Under Armour is in the midst of a painful but necessary metamorphosis. After years of struggling with a diluted brand identity, slowing sales, and a revolving door of leadership, the company is staging a dramatic “back to basics” turnaround. The architect of this plan is none other than its founder, Kevin Plank, who returned as CEO in 2024 with a clear and unflinching message: the reset will be difficult, but it is non-negotiable.
As 2025 comes to a close, the “current affair” at Under Armour is one of strategic retreat. The company has been open about its “sales contraction” in fiscal 2025, projecting a low double-digit revenue decline, including a steep 15-17% drop in North America. This, however, is not a sign of failure; it’s a deliberate, self-inflicted “step back” designed to “meaningfully reset this business.”
Plank’s strategy is a complete rejection of the athleisure trend-chasing that blurred the brand’s message. The new Under Armour is laser-focused on one thing: “performance-focused products” for the “young team sports athlete.” This is a return to the brand’s “humble and hungry” roots, repositioning itself as the “underdog” brand for the 16-to-24-year-old athlete who is serious about their sport.
To achieve this, Plank is implementing what some have called “micromanagement,” but which he sees as essential operational discipline. The plan is aggressive: cutting the brand’s product (SKU) count by 25% to eliminate clutter, applying the 80/20 rule to focus on what works, and, most importantly, drastically cutting back on promotions and discounts. The goal is to restore Under Armour’s premium positioning and stop training consumers to wait for a sale.
This strategic pivot is supported by a clean sweep of the leadership team. Plank has brought in a new Chief Product Officer, a new President of the Americas, a new Chief Supply Chain Officer, and, in a fascinating move, renowned fashion designer John Varvatos as Chief Design Officer. This signals a desire to infuse high-performance gear with a stronger, more confident aesthetic, without compromising its core athletic DNA.
The brand’s marketing is also being retooled. The company is wielding its $500 million marketing budget with more precision, shifting from broad, expensive campaigns to targeted “micro-doses” aimed directly at its core athlete demographic. A significant, full-scale brand activation is expected to land in the fall of 2025, which will be the first major statement of this new, focused Under Armour.
The road ahead is long. Under Armour is willingly sacrificing short-term sales for long-term brand health. It’s a high-stakes gamble, but for the first time in years, the company has a clear, authentic, and disciplined identity. The message from Kevin Plank is simple: Under Armour is no longer trying to be the next Nike; it’s trying, once again, to be the first Under Armour.
