Controversial message on Lululemon bags
A 17-year-old Lululemon customer found a hidden message after she washed a reusable bag from the yoga-wear retailer. The bag began to peel and underneath was a note on how regular aerobic exercise results in a similar high as drugs or sex, reports CTV in Canada. In an e-mailed response to CTV, the company said, "When we learned that a phrase printed on the side of our small shoppers was troublesome to some of our guests, we took the responsible step of stitching a covering over this language on the remaining bags, rather than destroying them. We subsequently heard that the language was still viewable to curious guests and last week we removed what few remaining bags we had in our stores."
This isn't the first time Lululemon has used a controversial marketing strategy: According to CTV, in 2002, to mark the opening of their second store in Vancouver, Lululemon offered a free outfit to anyone who would stand naked on the street for 30 seconds.
What do you think? Does the marketing of a product influence whether your purchase it?
Comments
Absolutely not. The lululemon brand has never misrepresented itself as a company that follows tradition or convention. While it may seem controversial, the idea that exercise can replace drugs is an interesting thought process that shows a level of marketing sophistication and out-of-the-box thinking that I find refreshing. I think consumers often assume that brands have an obligation to conform to a generality, when in fact it is often the nonconformity that defines their success. Further more, at $100 a pop, I'd consider some nudity for a free outfit. Perhaps it's time that we embrace the irreverence and focus on being horrified by foreign policy or Dar-fur, rather than irreverent marketing campaigns and the like? :-)
Posted by: caroline | April 23, 2008 05:28 AM
I find it just funny that the television picked up such little sentence for a story. In Europe no one would even bother. And by the way who is complaining about other companies using sex as sales factor which here was not even the case?
:-)
Posted by: katrin | May 19, 2008 11:48 PM