How Lululemon Builds Community To Create an Iconic Brand (2024)

While many brands compete in the yoga and fitness apparel space, Lululemon has positioned itself as an industry leader by building community around its brand. The apparel company has cultivated a loyal following, connecting consumers with the tools and experiences they need to be their best selves.

How Lululemon Builds Community To Create an Iconic Brand (2)

Since its beginnings in Vancouver, Lululemon focused its branding on the yoga community. Unlike other companies that sponsor pop icons or sports stars to promote the brand, Lululemon collaborates with local yoga teachers and fitness professionals to represent their brand. Lululemon utilizes its storefronts to host yoga classes, meditations and other related events.

“It’s so much more than apparel, it’s about people,” former CEO Laurent Potdevin said. “It’s an investment in people, giving them their best life, personal development and creating incredible product that allows them to live their life.”

Lululemon’s commitment to building community around yoga, fitness and wellness offers valuable lessons for brands seeking to expand and strengthen their networks.

  • Lead a movement:

Brands that position themselves as essential members of a cultural movement foster emotional connections with consumers. This is especially important in today’s fast paced business environment where the majority of consumers wouldn’t care if 74 percent of brands disappeared. Lululemon is redefining what yoga means with its “This is yoga” campaign. The brand is declaring that yoga today has transformed beyond the mat into everyday life. The campaign showcased influencers such as artists, musicians and entrepreneurs embodying the principles of yoga in their lives.

Essentially, you should strive to define a movement that your customers can stand behind. Be a mission with a company, not a company with a mission, as we say at We First. By connecting people with what they love, you make your brand indispensable.

  • Marry product with purpose:

Lululemon has designed products with the goal to advance a movement, stand out from the competition and help brands build consumer loyalty. Lululemon’s clothing is crafted to empower people to be comfortable while moving their bodies in yoga and while doing fitness training. The company has earned a reputation as the go-to yoga pant that many people swear by. Further, innovative product launches such as the Nulu fabric, which is designed to give the feeling of freedom of being naked, help the brands customers live their best yoga everywhere they go.

Ultimately, you must design products that enable your target audience to be better versions of themselves. In this way your products will have a purpose that goes beyond creating a quality good.

  • Inspire self-expression:

Your customers not only support your business financially, they can also be valuable content creators. With the widespread use of social media, consumers want to shape the culture and narrative of brands they support. What’s more, user-generated content (UGC) is likely to ring more true to consumers than brand or agency produced media. In fact, UGC garners an average of “4 times more clicks at half the cost per click; is 20 percent more influential on Millennial buying habits; is 35 percent more unforgettable and 50 percent more trustworthy for Millennials. Lululemon’s #TheSweatLife is a great example of how a brand can inspire consumers to build its network. This hashtag has been used over 800,000 times on Instagram, providing consumers with a platform to share their triumphs on the mat and in the gym.

Ultimately, companies that celebrate consumers build community around their brand and inspire people to express themselves as part of the brand network. In turn, this expands the organic reach of marketing initiatives and builds consumer trust.

  • Collaborate with local leaders IRL:

While connecting with consumers online is essential in today’s digital world, so is uniting community in real life (IRL). An excellent way to build community around your brand IRL is to host events in collaboration with local leaders. Lululemon’s ambassador program is a prime example of how brands can build a network on and offline. The apparel brand helps those interested in yoga and fitness to meet their goals while also promoting the brand through Lululemon hosted events. This is a win-win-win for the brand, ambassadors and consumers, all of whom are working towards the goal of personal growth. Lululemon also hosts and sponsors events like the Sweat Life Festival, a two day extravaganza of yoga fitness, wellness workshops and interactives. These IRL experiences deepen the ties between the brand and consumers, leading to business success.

Ultimately, to grow a community around your brand you must connect with consumers on a people to people level. Hosting events and collaborating with influencers in your space both on and offline is a great way to strengthen your network.

Create useful content:

While product shoots and models can showcase your wears, useful content will have consumers coming back to your site time and time again. Its important to establish your reputation as an expert while providing people with content they want to consume. This will allow you to inspire consumers to associate your brand with your movement. For example, Lululemon produces instructional meditation, yoga and fitness collaborations on Youtube, Spotify and iTunes. This is instrumental in helping consumers advance their practice.

Fundamentally, your promotional content should provide real value to consumers rather than sell your products. When people see your brand as a go-to resource for information in your niche, they will naturally buy from you.

The takeaway is that building a community around your brand is about connecting with people. Be the chief celebrant, not celebrity, of your network. Celebrate the successes and facilitate growth of your customers and ambassadors on and offline. This will allow you to create a more “real” human touch to your brand. In turn, you will cultivate consumer trust and establish yourself as a leading authority to your target audience.

How Lululemon Builds Community To Create an Iconic Brand (2024)

FAQs

How does Lululemon create a community? ›

Lululemon stores then become hubs where people can connect with others, through the guise of exercise. Store Ambassadors lead the charge in making these connections happen. They inspire and lead their local communities, and motivate their community to become more active and encourage others to do the same.

How Lululemon uses lifestyle marketing to create a strong brand community? ›

The authenticity of a brand's message is multiplied when it comes from a member of the community, in their personal tone, rather than the brand itself. People see these influencers and want to live a lifestyle similar to theirs, encouraging them to become a part of the larger Lululemon community.

What are the values of the Lululemon community? ›

Our core values of personal responsibility, entrepreneurship, honesty, courage, connection, fun, and inclusion are lived by our people every day and are at the heart of our unique company culture. We live a life we love.

How did Lululemon build their brand? ›

Lululemon had a strong head start by putting customer insights in the center of everything they did — from product design to branding and selling experience. They've inspired shoppers through brand advocacy and built a cult-like following over several short years.

How does Lululemon attract customers? ›

Lululemon doesn't only focus on selling its products in several store locations. They integrate scarcity to make consumers want more. The brand does pop-up stores in different areas or countries to see if it clicks with the market.

What is Lululemon doing to be socially responsible? ›

Make waste obsolete.

We want to make waste a thing of the past. Packaging is a current reality of our industry and we're taking steps to eliminate, reduce, reuse or recycle where possible. See some of the ways we're taking action and making changes to our operational and textile waste.

How does Lululemon stand out from other brands? ›

Lululemon's unique approach to retail starts with its aspirational philosophy and employee development. The company showers its staff and customers in a culture of personal growth, self-empowerment, and physical health, as its manifesto clearly communicates.

What makes Lululemon different from its competitors? ›

Lululemon's strategy focuses solely on activewear apparel, while its competitors fight over who has the best shoes. The iconic legging comes at a price at Lululemon — almost three times the most frequent price of its competitors.

What gives Lululemon a competitive advantage? ›

The technological advances lululemon has made in clothing makes it harder for competitors to emulate its success. It also enables lululemon to charge higher prices and have merchandise that rarely goes on sale. lululemon's focus on innovation not only lies within its products but within its stores.

What is Lululemon brand mission and vision? ›

lululemon athletica

our original intent: Elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness. our mission statement: Creating components for people to live longer, healthier, fun lives. about our products: We make technical athletic apparel for yoga, running, dancing, and most other sweaty pursuits.

What is Lululemon unique selling point? ›

Top quality, technically advanced product that offers unique and proprietary innovations. A strong culture that connects our guests, our collective, and our communities. The commitment to create positive change for our people and planet.

What are the key elements of Lululemon's strategy? ›

Lululemon's vision statement is “to be the experimental brand that ignites a community of people living the sweat life through sweat, grow and connect.” The statement consists of the following components: exceptional brand, ignite communities through sweat, and create connections.

What are Lululemon's key success factors? ›

High profitability: Lululemon has a high profitability, which enables it to reinvest in its business and continue to grow. 5. Lululemon's main competitive advantage in the marketplace is its strong brand presence. This has enabled it to establish a loyal customer base and a strong reputation for quality products.

What is the brand awareness of Lululemon? ›

lululemon brand profile in the United States 2022. How high is the brand awareness of lululemon in the United States? When it comes to sports and outdoor online shop users, brand awareness of lululemon is at 52% in the United States.

What is the brand essence of Lululemon? ›

1. Sincerity — lululemon. In order for customers to trust a brand with their business, they must first believe that the company actually desires their well-being. That's exactly how lululemon comes across with its lowercase, low-key approach to branding.

Who is Lululemon's target audience? ›

Who is the Lululemon Target Market? Lululemon customer demographics includes people in their mid-teens to mid thirties, both women and men. They are largely yoga and/or fitness enthusiasts who value work-life balance and a fit and active lifestyle.

Why do people love Lululemon so much? ›

Lululemon sells good stuff that holds up, and they stand by their products. Free tailoring/hemming on most things (including tops and pants); incredibly durable workout wear; you can return things easily if they don't work out.

How does Lululemon promote products? ›

Our ambassadors connect us to communities around the world and provide us with insightful feedback so we can innovate and grow. Through our program, ambassadors receive development tools and experiences, get product to test, meet a network of like-minded people, and score a humongous cheer squad.

What are the cultural factors of lululemon? ›

At Lululemon, our values are “courage, connection, inclusion, personal responsibility and fun.” These form the foundation of our culture and are what we stand for as a team.

What are the three pillars of lululemon? ›

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action.

We have made five major commitments to stand up and fund inclusion, diversity, equity and action within lululemon to ensure we stay engaged and act in allyship in our commitment to anti-racism.

Does lululemon have a good culture? ›

They encourage honesty and vulnerability. One of the most unique characteristics of lululemon's culture is the value placed on honesty and vulnerability. In practice, this manifests itself in the feedback team members give to help each other improve.

What is Lululemon brand famous for? ›

Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, lululemon athletica is a technical athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training and most other sweaty pursuits.

Who is Lululemon's biggest competitor? ›

According to Similarweb data of monthly visits, lululemon.com's top competitor in April 2023 is urbanoutfitters.com with 12.0M visits. lululemon.com 2nd most similar site is shopbop.com, with 4.5M visits in April 2023, and closing off the top 3 is aloyoga.com with 2.2M.

What strategy does Lululemon use to be successful against online competitors? ›

Lululemon used a premium pricing strategy and thus they charge higher prices than their competitors for their products. They have set a goal to create the perception that their products must have a higher value than competing products because they offer something the competition lacks and thus their prices are higher.

What type of strategy does Lululemon engage in? ›

The brand has an influencer marketing strategy. Lululemon regularly collaborates with local yoga, wellness, and fitness instructors to represent its brand. The brand creates a space where people can build community by using a section of its stores to host meditation, yoga, and fitness classes.

What are the key drivers of industry change for Lululemon? ›

lululemon has been on track with its Power of Three ×2 growth strategy. The move is likely to double its revenues from $6.25 billion in 2021 to $12.5 billion by 2026. The plan focuses on three key growth drivers —product innovation, guest experience and market expansion.

What are the 4 P's of Lululemon? ›

Lululemon 4p's marketing mix. In this section, we will look at Lululemon 4p's marketing mix, which includes Products, Place, Price, and Promotion to better understand the Lululemon marketing strategy.

What is the key message of Lululemon? ›

As a design-led company, curiosity is at our core. We're constantly thinking about how we can innovate our process, our gear, and our social impact so we can elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness.

What is the business objective of Lululemon? ›

Lululemon – Core Value Analysis

The company's core values are based upon differentiation, which focuses on creating value for providing a high profile, healthy lifestyles. It strives to stand out among its competitors by offering a unique set of core values.

What does Lululemon symbol? ›

The logo is actually a stylized 'A' that was made for the name 'athletically hip', a name which failed to make the grade." The brand itself won't comment on the logo design (believe me, I tried), so we might never know for sure what it really stands for – other than pure, butt-hugging joy.

What are the social media strengths of Lululemon? ›

Lululemon has a very strong presence on social media platforms. Their marketing efforts have always been very good for the prosperity of the brand name. They have 3.8 million followers on their Instagram! This cult-like following was made possible through their consistency in digital marketing.

What is the mirror growth strategy for Lululemon? ›

They include doubling its men's revenue between 2021 and 2026, doubling its digital revenue by 2026, and quadrupling its international revenue by 2026. In addition, it plans to double its overall revenue from $6.25 billion in 2021 to $12.5 billion in 2026.

What are Lululemon's two major business segments? ›

It operates in two segments, Company-Operated Stores and Direct to Consumer. The company offers pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle, such as yoga, running, training, and other activities. It also provides fitness- inspired accessories and footwear.

What are the cultural factors of Lululemon? ›

At Lululemon, our values are “courage, connection, inclusion, personal responsibility and fun.” These form the foundation of our culture and are what we stand for as a team.

How does Lululemon help the environment? ›

At least 75% of the polyester we source will be recycled content (with a stretch goal of 100percent) by 2025. By making polyester from used plastics (such as discarded water bottles) instead of fossil fuels, we can reduce energy use by up to 45% and CO2e emissions by 30%. Nylon.

How does Lululemon promote themselves? ›

The brand has an influencer marketing strategy. Lululemon regularly collaborates with local yoga, wellness, and fitness instructors to represent its brand. The brand creates a space where people can build community by using a section of its stores to host meditation, yoga, and fitness classes.

What made Lululemon famous? ›

Since then, the company has produced several different types of fabrics, including compression and moisture-wicking designs. Lululemon is primarily known for their leggings, which first made the brand popular.

What is Lululemon's brand personality? ›

Sincerity — lululemon

In order for customers to trust a brand with their business, they must first believe that the company actually desires their well-being. That's exactly how lululemon comes across with its lowercase, low-key approach to branding.

What are Lululemon industry key success factors? ›

There are many established companies in the industry, such as Nike and Adidas, which have a strong presence in the market. Overall, the collective strength of the five forces is moderate to strong. 3. The key success factors for this industry are quality, innovation, customer service, brand loyalty, and sustainability.

What are the three pillars of Lululemon? ›

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action.

We have made five major commitments to stand up and fund inclusion, diversity, equity and action within lululemon to ensure we stay engaged and act in allyship in our commitment to anti-racism.

What makes Lululemon so unique? ›

The fabrics used in Lululemon products are top-notch, contributing to their high prices. They invest in creating exclusive, high-quality materials like their signature Luon and Nulu fabrics. These materials are not only super soft and comfortable, but also moisture-wicking, breathable, and provide excellent support.

What is Lululemon's strategy? ›

The company's business strategy is based around promoting its “Lululemon Athletica” and “Ivivva Athletica”-branded products as steppingstones to an active and enjoyable lifestyle.

Why is Lululemon different from other brands? ›

Lululemon specializes in an in-store experience unlike any other. As the OG yoga trend brand, their stores are so incredible to shop in. Many stores even include a built in studio with yoga, spin classes, and more.

What is the plan's main objective of Lululemon? ›

Lululemon Goals, Strategies and Budget

Provide customers with new products. Sustain their brand image. Achieve growth and maintain cash flow.

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