Luon Galore
Feb 21st, 2011 by beverleycheng
I would be the first to agree that Lululemon has a gift of making an average bum look quite appealing. They know exactly how to make men, women and children look fit, stylish and slender in almost every article of their clothing. Having spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars at this store, I find myself a strong advocate of this retailer. Founded by Chip Wilson, this Vancouver based retailer opened their first store in Kitsilano in 1998. Originally created in response to the increase of females participating in sports, as well as a strong belief in the power of yoga, this brand has turned into one of the most popular apparel stores among Canadians.
Due to the popularity of Lululemon, especially among “tweens,” Lululemon came out with their second line, known as Ivivva Athletica. It is set to target girls between the ages of 6 and 12, and especially those who are gymnasts, dancers, athletes, etc. I find this to be a very strategic move on their part, as they are aware that young girls are aching to wear their clothing and that parents are probably less willing to spend great deals of money on a sweater that will probably end up dirty, very quickly.
Another marketing strategy that Lululemon came up with, that became quite controversial and frowned upon, was their Vancouver “Olympics” edition of clothing. Because Lululemon was not a sponsor of the Olympic Games and not allowed to market products under the brand, they named it “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 & 2011 Edition.” In a Canada.com article, Bill Cooper, the director of commercial rights management, had this to say: “We expected better sportsmanship from a local Canadian company than to produce a clothing line that attempts to profit from the Games but doesn’t support the Games or the success of the Canadian Olympic team,” he fumed. (Allison, 2010) Although many officials, as well as VANOC were extremely unimpressed with Lululemon, it was extremely popular among consumers and Olympic fanatics.
This blog post just barely touches on Lululemon’s creative, innovative and tactical marketing strategies. Among their other controversial ideas that create a disturbance among the public, they also smartly cater to several types of people; Yoga lovers, runners (as blogger Greg Krysa states), gym goers, and those who have absolutely no interest in exercise as well. Their quality and customer service speaks for itself, as Lululemon relies strongly on word of mouth for its advertising and customer feedback to keep everyone satisfied.
