Lululemon gets cheeky
by heathercrawford ~ November 28th, 2010. Filed under: Comm 101.
Leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, Lululemon was upset to not be granted the position of the olympic clothing sponsor for the games. Although disappointed, Lulu made a strong statement about the situation by printing clothing with the quote “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 & 2011 Edition” due to the copyright laws of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic brand. This statement is a perfect example of ambush marketing, as voiced with the IOC, which is a marketing technique that involves piggy backing a major event without paying sponsorship fees. Lululemon wanted to still have involve in the games, being a Canadian-Vancouver born company, and released a Canada theme clothing line, including a toque that looked like a team Canada hockey helmet with black paint for your teeth. Although no dates, years, or any relations to the games could be printed, Lulu persevered through sponsorship disappointment with a “cheeky” and fun attitude. However, was this really ambush marketing by Lulu or can it be considered clever positioning during the games? Unlike Nike during the 1996 games in Atlanta, Lululemon didn’t plaster posters all over Vacnouver, but let there costumers sport Lulu’s own olympic themed gear. Adding more diversity to the cities national olympic spirit.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ambush-marketing.htm
http://sparksheet.com/brand-olympics-the-best-marketing-campaigns-of-the-2010-vancouver-winter-games/