I knew of Lululemon, but they didn’t really hit on my radar until I did some research for my Inner Girl Athlete and Under Armour post.  In that post, if you recall, I mentioned how Under Armour had a position open for a Women’s Marketing Manager and that I had applied for the position (still no word there).  In doing my homework I researched other women’s athletic apparel makers, including Title Nine and Lululemon.  I also started following their Twitter feeds and became a fan on Facebook.  Not only did Lululemon blow me away, but I’m quickly becoming a super fan when I’ve never spent a dime with them or own a single piece of their apparel!!

When it comes to having a clear vision of who they are and how to communicate that vision with their “guests” they have it nailed!  A quick visit to their website and you will find the words – goals, outgoing, upbeat, energetic and fun – permeate the site.  Here’s the really cool thing – had I only ever gone to their Facebook fan page, blog or Twitter feed I still would have received that message.

Their message isn’t just about putting out the word but actively living the lifestyle they preach.  Lululemon runs challenges that they not only promote but actively engage in as well.  For the month of February they ran “A Challenge a Day”.  A couple of my favorite challenges were #21 – leave a positive message in a public place and #22 – hold downward dog for 5 minutes.  They posted the challenge with images of themselves participating in the challenge.  Fans then participated by commenting on how they met the challenge.  The challenges spread Lululemon’s overall message in a fun, upbeat way.

Here is how Lululemon knocks the socks off with their Social Media efforts.  They very, very actively listen and take part in the conversation people are having about them.  They are constantly looking for feedback on their products.  You can give your input in several different ways – a form off their website, an in store form or comments on their Facebook fan page.  And I know they are listening.   Look at their fan page, someone from Lululemon almost always comments on the customer feedback.  They let the commenter know they will pass the word on to the designers, etc…  Usually Whitney does the honors.  I love that I know Whitney is taking care of me should I have an issue.  I now no longer feel like one of many but like I have a personal connection – an inside line so to speak.  Mind you I’ve never met Whitney but I know she hears me.

Lastly, in terms of using Social Media in a way that I love, Lululemon posts on their fan page new products.  I know many people do that, but here is where Lululemon stands out – they attach a small story to it.  They give you a review – what the product is – ie rain jacket etc.., an image of a real person (usually someone in their office) with the person’s measurements so you can envision how it fits on you and then they tell you why they made it.  I love knowing their thoughts behind the piece – it lets me feel like I have a peek into the inner works of the company – I then can feel like I own a piece of the process – especially if some part of the new design came from feedback I gave them! (check it out here)

There are so many other ways that Lululemon makes a complete circle with their message and I urge you to check out their site, blog and facebook fan page to make the connections for yourself.  Now I’m off to find one of their retail stores to experience the message in real time!

Under Armour, whether they know it or not, already have a grass roots connection to rowing. Go into any boathouse and I promise you over half of the athletes, from juniors to masters, will be wearing at least one piece of Under Armour apparel. Better yet, right in their own home town is the Baltimore Rowing Club. They can take a morning (a very early morning) and do a little field research for themselves.

Let’s take that thought a little further. Baltimore Rowing holds The Great Baltimore Burn every year. This year it will be held on Feb 6^th. It is an indoor erg race. These indoor races were originally set up to break up the monotony of winter training – painful, painful event I might add. Baltimore Rowing Club bills theirs as being named after the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 and the deep pain you feel in your legs during and after a 2k sprint – yeah barrels of fun! But my point is this is a local event. Under Armour can do some small test marketing here and see how they best connect with the rowing community. From there they can take what they’ve learned and bring it to the Crash B’s (the World Indoor Rowing Championship) and also forge a connection with Concept 2 (the makers of the erg).

Under Armour has a well planned marketing strategy of working with top high school and college teams and there is no reason this wouldn’t work in the rowing community as well. However, I’d also like them to consider a different tactic. The fastest growing segment in the sport of rowing is in the Masters Division – age 21+. Within that division it is women who are leading the way. Find away to connect with these women!

Finally I’ll end with a dream product that if Under Armour could find a way to produce I will fall at their feet!! Get a rower to talk about the shoes attached to the foot stretcher in the boat and you will hear a never ending litany of complaints – they’re to small/large, can’t keep them closed – ties/velcro are worn out, they’re just plain nasty and the list goes on and on. If Under Armour could come up with a quick release type shoe system – maybe something similar to how a bike shoe clips onto a pedal – and each rower could invest in having their own shoes in the boat – you would have rowing gold!

I would love to see Under Armour strengthen their already unofficial ties to rowing. As always I’d be thrilled to discuss any of my ideas with Under Armour in person. And for all you rowers reading this – Stay Long, Row Hard!!

I was first introduced to Under Armour roughly six years ago. I was sitting in a rowing shell – moving up and down to the rhythm set by the stroke – my eye was drawn time and time again to an imprint showing through the compression shorts in front of me. While trying to stay in time with the stroke I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what the imprint was, what did it mean, etc… Over the next couple of days I realized that EVERY woman I sat behind had that imprint showing through their rowing clothes. Now I really had to figure it out. Finally after much sleuth work I realized I was seeing the impression of Under Armour’s logo time and again. I had seen it before but hadn’t connected that almost everyone in the boathouse wore at least one piece of Under Armour clothing.

Flash back to the future. Researching my move to Baltimore I stumbled upon Under Armour’s career page where I saw they had an opening in Brand Management for a Women’s Marketing Manager. I applied for the position becaue 1) I’m moving to Baltimore and 2) how cool would working for Under Armour be?? Totally speaks to my Inner Girl Athlete! I haven’t heard back but it set my brain in motion – how to better connect women and Under Armour.

The very first thing that jumped out at me was pants. Talk to any women and they will tell you they have a horrible time finding good pants. Once they find that magical pair they will buy not 1 but 3-4 pairs of that pants (usually 2 in black and 1 or 2 in another color). They finally found IT and want to make sure they always have a pair available. I love my Under Armour Tech pants but they are long – way to long for my 5’3” frame. I actually have to wear clogs with a 2” heel when I wear them or I’ll trip all over the bottoms. I did a little digging and found in the reviews over and over again that this was one of the most often cited complaint women have with Under Armour pants. They’re just to dang long. I – and I think just about any women out there – would love to see Under Armour sell their pants in short, regular and long lengths. Give us a good fitting pant and you own us – seriously!

To carry the fit theme a little further. When I registered with Under Armour I was asked which areas of sports I was most interested in. I would love it if I could also enter my measurements when I register. Under Armour could then take that information and suggest which pieces of clothing would best fit me. Then when new lines were released I could be updated not only by sport but fit as well. It would make my shopping experience quicker and easier – especially when some of the research work has already been done for me. As a busy woman I want to be able to hone in on the most useful information to me as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Back to my UA Tech pant (I currently own 2 pair) – I can never remember the proper name of these pants – in my head they are yoga pants. I have to search and search until I find them again on Under Armour’s site. How happy would I be if I could have my own personal favorite / wish list!! I’d love it to work similar to Amazon’s wish list – it would so simplify the buying process for me and when family are asking me what I want for my birthday or Christmas I could direct them to my list. We’d both end up happy.

Women are social but because of time constraints we don’t go shopping in groups or out to lunch like days past. The majority of our social activities now take place in mobile media or online. Under Armour has a general Facebook Page as well as one for running and baseball. I really believe that Under Armour needs to have a fan page dedicated to women. Make the page appeal to her Inner Girl Athlete. Every women involved in sports has an Inner Girl Athlete – the part of her that feels powerful and sexy. Create a place where she can connect and tap into the feeling – she wants to feel like she can conquer the world.

Along with connecting to a women’s Inner Girl Athlete reward her for being a fan. There are applications now where you can set up a boutique inside a fan page. Release new or special items to your fans first. Give fans a two week window where only they can access the new apparel. Women love exclusivity and being the first to have something new!

I have many other ideas but I’ll close with this one because I feel it’s important. I am Title Nine baby – without all the women who came before me I would not have had the opportunities to grow into the athlete I am. March is women’s history month. Under Armour can spotlight women in sports who paved the way and in their honor donate a percentage of every sale for the month of March to a female sports initiative. The 40th anniversary of Title Nine is June 23, 2012 – if Under Armour starts the planning process now they can have a major celebration of women in sports in June 2012 – culminating in creating their own sports initiative for women. I would love to see that happen!

I’m excited to see what direction Under Armour is going to take their women’s line. I admit my brain is currently locked into exploring the many different ways they can better connect with women. I’ve also have some fabulous ideas on how to make better ties to the rowing community. If anyone from Under Armour should come a calling – I’d love to share what’s kicking around in my head!