Branded Book Assignment

Title of Chapter/Topic: Chapter 7- Under Armour: Protect This Brand! Chapter 29- Bass Pro

Shops: The Great Outdoors… Pass it on

Authors: Jason W. Lee

Your NAME: Kyle Broussard

Summary: 10 pts

1. Summarize the two chapters by describing the elements listed below in 250+ words

for each assigned branded chapter. Why is this brand successful? Describe the

elements or events that helped the brand grow? What positive or negative event

changed the path of the brand? What management or marketing strategy has been

most successful for the brand? Concerning the SWOT analysis, what threats or

weaknesses did they turn into opportunities? 500+ words

Chapter 7 was Under Armour and their mission is to “to make all athletes better

through passion, science and the relentless pursuit of innovation.” Under Armour was and

is successful because they lead in the development of gear for athletes, they know how to

market it, and know how to distribute it. Under Armour was started by a form college

football player that wanted to developed a material that was light and could dry easy for

the athletes who wore it. Kevin Plank the owner wanted the shirt to help enhance

performance by regulating body temperature. The fact that Plank was a former football

player at Maryland and knew there was no shirt on the market like he wanted to make

was helpful for him. However, a problem he faced was trying to get into a marketplace

that was already dominated by some of the best brands in the world. He had to find
unique ways to break into the marketplace and sell his product. He started off by using

athlete endorsement through product seeding, so he basically gave away his shirts for free

to athletes he knew threw his college playing days. Those athletes who he gave the shirt

to were billboards for him now. Then the word of mouth technique, so the more the

athletes wore his gear he gave them for free the more buzz it created, and athletes would

talk about it in the locker rooms. So new athletes would begin to ask for gear form Plank.

Then Plank incorporated pop culture into his brand. Giving the consumers a new look

that they have not got to experience yet. After he built a good brand he started to use

product placement, which is placing his brand into popular TV shows or movies. (296)

Chapter 29 was over Bass Pro Shops they began with an 8 feet retail store in

Springfield, Missouri selling fishing equipment. They sponsor outdoor events for kids, it

is a nature-themed retail store, and has conversations end education initiatives. Their

mission statement is “to be the leading merchant of outdoor recreational products

inspiring people to love, enjoy, and conserve the great outdoors.” Bass Pro Shops wants

to pass on the knowledge of the outdoors to everyone they do this by nature-themed

destinations, such as Outdoor World, Big Cedar Lodge, and Dogwood Canyon Ranch.

More than 4 million people visit the Outdoor World in Springfield. It has a boat

showroom, elaborate architecture, wildlife museum and mounts, striking waterfalls,

gigantic aquariums, and various restaurants. Bass Pro Shops created a positive image for

their company by educating the youth and adults, and supporting conversation and

environmental corporations. Sponsoring the organizations that are dedicated to protecting

wildlife gave a unique view to their brand. They market to protecting the wildlife and

environment. They do not only work with protecting the wildlife, but they work with
 organizations to better the communities. Even though they started off as fishing

equipment they were quick to realize that there was money to be made in the hunting and

outdoors market. They use a one-stop approach meaning a customer can go into one of

their stores and find everything they are looking for. Bass Pro Shops is not afraid to

partner with other brands no matter the size. They reach their customers through retail

stores, catalog distribution, internet, radio, and newspapers. Bass Pro Shops has tried to

tap into other markets other than hunting and fishing and they did that by sponsoring

NSCAR. Which is a good target market for their company, because most NASCAR fans

love the outdoors. (300) Total= (596)

Topic Specific Questions: 30 pts

2. Pick only one chapter. A. Describe one new idea, fact or theory that you learned.

Explain in detail. B. An applied application is connected to a topic from the

Contemporary Sport Management Textbook. C. Describe practical application.

Relate this idea to your current life or a situation that you could use in the future.

Use the term of your future profession such as; Coaches, Leaders, Mentors, or

Teachers to describe how this topic may apply to a profession. List the chapter you

are discussing in a bullet points at the end of each question. 300+ words.

I have known about this idea, but it is an interesting one that people do not seem

to notice all that much. That idea is product placement. Product placement was one of the

way Under Armour was and is able to be so successful. Under Armour infused their
products in TV shows and movies to bring attention to their brand. When you sit back

and think of your favorite movies and shows, or you are in the middle of watching one, it

is amazing how many products you see, and where they are placed at. I think more than

just putting their product in places to be seen, it is more important where the company

tries to get them placed. They try to get their product into big scenes, or onto to the top

actors. I know for myself I have seen product in movies, and thought to myself wow that

is cool, I would like to have one. For sports brand companies, video games are becoming

the biggest place to use product placement. In order for companies to like Under Amor to

be successful at product placement they have to understand the individual as a sport

consumer. They need to have a target market and know the characteristics of that target

market. Most sports fans will watch movies and shows that are sports related, so when

product placing it is best to put your product in those shows. I compare chapter seven of

Under Armour to new coaches like myself. When Kevin Plank started UA in 1996 he

started from the very bottom of the pyramid and had to find ways to climb the pyramid to

have a successful brand. The same can be said for coaches, they start at the bottom, and

have to prove their selves in order to move up the ranks as a coach. As a coach you want

to separate your selves from other coaches by coming up with new ideas, or new ways to

keep the players interested in practice. Product placement can be difficult for coaches the

only way I could see a coach doing that is having their philosophy ready, and putting in

front of coaches they want to work for. The chapter interest me, because I am a first year

coach and I am looking for ways I can move up the ranks. (393)

 Branded- Chapter 7 Under Armour: Protect This Brand!

 Text Book- Chapter 13 Sport Consumer Behavior

3. Pick only one chapter or section, and it must be different from the chapter used in

question #2. A. Describe one new idea, fact or theory that you learned. Explain in

detail. B. An applied application is connected to a topic from the Contemporary

Sport Management Textbook. C. Describe practical application. Relate this idea to

your current life or a situation that you could use in the future. Use the term of your

future profession such as; Coaches, Leaders, Mentors, or Teachers to describe how

this topic may apply to a profession. List the chapter you are discussing in a bullet

points at the end of each question. 300+ words.

The way Bass Pro Shops was able to come from having an 8 feet retail

shop in a liquor store to having their own buildings, and one is 300,000- plus

square feet now. The fact that they were able to start a company form nothing in a

market where no one was is remarkable. They have built their brand by building

relationships with other organizations and communities. Using chapter 4

management concepts and practice in sport organizations we can see something

Bass Pro Shops has done. You would think that their focus is on selling their

products so people can use them to catch fish and kill animals, but they sell

products so people can enjoy the outdoors. In a world full of technology and more

and more kids wanting to stay inside and play video games, their goal is get

people to go outside. They try and do this by educating adults and the youth, and

by also supporting environmental organizations. Their organizational environment

is set to the outdoors experience, and you can tell that by their nature-themed

retail stores. Their goal is to get people to enjoy the outdoors, but it is also to help

take care of the environment and wildlife. You can tell they have been effective at
 this, because they have won many awards, and received honors too. The thing I

see Bass Pro Shops do that I could apply to coaches is the educating. They

educated people and work with other organizations to protect the environment. As

a coach you have to be able to educate your players on what you want them to do.

Also, I learned that Bass Pro Shops are willing to have partnerships with almost

any company if it helps them reach their goals. Coaches and players have to be a

partnership in order to be the best they can be, if the coach is a dictator then he

will not get the most out of his players. (328)

 Branded- Chapter 29 Bass Pro Shops: The Great Outdoors… Pass It On

 Text Book- Chapter 4 Management Concepts and Practice in Sport

Organizations

Discussion: 30pts

4. Provide 2 journal articles to support your discussion regarding the chapter from

Question #2. Discuss how this topic has been researched and what the research

indicated. Specifically link the research to your topic. Remember to read the

journal_article_guidelines.doc in the files folder to understand which articles are

appropriate. List the chapter you are discussing in a bullet points at the end of each

question. 300+ words

The last step Under Armour used was product placement is placing your products

in placer where the target markets can see them being used. Kramoliš and Kopečková
(2013) gave examples of the opportunities presented now a day to use product placement.

They are movies, TV shows, novels, songs, and video games. When you sit back and

think of your favorite movies and shows, or you are in the middle of watching one, it is

amazing how many products you see, and where they are placed at. It is important for

these companies to know what type of shows their target market many watch, because

placing the products wrong could serve no purpose for the companies. For sports brand

companies, video games are becoming the biggest place to use product placement. It does

not matter if it is a soccer, football, basketball, or baseball video game you will see all the

top brands in sports in the game. I have seen several people who play NBA 2K spend a

long time going through all the shoes on the game from Jordan, Nike, Adidas, and Under

Armour trying to pick out the coolest ones. The same for baseball games, trying to figure

out what fielders glove to choose from, or what brand arm sleeve to put on their guy. The

equipment that are in video games are real life ones that the professional players all the

way down to little leaguer use. Kim and McClung (2010) stated that “sport video gamers

who have favorable attitudes toward product placement, in general, are more likely to

intend to purchase a product or brand which may be placed in sport video games.” Video

games right now are the go to for sports brands and trying to sell their products. With the

amount of technology, we have in today’s world product placement is becoming

something that companies have to perfect to grow their brand. (318)

 Branded Chapter 7 Under Armour

Kim, M. S., & McClung, S. R. (2010). Acceptability and Ethics of Product Placement in

Sport Video Games. Journal of Promotion Management, 16(4), 411-427.

doi:10.1080/10496491003591386
 Kramoliš, J., & Kopečková, M. (2013). Product Placement: A Smart Marketing Tool

Shifting a Company to the Next Competitive Level. Journal of Competitiveness,

5(4), 98-114.

5. Provide 2 journal articles to support your discussion regarding the chapter from

Question #3. Discuss how this topic has been researched and what the research

indicated. Specifically link the research to your topic. Remember to read the

journal_article_guidelines.doc in the files folder to understand which articles are

appropriate. List the chapter you are discussing in a bullet points at the end of each

question. 300+ words

Bass Pro Shops as mentioned started off just as 8 feet and now has a store in

Springfield that is roughly 300,000 square feet. They have a Big Cedar Lodge that is

located in Missouri and is 850 acres which allows people to experience things like

boating, fishing, and skiing along with other things. Then they also have Canyon Nature

Park also in Missouri that is 10,000 acres and is open to the public for outdoor

adventures. How exactly are they building these buildings, and getting the money to open

them. Leroy (2006) says that according to Gander Mountain’s lobbyists that Bass Pro

Shops has been promised or has received at least $209 million in subsidies. Gander

Mountain also believes that Bass Pro Shops floods the market with so many new stores

that tourism will decrease, because there will be no need to travel to visit the huge stores.

Bass Pro Shops defends their subsidy by saying their stores are tourist attractions, but as

they build so may stores people will not need to travel to those cities anymore. To me

Bass Pro Shops found a way to give their business the best chance of succeeding, and

they have been extremely successful. Bass Pro Shop also does a good job as at making
its image good. Other companies may question where they get the money to build their

stores. A. Khattak, I. Khattak, Abass (2015) state that organizations that make products

just to sell and make profit without detecting the needs, wants and demands of the society

will not last long. Bass Pro Shops has done an excellent job of determining the needs of

the people and their partners. Bass Pro Shop does not just sell fishing and hunting

equipment, but they also sell nature to people with their classes they offer. The name of

the chapter is “The Great Outdoors… Pass it on.” They want to teach you and help you

understand the environment and wildlife better, so it can be taken care of better by the

people. As a coach you have to be able to identify your teams needs and adapt those

needs instead of what you want all the time. You have to be able to teach to their needs

and help them become successful. (379)

 Branded- Chapter 29 The Great Outdoors… Pass it on.

Khattak Aumbareen, A. A., Aumbareen, Khattak, I., & Abass, M. A. (2015). Impact of

Hospitality in Building Good Image of Organization. Abasyn University Journal

Of Social Sciences, 8(1), 156-169.

LeRoy, G. (2006). Not very sporting: outdoor sporting goods retail subsidy scam.

Multinational Monitor, 27(5), 15+. Retrieved from

http://media.etbu.edu:2314/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=txshracd2502&v=2.1&it=

r&id=GALE%7CA160119621&asid=ff63b4f052c637b9d7abb6a1a0f368cc
Conclusion: 10 pts

Draw a conclusion from the above material. Provide at least one real-life application and

describe how someone in your profession could put to practice at least one of the lessons

learned from this assignment. 200+ words

Both companies Under Armour and Bass Pro Shops both started from the ground and

worked their way into power houses in their markets. In any career in order to move up in a job

you have to have what people want. A construction worker is trying to become a supervisor he

has to prove to his boss, or show that he has the abilities to do the job. The worker has to be a to

brand himself to show he does in fact offer the abilities to lead. Under Armour used athlete

endorsement through product seeding, which they gave athletes UA gear for free to let them try

out. As a coach you can do the same just it is giving out information you know to players to help

them become the best they can be. After product seeding comes the word of mouth, so for UA

after giving out free gear, and pro athletes wearing it other athletes begin to ask where they got it.

That leads to interest from soon to be consumers. As for coaches after spreading their ideas, and

it hopefully having an impact on the player, people ask where he (the player) learned that from,

and the players says from Coach Broussard. That could lead to other coaches reaching out to the

coach. UA had a fresh new pop look to it that people loved, it was unique. (233)