Steve Battista

From sports business category underdog to athletic apparel disruptor, CLIO award-winning branding expert Steve Battista reflects on lessons learned from Under Armour’s storied growth and helping launch other start-ups to offer actionable insights on growing your brand, constantly innovating and successfully connecting with consumers in the digital age. In 2018, Battista co-founded the brand Revtown, an online clothier featuring premium denim for a fraction of the cost of designer jeans.

Since he joined the former startup as its 19th employee in 2000 as director of corporate communications, Battista helped the Under Armour brand grow from selling four products into a $4.8 billion global business selling 40,000+ products. With many titles during his 17-year tenure, Battista’s primary focus was directing the company’s strong branding and positioning, which inspired athletes of all ages globally through brilliant campaigns that exuded the company’s passionate culture and dedication to authenticity.

Battista’s gritty and compelling marketing, such as his award-winning “PROTECT THIS HOUSE,” “CLICK CLACK,” and “I WILL” campaigns, helped propel Under Armour’s rise to become “the sports brand of this generation and the next,” a distinction further substantiated through the company’s partnerships with some of the world’s most accomplished athletes, including Stephen Curry, Jordan Spieth, Michael Phelps, Misty Copeland and Tom Brady.

A talented writer and master storyteller, Battista takes audiences behind the scenes of his work at Under Armour and other brands he has helped launch and/or reposition, to provide insights on fostering attitudes focused on disruption and innovation, and strategies for ensuring distinct branding in an omnichannel environment. Participants take away a renewed appreciation for the power of strong branding and authenticity in marketing, and in allowing your organization’s story to dictate your brand’s message in an increasingly competitive marketplace.