Brilliant Brands Series: LACOSTE [an unsung hero]

by Kurt on January 25, 2013

Here’s another brand in the BBI, the “BRILLIANT BRAND INDEX” ®Kurt Frenier.

As a reminder, the BBI® model has 8 dimensions that I deem important to qualify for a “brilliant brand”: 4 ‘brand coolness’ dimensions (a lovable brand, a beacon of trust, inherent universality, a memorable visual identity), and 4 ‘brand hotness’ dimensions (novel/contemporary marketing, on a growth trajectory, creativity & awesomeness, executed to excellence).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIT OF BACKGROUND ON LACOSTE:

Lacoste is one of those brands that disappeared from the fashion scene for a while. I sort of grew up with it (from the sidelines, because I wasn’t really a fashionable metro sexual -at the time). Anyways.

Let’s start with a bit of history first: Lacoste actually started off as a bet. 2013 marks the 80th anniversary of Lacoste. In 1923 Rene Lacoste, tennis champ/hero, made a bet with the captain of the France Davis Cup team, Allan Muhr, who promised him a crocodile-skin suitcase if he won a big match for the team. The event was then reported in an article in which the journalist nicknamed Rene Lacoste “The Crocodile”. This then became his nickname by the American public and was further demonstration on the tennis court by never letting go of his prey. One of Lacoste’s friends, an illustrator, designed the crocodile which he embroidered on the blazer he wore on the court. [Stop for a second! I mean… what an awesome story on how that logo came about!]. By the end of the 1920’s Rene Lacoste had designed a batch of loose-knit cotton shirts made for his personal use. They proved themselves on the tennis courts, by withstanding the American heat and being sweat absorbent. It also became a first since tennis players had previously been wearing long-sleeved city shirts with warp and weft fabric. By 1933 Rene Lacoste had teamed up with the great hosier, Andre Gillier and had launched the industrial production of his polo shirt marked with a crocodile, thus giving birth to Lacoste. It became the first time a brand that was visible from the outside on a piece of clothing.

The 4 ‘brand coolness’ dimensions:

1-A LOVABLE BRAND

The target audience for Lacoste would traditionally be tennis and golf players, just looking at their large range of polo shirts and sports accessories. But now, they are hunting for the young, trendy, fashionable youth. Those who want to spend to look good, those who have a feel for what simple, quality fashion needs to be. Look at the recent release of the Lacoste Live range. And Lacoste is clear about their mission: they are not a luxury brand per se, but thrive on the middle class. When it comes to brand love, Lacoste is not only a lovable brand, it is a brand that was and still is “influencial” in the sporty clothes scene (btw -they were the “inventors” of the polo shirt). For years! I’d say – from observation – that the Lacoste trademark went to a dip for a good 10 years, but now seems to be “back” -stronger than ever.

2-A BEACON OF TRUST

Who doesn’t know the iconic crocodile? Talk about brand recognition and the instant trust that comes with it? Lacoste is not just a power brand. It is a “landmark brand” (r) Kurt Frenier – a brand that combines invention with iconic with imagination. Enough said, actually! Beyond polo shirts, they made waves in metal tennis rackets, golf, cricket, and baseball. Brand desirability is what they strive for, and it seems to pay of.

3-INHERENT UNIVERSALITY

Lacoste’s classic polo shirt was an innovation for both the sports and fashion worlds. Today it continues to be more than just a best seller. Since 2003 over a staggering 100 million Lacoste polo shirts have been sold. Lacoste now has a large collection of products: clothing for men, women and children, shoes, perfume, leather goods, eyeglasses, belts, watches, home textiles and even jewelery.

4-A MEMORABLE VISUAL IDENTITY

Lacoste seems to realise that breaking the rules of advertising is needed. They have a new strapline, called “Unconventional Chic” that embodies its new thinking. High quality fashion imagery shows that  Lacoste is diverse but also casual, fashionable, and very versatile. The feel of the visuals is that of a contemporary, cool, modern brand, as you can see from the image below. Beautiful.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 4 ‘brand hotness’ dimensions :

I-NOVEL, CONTEMPORARY MARKETING

Lots to say here.

Nowadays, Lacoste are linking the brand with music and celebrities. That gives them licence to reach the right audiences in the right and most relevant places.  Check out things like Lacoste L!VE blog , the LACOSTAGRAM -a photo aggregator capturing photos from Twitter and Instagram, and their Facebook fan page, with over 11 million fans. Not bad! So, all in all I’d say they know how to run novel, contemporary marketing.

When it comes to bringing the brand to life, Lacoste generally market their products via tennis and golf pros. But they are also active on the runway, with fashion shows in NY and Paris. Lacoste included Roland Garros into their marketing mix – a logical choice since tennis is Lacoste’s #1 associated sport. They also emphasized product placement in popular movies and TV shows and movies. smart. On route to become a „Hollywood favorite‟? Popular stars were wearing their clothes, a must in the fashion industry. So it seems like they are looking at brand deployment quite holistically.

In the Middle East, where I live, Lacoste is well grounded, and they try to be close to their consumers. Check out the latest activation they did in Saudi Arabia, engaging consumers to try their new parfum, Lacoste Rouge. They experimented with a new way of sampling the product; in an impactful and engaging way:

II-ON A GROWTH TRAJECTORY

Lacoste is a $1.6bn business in a brutal fashion industry. Not bad for a single brand company. And from what I can find in terms of numbers, it seems they are on a 10-15% growth path. Given the economic situation in their heartland, Europe, they’d better count their blessings. CEO Christophe Chenut probably realises that Asia, Latin America are the future stronghold of brand and company growth. The brand is present in over 114 countries. 2 Lacoste products are sold every second around the world through the Lacoste Stores, Lacoste retailers in department stores and a selective distribution network.

III-CREATIVITY AND AWESOMENESS

Not sure how they score on this. Half/half maybe. Not a lot of browny points. I haven’t found a lot of nice tv advertising for instance. It’s all a bit boring and actually quite functional. Quite a contradiction from where they are going with print (see above). I think so much more can be done with Lacoste, creatively:

IV-EXECUTED TO EXCELLENCE

Don’t know about you, but I see Lacoste everywhere these days.

And they’re going wide – just look at their container store concept: The retractable, mobile boutique was conceived in partnership with award-winning design studio Aruliden and LACOSTE Vice President of Visual Merchandising/Store Design Mikel Bowman. Sustainable production company SG Blocks was tasked to repurpose a 20 foot shipping container. The result was a re-usable structure that not only reduces carbon footprint, but allows LACOSTE the flexibility to mold the space with minimal effort. Just an example.

 

On the “BRILLIANT BRAND INDEX MAP” ®, I plot them as a “UNSUNG HEROES”: powerful brand, with a strong past, on a strong rebound, and with a bright future.

 

PS- look at the forward-looking clothing line Lacoste just launched for its 80th birthday: here.

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this article! Let me know what you think – here, on twitter (@kurtfrenier), on facebook, or on LinkedIn. Kurt.

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