Under Armour and Dwayne Johnson End Their Partnership as the Brand Resets

Athletic apparel maker Under Armour has ended its relationship with another longtime brand ambassador — actor and entrepreneur Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Johnson's own training brand, Project Rock, announced that its decade-long partnership with the company had reached a "natural conclusion."

Founded in 2017, Project Rock produced a line of footwear, apparel, and accessories through the Under Armour partnership. In a statement, an Under Armour representative said: "As we sharpen our focus and strengthen our core business, we're building one unified voice in the training category. We're deeply grateful to DJ and his entire team for a decade of partnership and friendship."

This marks Under Armour's second major ambassador split in recent memory — the company also ended its longtime partnership with NBA star Steph Curry last November, who subsequently signed with China's Li-Ning athletic brand.

With two marquee partnerships now behind it, Under Armour is shifting to new ambassadors — last month the company launched a campaign featuring "Heated Rivalry" star Francois Arnaud, and weeks later named South Korean K-pop group BoyNextDoor as brand ambassadors.

On an earnings call with analysts, Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank said the company's marketing "isn't broken" — it simply needs tighter alignment with product: "We'll continue to show up, and that's how we win with the consumer." The company reported a 3% revenue decline for the first quarter and said it had reduced marketing spend as a percentage of revenue. "Rethinking our marketing isn't just about how much we spend, but how effectively we spend it and what we ultimately get out of it," Plank said.