Not an UA employee, just a cubicle drone with too much time on his hands.
Brooks and Saucony may be well respected in the running community, but they're barely known outside of running specialty. And running specialty is a small fraction of the overall running shoe market. Asics has slightly better brand recognition, but nowhere near UA. You'd be surprised how many people call them "Basics."
UA is going after both camps: specialty and mainstream. They have well-regarded designers on board and a well-known brand name. The shoes are similar (but not identical) to the Fila Flow series. The Fila shoes weren't bad, but a lot of people were turned off because of the Fila name. (I was working in running specialty at the time and witnessed this first hand.) I think people will be much more receptive to UA. It's a brand they know and, for the most part, trust.
Within three years I think UA will be in the top-five in running specialty sales.