Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Leggings: Marketing a Lifestyle

The general trend of our world today is to celebrate what makes us all different. It’s an active and organic widening of our modes of thinking to absorb each and every detail that creates one unique individual in our society today. What I find intriguing about marketing is it does the opposite – it identifies what makes us all similar and draws us together. No matter what makes us all different, there is one underlying desire we share: we crave that feeling of being part of something, anything, and everything.

This desire is why we see lifestyle, social, political, and generational movements take flight, it’s a platform for us to maintain our sense of brilliant individuality and still feel membership to a group. Though it’s not the first thing I think of when I think of brand marketing, I see that correlate. One company whom I believe does a tremendous job or marketing to a diverse makeup of people and bringing them together is Lululemon Athletica.

The goal of this company, in my viewpoint mind you, is to provide a high-quality product and forge a community standard of interaction and support which is integral to the brand itself. For a little background on this brand, it’s a sales company which markets athleisure fashion and lifestyle. (Athleisure being a new term coined to describe the trend in fashion for clothing which is suitable for both the gym and other occasions.) Though the consumer eye may see the company as yet another company who sells athletic apparel and gear, this company caters to a more specific lifestyle and trend. Unlike its other market cohorts in Nike and Under Armour, Lululemon is product specific company dedicated to producing the highest quality yoga and lifestyle inspired products with consumer-education at its focus.

I have been making purchases from this company for years, but until class I hadn’t really thought about how I was drawn to the brand or their marketing prowess. I haven’t worked specifically in sales or at a store, I have worked as a certified Barre instructor. As an instructor, I was advised to register at companies for a discount as a person in “research and development.” After re-upping my membership in the Sweat Collective this weekend (the registered group of fitness coaches and instructors), I began to appraise the reach of the company.

Though the specific target audience of a sales-based company could be seen as anyone and everyone, I believe the targeted group of Lululemon is that of the millennial generation. We as a generational group thrive on digital and social media platforms. Our launch pad of life, if you will, consists of the ability to connect, share, and support over the guise of mass media interaction. After some research on the Lululemon website, I noted not only do they offer discounts to registered fitness instructors and coaches, the company markets opportunities for group workouts in major cities, lifestyle festivals and retreats, and a wide range of ambassadorships with fitness community leaders and gurus. Specific on their website and youtube platforms, you can scroll through personal accounts of consumer reviews, community leader advice, and thousands of articles and videos published in an effort to educate and support consumers.

Their ability to tactfully approach widespread reach through their social media and website platforms is what I believe makes the company the exception to the rule of surviving the “fad” trends in lifestyle and fitness. Additionally, the company has seamlessly merged a consistency of their brand with continued innovation in their products, ambassadors, and marketing schema to continue their growth and status. By adapting to their most profitable target group, being the millennials, Lululemon has continued to thrive financially and maintain relevance in the athletic clothing market.

If I would change anything, I might broaden their opportunities to engage with their national and global “community” more often. With a brand that reaches globally, sometimes the opportunity to bring that network down to scale. When individuals are made to feel like they have some stake in the company and its community, it creates a much more personal interaction with the brand. Otherwise, I feel that Lululemon is a sparkling example of a specialty brand in athletic apparel that caters to a wide market base without sacrificing the integrity of their product.

Slide on over to the Lululemon Athletica website for a look!

Photo References:

https://www.fayettevilleflyer.com/2015/03/06/lululemon-coming-to-downtown-fayetteville/
https://mosaicdistrict.com/shop/lululemon/
http://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Lululemon-launches-first-global-ad-campaign,828152.html#.Wmz59ZM-eL8
https://shop.lululemon.com/