Lululemon has continually proven themselves to be a brand with innovative marketing strategies and strong ethics. They have managed to uphold this reputation even through bad press over the controversial messages that they covered up on their bags, as well as their Olympic line of clothing as Beverley Cheng talks about in her blog.
After working as a production assistant on the television show “Village on a Diet” this summer I was very impressed with Lululemon’s ambassador program. Both of the personal trainers on the show are part of the Lululemon ambassador program.
Each store has its own ambassadors which makes it very personal to that specific community. A Lululemon ambassador is described as someone who “embodies the lululemon lifestyle and lives the culture.” These people range from local yoga instructors to Olympic athletes. It’s interesting to see how the ambassadors and Lululemon benefit from this program especially when their ambassadors are on a national television show. None of the ambassadors are payed to wear Lululemon clothing, rather they are supported with free product and anything else within reason they may request. Mike Veinot and Garfield Wilson are both personal trainers in Vancouver and experts on “Village on a Diet” a CBC show that is part of their Live Right Now Campaign. Throughout the show Mike and Garfield are always seen wearing Lululemon clothing but never in ridiculously obvious ways. I think that this subtle approach where the ambassadors and Lululemon both clearly benefit is a very innovative approach to product placement and paying athletes to wear a certain brand.
