Dive Brief:
- As Kevin Plank takes back the reins at Under Armour, Chief Consumer Officer Jim Dausch is leaving at the end of the month “to pursue other opportunities,” according to a Tuesday SEC filing. Dausch was appointed just a year ago by former CEO Stephanie Linnartz.
- At the same time, Under Armour announced it was acquiring Unless Collective, a zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand founded by former Adidas executive Eric Liedtke in 2020. The transaction is expected to close later this week, per a company press release.
- Liedtke, who spent 26 years at Adidas and several of them as its head of brand, will become Under Armour’s executive vice president of brand strategy. He will report to Plank and oversee a host of marketing responsibilities, including loyalty, creative, sports marketing, consumer intelligence and marketing operations.
Dive Insight:
Under Armour is shedding one executive in charge of global brand and marketing for another. Dausch, who joined the retailer in July last year, spent more than 20 years at Marriott International and was brought over by Linnartz in her first — and only — year leading the company. Linnartz was replaced by Plank as CEO in April.
Now, Liedtke will run global brand and marketing initiatives for Under Armour, in addition to his work leading Unless. At Under Armour, Liedtke will “be globally accountable for amplifying Under Armour's brand identity and storytelling, its comprehensive strategic planning process, and executing transformational initiatives that accelerate growth for UA,” per the release.
The athletics brand touted Liedtke’s extensive experience at Adidas, which included roles in footwear marketing and sports performance brand marketing, and credited him with “orchestrating one of the most significant turnarounds in the company's history through the creation and implementation of a five-year strategic plan that delivered more than $8 billion of revenue growth.” Liedtke was also responsible for Adidas’ partnership with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, which led to the creation of the Yeezy line of products.
"We are thrilled to welcome Eric and the UNLESS team to Under Armour,” Plank said in a statement. “With Eric's best-in-class history of driving exceptional growth in the branded sports industry and an established reputation as an exceptional leader, his experience will be a tremendous asset in galvanizing Under Armour's brand strategy, refining our operating model, and ensuring that every facet of consumer engagement is moving our brand forward."
Liedtke said he sees opportunities to drive greater loyalty at Under Armour, reach new customers and elevate the brand. The company launched its first loyalty program a year ago under Linnartz, who joined Under Armour with brand building and loyalty experience at Marriott.
But Under Armour also seems to be interested in Liedtke and his brand Unless for their innovation potential. Unless pitches itself as a brand that “creates clothing and apparel built from the elements that can be worn in the elements and safely returned to the elements” and Liedtke has other experience as well in developing innovative and sustainable materials. The executive was largely responsible for the launch of a line of products made from recycled ocean plastic at Adidas, along with other initiatives.
That could be appealing to Under Armour, which stressed the importance of investing in innovation in May as part of a broader turnaround strategy.
