When yoga pants and sneakers made their way to everyone’s closet as work-out wear in mid-2000s, not many expected those to become deeply engrained in the casual-wear scene of the 2010s.
By 2016, people started talking about athleisure – clothing that one can wear both to the gym, casually, and also on a night out – as a new wave in fashion. Along with it, they talked about Lululemon, which became the brand for athleisure clothing.
What makes Lululemon stand out?
First of all, their product. Not simply expensive yoga pants and work out clothing, Lululemon creates clothing functional and comfortable enough for the gym, but aesthetically pleasing enough to wear to your best friend’s engagement dinner. Take, for example, their athleisure men’s blazer.
Secondly, Lululemon has a unique brand message. They don’t try to be the next Nike or Under Armour, they don’t feature famous athletes in motivational million-dollar commercials. Lululemon ads focus on the individual – a modern person who cares about health and wellness. For example, a hip, green-smoothies-drinking, work-life-balance-valuing millennial. Lululemon’s ads use the words like “mindfulness” and “self-awareness”. The brand emphasizes exercising for the sake of one’s own wellbeing, unlike Under Armour, who focuses on being competitive and winning “the game”.
Lastly, Lululemon receives praise for its community engagement. On its website, there is a community tab with information on yoga festivals and retreats, videos and tips on how to release tension, reports on their sustainability efforts, and others. Lululemon also has a blog and allows its followers to share their stories and experience within the community.
These three factors create appeal to the modern consumer who looks beyond just product and price, and who cares about story, culture, and company’s social responsibility. They make Lululemon the name people think of when speaking of athleisure; and the fame does help their financials: according to an article on the online-publication Benzinga, Lululemon might be able to exceed their plan to double their revenue to $4 billion by 2020.
Brand History
Lululemon was founded in 1998 by Chip Wilson and is based in Vancouver, Canada. In 2001, the company began selling yoga wear and athletic apparel.They currently sell their clothing internationally. According to Wikipedia, their key competitors include Athleta, Nike and Under Armour.
The term athleisure is new to me. It is an accurate term for the type of clothing people choose to wear to workout or do everyday activities in. My persona of Lululemon was expensive clothing fit mostly for those interested in yoga. Being a yogi myself, I always chose to browse around the store admiring the cute clothing they sell, but could never afford it due to being a full time college student. I never really thought to compare Lululemon to say Nike or Under Armour. Maybe it was because the environment each store possesses are completely different. Nike and Under Armour strive to advertise all sports, where as Lululemon, like you said doesn’t advertise sports per say, just a more fit and healthy lifestyle to live. I think your blog post was very interesting. This blog has provided a new perspective of how brands sell similar products differently depending on their target market. You have to stand out in order to succeed and that is what Lululemon strived to do. They have worked hard to build their name and now their brand can be recognized everywhere promoting a healthier life to live.
This article was interesting and very informative for me. I found out about Lululemon in high school because my little sister “needed” their yoga pants and headbands for field hockey. Since then, I haven’t heard anything more about it. Maybe because I am a broke college student and don’t have the money to shop there, but after hearing this article, it sounds like they have way more to offer than I thought. Their marketing and branding strategies sound very refreshing compared to Nike and Under Armour. This is definitely a place I need to check out in more detail next time I see it at the mall.
In the retail industry, with so many players, it is really challenge for individual company to competes for a market share. How to uniquely brand itself to stand out is a key strategy to grow, and Lululemon definitely knows how to play the game, in the sportswear field where has giant like NIKE and ADIDAS. Lululemon makes a smart move by focusing on its yoga and exercise apparel. Like you say, Lululemon makes yoga and exercise apparel to be athleisure clothing that blurs the distinction of sportswear and casual apparel. Most importantly, Lululemon designs the apparel functional as well as athleisure. That’s why they can charge at premium but customers still go for it. Beyond what you mention in your article, Lululemon has taken lots of other moves to build its brand. I read this article about what marketing strategies Lululemon takes to build the brand. It specifies Lululemon creating value through building community programs and working an efficient supply chain etc. in detail. I am also one of the fans of Lululemon. I really like the design of apparel. It is so comfort and “athleisure”. More importantly, it features stories to promote a healthy lifestyle, which really attracts me into buying its apparels. Such business model Lululemon working on contributes to the success of this Canadian brand.
link of the article: http://marketrealist.com/2014/12/lululemon-builds-brands-unique-marketing-strategies/