New York, NY (PRWEB) December 08, 2014
Under Armour today was named Advertising Age’s Marketer of the Year as part of the publication’s Marketer A-List, an annual ranking of the nation’s most creative and successful companies.
Advertising Age evaluated companies based on creativity, financial results and their ability to engage consumers. It selected the year's 10 best companies, as well as highlighted Marketers to Watch and Global Marketers of Note.
“Our A-List covers a range of businesses—automotive, entertainment, retail and even cloud computing—but they all share an appetite for risk-taking and bold marketing,” said Matthew Quinn, executive editor at Advertising Age. “This year’s honorees turned in amazing performances in terms of sales-boosting marketing, but Under Armour was in another league entirely.”
Under Armour is well on its way to becoming the second-largest global athletic brand, surpassing Adidas.The company also has been on the cutting edge of cultural shifts such as the recent female-empowerment movement with its “I will what I want” campaign.
“Even when faced with a potential crisis—reports that the U.S. Olympic speedskating team was blaming its suits for a losing streak—Under Armour’s swift and highly transparent response was one for the PR playbooks,” added Mr. Quinn.
This year’s Marketer A-List includes:
- Beats
- Boston Beer Company
- CVS
- Disney Studios
- Dollar Shave Club
- Lowe’s
- Salesforce
- Subaru
- T-Mobile
- Under Armour
“CVS proved its commitment to health care by snubbing out cigarette sales despite financial fallout. T-Mobile shook the foundations of telecom marketing by ditching contracts, offering unlimited data plans and paying early termination fees for people switching to its service,” said Mr. Quinn. “Dollar Shave Club nicked the industry giants with an innovative subscription plan and laugh-out-loud advertising. And Lowe’s defeated a sluggish housing market with clever crowd-pleasers such as in-store robots and how-to Vine videos.”
Under Armour joins a select group of marketers that have won Marketer of the Year honors from Advertising Age, including Taco Bell (2013), Chrysler (2012) and Coca-Cola (2011).
Other highlights of the 2014 Marketer A-List include:
- Marketers to Watch: Esurance, HBO, Keurig Green Mountain, Lincoln and Southwest
- Global Marketers of Note: Alibaba, Amore Pacific, The Guardian, Lidl and Xiaomi
About the Marketer A-List
The Advertising Age Marketer A-List has been celebrating the best marketers in the business since the early 1970s. From 1971 through 1993, Marketer of the Year was known as Adman of the Year. Since 1994, the award has been bestowed upon a company. Advertising Age editors make their selections based on creativity, financial performance and a company’s ability to connect with consumers.
About Advertising Age
Advertising Age is recognized as the leading global source of news, analysis and intelligence for the marketing and media community. Advertising Age includes ongoing coverage of strategic topics for marketers from mid to large companies complemented by breaking news and a database of the world's best creative. The 84-year-old publisher produces more than 15 original rankings each year, including the 100 Leading National Advertisers and 100 Leading Media Companies lists, the Agency A-List, and the annual Agency Report.