on a massive trajectory in sportswear.

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The Brief:

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As a 7-year-old company at the time, money was tight when Under Armour started planning their first TV campaign.

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They had two agencies come in, both of which asked for more than the brand was willing to pay. The agencies also insisted that the ad explain why athletes should wear Under Armour’s compression shirts.

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UA wanted to take a different creative approach—one that focused on the brand overall. They brought in the Baltimore production company, Producers, and the costs were still too high. But Producers also offered something called  “corporate videos” which came at a lower ticket price.  

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And turns out, that price was right.

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The Execution:

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The plan was to do a 30-second corporate video. As for the creative? It was written by Under Armour’s CEO. Plank said he and Steve Battista—an early employee who eventually became Under Armour’s SVP of Global Creative—met at his apartment on a Sunday and started scripting.

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The pair wrote down every football cliche they could think of to drum up inspo. Looking back at his own experience as an athlete, Plank remembered that a former teammate of his at Maryland, Mark Mason, would take every handoff from practice to the opposite end zone while screaming “To the house!”

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Riffing off this, Battista changed it to “Protect this house” and just like that, their tagline was born. They filmed the commercial over the course of 3 days in an abandoned warehouse in Baltimore—where temperatures reached over 100 degrees in the afternoon.

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To keep the budget ultra-low, Plank called in a few favors. He asked a bunch of his former teammates to make appearances in the ad, including former NFL defensive end Eric Ogbogu. He was one of very few who were paid in cash for the shoot.

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There were a few things happening in the world that helped Under Armour’s tagline resonate so well.

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🏈 Against the grain: Most football ads at the time featured game-day action and pretty, polished faces. Under Armour stood out because they featured real athletes and focused on training, dedication, and camaraderie.

🇺🇲 Protection was priority: The ad came out about two years after the 9/11 tragedy, when the idea of protecting your house or home country was top of mind for many Americans. This made UA’s message very fitting for the times.

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All in all, the shoestring budget came out to $500k in production costs, according to Plank. In fact, he said “We spent more on making it than we did running it.”

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The Results:

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The investment in Ogbogu paid off. His performance was instrumental in turning Under Armour’s tagline into an anthem.

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The tagline was mentioned by Stuart Scott and David Letterman on their shows—both clear indicators of “making it.” The commercial helped springboard Under Armour into the sportswear industry. The company went public two years later and, at the time of this writing, it has a market cap of $4.01b.

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“That ad was panned by all the traditional [advertising] media, but it became our anthem and in the days before things went viral, it definitely produced a buzz,” Plank said.

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“Protect this house” remains Under Armour’s tagline to this day. In fact, they recently launched a revamped version of the original commercial in honor of the 20-year-anniversary. And, you guessed it, it targets Gen Z.

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The Takeaways:

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Before Under Armour became a billion dollar business, it was a budding business trying to save money on marketing and make its mark in its industry. It’s a relatable position for most businesses.

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In light of that, here are a few takeaways from their big break:

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1. Constraints breed creativity

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In Under Armour’s case, the budget constraints that they faced forced the brand to think outside the box and find a solution that worked for them, without compromising on quality.

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When considering how to grow, make sure to articulate what challenges exist and use that to create the sandbox from which to ideate.

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2. You are your brand's biggest evangelist

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While external perspective is important in ensuring diverse opinions are considered, ultimately you have the strongest relationship to your brand.

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Plank understood the Under Armour brand better than anyone considering he created it, so writing the ad himself was a wise choice.

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Whether or not you choose to do creative work internally, it’s important to remember you are your brands most important advocate.

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3. Lean into the cliche

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Under Armour’s DNA is rooted in football. So aligning their ad copy with a cliche that is popularized across the sport was a smart idea.

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What cliches exist in your industry? Consider leveraging those to align yourself with a community that resonates with those.

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