Under Armour: Connecting Beyond the Serious Athlete
This strategic initiative focused on revitalizing Under Armour's digital presence through a data-driven marketing approach. The primary objective was to strengthen brand resonance among high-performance athletes by analyzing complex consumer behavior patterns and optimizing digital touchpoints for maximum impact.
Role
Team Lead, Lead Analyst, Lead Strategist
Methods
Qualitative Interviews, Market Forecasting
Deliverables
Strategic Deck, Full Report on Findings and Recommendations
The Strategic Challenge
The core struggle was identified as a perceived exclusivity that alienated non-professional athletes. Traditional marketing focused intensely on elite performance, creating a barrier for the everyday mover who seeks inspiration rather than intimidation from sports brands.
Analytical Contribution
As a key contributor, I led the market analytics phase, utilizing quantitative data to inform high-level creative decisions. My approach combined financial forecasting with audience psychographics, resulting in a cohesive campaign structure that achieved measurable gains in engagement and overall brand sentiment.
Our Two Solutions
The 22 Hours
Joy in Motion
Focusing on the recovery and lifestyle hours between intense training sessions. This strategy humanizes the athlete and showcases Under Armour as a 24/7 companion for health and wellness.
Repositioning fitness as a source of mental health and community joy rather than just gritty labor. Utilizing lighter visual palettes and candid movement to invite a broader demographic.
*Concept testing and consumer sentiment analysis served as the empirical foundation for these strategic directions, ensuring the proposals remained grounded in real-world market needs.
Proposal Outcome & Critical Reflection
The comprehensive strategy successfully bridge the gap between technical performance and everyday athletic lifestyle. By quantifying 'brand distance' and proposing tangible visual shifts, this project stands as a roadmap for inclusive brand growth in a competitive sportswear market.
Personal Reflection: This project challenged my ability to balance hard data with creative intuition. It reinforced that the most effective strategies are not those that simply optimize existing metrics, but those that fundamentally re-imagine the brand's relationship with its community.
ScratchPad NFL
The NFL is known for what happens on game day, but our team saw an opportunity to tell a bigger story: how football can build confidence, create belonging, and connect generations. Our research found that 61.8% of survey respondents were unfamiliar with NFL youth programs. The challenge wasn’t simply creating more awareness of football, it was helping families see the opportunities for growth, mentorship, and community already connected to the game.
As part of a ScratchPad team of more than 20 contributors, I helped develop “Play It Forward,” an integrated campaign proposal informed by 100+ survey responses, 10 interviews, 12 hours of social listening, and 80+ sources. The central idea was simple: what young people gain through football shouldn’t stop when they leave the field. They carry those lessons forward into their families, communities, and future.
Our recommendations brought that idea to life in three phases.
“Reframe the Game” proposed athlete-led storytelling and international advertising to show football as inclusive and character-building.
“Make It Memorable” connected that message with opportunities to participate through a #PlayItForward social challenge, a proposed Madden flag football experience, a Toyota partnership, and school-based clinics.
“Pass It On” focused on lasting relationships through a proposed YMCA partnership supporting regular practices and mentorship, community screenings celebrating Latino football stories, and a “Tag Your First Coach” activation recognizing the people behind an athlete’s first opportunity.
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Proposed international transit advertising for “Play It Forward.”
Throughout the plan, we emphasized authentic stories and accessible experiences for parents, girls, beginners, and international audiences. Supported by a proposed $400,000 media budget, the campaign aimed to strengthen awareness and trust, encourage youth program registration, and build continued participation. Our evaluation framework outlined how those outcomes could be measured, from perception surveys to registration and retention tracking.
Turning Awareness Into Participation
“Play It Forward” brought our recommendations together around one goal: helping families connect the NFL with youth development. Our proposed strategy paired authentic storytelling with opportunities to get involved, from social challenges and school clinics to community partnerships and mentorship.
With a proposed $400,000 media budget and an evaluation plan tracking awareness, registration, and continued participation, the plansbook outlined how the campaign could move beyond a compelling message into measurable action.
Explore the full plansbook to see the research, creative concepts, and recommendations behind “Play It Forward.”
Wears Woody: Turning School Spirit Into Support
Supporting a team means more when you know the people and the purpose behind it. Our five-person team developed “Dukes on the Green,” a proposed social media campaign connecting Wears Woody’s custom apparel with JMU Club Golf’s fundraising needs. With 15% of merchandise sales going back to the team, the campaign gave families, alumni, and community supporters a way to wear their school pride while helping cover tournament expenses.
We shaped the strategy through a conversation with a Wears Woody representative about the product, target audiences, and business goals. We also reviewed our audience personas with the representative and used demographic and social media research to guide our platform recommendations. The resulting proposal combined apparel promotion, athlete stories, and fundraising content, with goals of generating sales, supporting the team, and introducing other organizations to Wears Woody’s Custom Gear Program.
Making Advocacy Easier
My contribution focused on the audience personas and content people could easily make their own. I created the “Why I Do It” donor template, a fundraising carousel, and two reels designed to entertain while introducing viewers to the campaign.
The donor template invited supporters to share their connection to an athlete and explain why they were rooting for them. The fundraising carousel made the need tangible by showing expenses such as travel, food, and lodging. Together, these assets were designed to give people a personal reason to engage and a clear understanding of what their support would help fund.
The bigger idea was to lower the barrier to user-generated content. Instead of asking supporters to create a post from scratch, we gave them editable templates with clear spaces for their photos, stories, and campaign details. That made it easier to build content around familiar faces and personal connections.
Click to see an Example UGC Template
A Practical Client Handoff
Following positive feedback during an initial client presentation, we handed over editable templates and sample posts that could be customized with minimal changes. As far as we know, the campaign remained a proposal, so its value lies in the strategy and usable content we delivered rather than demonstrated sales or fundraising results.
What I’m most proud of is how we connected audience understanding with practical creative work: giving Wears Woody a repeatable way to invite customers into its story and help them share it with others.
Click to see a Sample Post I made
Turning Supporters Into Storytellers
“Dukes on the Green” connected apparel promotion and fundraising with the people behind the team. Our proposed campaign gave families, alumni, and community supporters opportunities to share their connection to JMU Club Golf and understand how their purchases could help fund its trip to nationals.
We handed over editable templates and sample posts designed to make that participation easier. With clear spaces for personal stories, photos, and fundraising details, Wears Woody could customize the content with minimal edits and invite supporters to become brand advocates.
Explore the presentation to see how we turned audience insights into a campaign built around school spirit, personal connections, and practical content.