2008 has already been a big year for upstart shoe & apparel company Under Armour. The company started the year with a bang by spending a large portion of their 2008 Marketing budget on a $5 Million dollar spot in the Super Bowl. The 60 second spot was the announcement of Under Armour’s new cross trainer athletic shoe. The spot was estimated to have been watched by 97 million viewers.
And now Under Armour announces a sponsor deal with the University of Hawaii. The 8 year deal is valued at $4.1 Million dollars, and includes uniform, shoes & cash. The deal is a sponsorship of the Hawaii football team, but also leaves Under Armour the right to eventually outfit all Warriors athletic teams.
Hawaii is the fifth college to sign a licensing agreement with Under Armour. The University of Maryland was the first college athletic department to sign with the Baltimore based apparel maker. Since then Under Armour has signed deals with the University of South Carolina, Auburn University, Texas Tech University and Hawaii.
Under Armour’s target demographic has been young athletes between the ages of 10 and 25. So their continued expansion into the college market will help quickly “mainstream” their brand.
