Lululemon Athletica (Lululemon) is a yoga and athletic attire company, with over 200 stores and a presence in 14 countries. In recent years it has been faced with a number of public relations nightmares, including a recall of 17% of its Luon pants due to excessive sheerness. Additional issues arose, when founder and former CEO Chip Wilson made a public statement tying the sheer yoga pants issue to the size of the woman who tried to wear the pants, stirring a public outcry. A former employee confirmed that part of the brand strategy was to avoid the selling of larger-sized clothing. Additional outrage arose when women tried to return the defective pants, and they were asked to bend over to demonstrate the sheerness of the product. Additionally, investor concerns arose and lawsuits were filed due to executive bonuses that occurred just prior to the recall.
Evaluate Lululemon from a Marketing perspective using the case study and the known recent history. Review the their corporate website and any other publically available relevant sources such as the WSJ. Using the criteria below identify their current marketing practices and make strategic marketing recommendations for each.
Address the following in no more than 6 pages:
1. Identify and evaluate Lululemon's current stated:
a. Marketing goals and objectives
b. Target audience
c. Competition
d. Competitive advantage
e. Marketing research effort
f. Marketing measures of effectiveness
2. Recommend strategic marketing changes in regards to Lulemon's:
a. Marketing goals and objectives
b. Target audience
c. Competition
d. Competitive advantage
e. Marketing research effort
f. Marketing measures of effectiveness