Lululemon  v.  AthletaA  Social  Media  Platform  Analysis

Athleta:  2100  S  McDowell  Blvd,  Petaluma,  CA  94954Lululemon:   1818  Cornwall  Ave,  Vancouver,   BC  V6J  1C7,  Canada

Emma  Major  � October  29,  2015  

Table  of  ContentsExecutive  Summary  ......................................3  

Platform  Specific  Counts  .............................   4  

Company  OverviewAthleta  ...............................................................   5  Lululemon   ..........................................................6  

Social  Mention  Sentiment  Analysis.............  7  

Platform  Specific  Analysis  Website  ..............................................................   9Facebook  ..........................................................   11  Twitter  ..............................................................   13Instagram   .........................................................   15Pinterest  ...........................................................   17Blog  ....................................................................19In  Store  ..............................................................21  

Conclusion.....................................................23  

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Executive  SummarySocial media marketing is an important form of marketing that utilizesplatforms on social media sites to engage and influence consumers. Socialmedia marketing achieves a variety of purposes and goals such as buildinga brand, increasing brand awareness, improving brand perception, andincreasing customer satisfaction. It is becoming an important part of abrands marketing strategy as the digital age continues to grow and capturethe attention of consumers.

This Social Media Platform Analysis will compare and evaluate two brandsin the yoga-­‐inspired athletic apparel business: Athleta and Lululemon. Theyoga-­‐inspired fitness apparel market is a $14.3 billion industry that isgrowing rapidly. It has become more common for women to incorporatethis apparel into their daily lifestyle because it allows them to workout,hangout with friends, and complete daily tasks, all while lookingreasonably cute. This niche market has taken off and Athleta andLululemon are there to satisfy consumer needs to their fullest potential.

Athleta and Lululemon will be evaluated on a variety of criteria todetermine their strength and weaknesses on social platforms. Each brandwill be evaluated based on quality, cadence, customer relationshipmanagement, accessibility, relevance, and effect on brand perception. Atthe end of the comparative analysis, one brand will be awarded the finalgold star, indicating that they are strongest in their social media marketingstrategy.

As a result, the reader will have an understanding of the qualities thatpositively contribute to an effective social media marketing strategy. Thereader will gain insight into tactics that are effective in social mediamarketing and tactics that can be improved upon in each social mediamarketing channel.

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Followers/Likes/SubscribersAthleta Lululemon

Facebook 2,800 1.2MTwitter 40,700 801,000Instagram 140,000 1MPinterest 25,700 2.1MLinkedIn   17,469 107,626Vine   1,070 31,800Google  + 1,730 1,961  Youtube 679 34,682

Platform  Specific  CountsBoth Athleta and Lululemon have accounts on the following socialmedia sites. These platform specific counts represent how manyfollowers, likes, or subscribers these brands have. This paper willspecifically analyze their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterestaccounts.

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Athleta is a California based fitnessapparel brand founded in 1998, butbought by Gap in 2009. Its clothinglines are based off of the conceptthat we live a life that is constantly inmotion. Therefore, our clothingshould reflect that motion. From thegym to yoga to running andeverything in between, Athletaapparel suits each activity all thewhile making women feelempowered and great aboutthemselves.

Athleta bases their marketingefforts on the slogan “Power to theShe”, which encompasses theirmission to make women feel greatregardless of what they are doing.Athleta has a “Chi Blog” that offersreaders fitness tips and dailymotivation. They also offer a “give ita workout guarantee”, allowingconsumers to workout in theirapparel and return it if they areunhappy with their purchase.

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Lululemon is a yoga-­‐inspired athletic apparel company based inVancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1998 byChip Wilson, who took a yoga class and found the cotton-­‐basedclothing to be unsuitable for the practice of yoga. He began todesign athletic apparel, relying on honest feedback from yogainstructors to further product development. The first store wasfounded to be a center where people could discuss healthyliving habits and activities from running and cycling, to dietsand mental health.

Lululemon aims to create apparel that will translate to ahealthy lifestyle for the consumer. They promote sayings ontheir shopping bags such as “breathe deeply”, and “sweatonce a day to regenerate your skin”. Lululemon stores alsohost area and city wide exercise classes in public parks or instudios to further their promotion of living fit and healthy.

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SocialMention

Social  Mention   is  a  social  media  search  tool  that  allows  companies  to  monitor  the  conversations  that  are  being  had  about  their  brands.  Social  Mention  uses  over  100  social  media  platforms  to  gather  real  time  information  regarding  the  strength,  sentiment,  passion,  and  reach/influence  of  brands.  

Strength:  The  likelihood  the  brand  is  being  talked  about  on  the  social  web  

Sentiment:  The  ratio  of  generally  positive  to  generally  negative  comments  on  the  social  web  

Passion:  The  likelihood  that  people  who  talk  about  the  brand  online  will  do  so  repeatedly  

Reach/Influence:  The  number  of  unique  individuals   talking  about  the  brand  divided  by  the  number  of  mentions  

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Social  Mention  

43%  strength

21%  reach

52%passion

16:1sentiment

53%  strength

29%  reach

51%  passion

23:1sentiment

Athleta Lululemon

The numbers gathered from Social Mention for Athleta and Lululemonare relatively similar. This reflects the fact that followers of both brandsare talking about them on social media, doing so frequently, and in agenerally positive light.

In terms of strength, Lululemon is being talked about more on socialmedia sites. This, however, makes sense when looking back at theirplatform-­‐specific counts, as they have a much greater presence andfollower base. The higher ratio of positive to negative comments is alsoreflected in the sentiment analysis.

On the contrary, Athleta takes the lead in regards to passion, signifyingthat those who are talking about Athleta are doing so repeatedlycompared to thosetalking about Lululemon.

As indicated by the statistics, Lululemon has a higher reach than Athleta.Reach represents the range of influence that these brands have, meaningthat Lululemonhasa greater influence.

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**Statistics  were  taken  and  averaged  over  the  course  of  5  days  

Website

The Athleta website is very visually appealing and easily accessible. The tabs atthe top showcase what’s new, sport, bottoms, tops, jackets, dresses, shoes &accessories, and swim. The division of these categories makes it extremely easyfor users to go directly to the object that they are looking for without having tofirst go to a drop down menu. Athleta also has a “special sizes” tab whichincludes tall, petite, and plus. This furthers their brand image of “power to theshe” by continuing the image of inclusivity. A sale tab is also included, making iteasy for shoppers on a budget to quickly search for items of interest. Lastly, theyhave a link to their blog for consumers interested in learning more about fitness,healthy eating, and Athleta as a company. A great part about the Athleta websiteis where they depict “customer favorites”. This is a great way to connectcustomers to each other by giving customers that assurance that their product isa favorite of many Athleta consumers.

Athleta wins the gold star for their website. It is visually appealingand the tabs are detailed, yet easy to access and understand. Thewebsite gives consumers a confidence that what they arepurchasing is a valuableandmeaningful product.

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Website

The Lululemon website has a luxury brand feel to it. They advocate foreducation and community involvement. Rather than product promotion, thewebsite is more centered on the overall experience of the brand. The websiteis very visually appealing. They advertise various categories such as men,women, and what’s new; however, they do so at the bottom of the pagerather than the top. This makes the user accessibility a little bit more difficult.They also don’t advertise promotions that they have. A customer would haveto search through the product categories to find items that are on sale,rather than having a tab that makes those products easy to find.

The three tabs of education,community, and blog are important,especially for consumers looking to gofurther than their clothing and intotransforming their lifestyle. However,they are not necessarily representativeof the entire population who wouldsimply like a new exercise outfit.

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Athleta uses its Facebook mainly as a platform toadvertise various promotions as well as givehealthy fitness advice by linking to their Chi Blog.Athleta posts once a day, alternating betweenpromotional posts and lifestyle posts. One of thegreat things about the Athleta website is that theyrespond to negative posts as well as positive ones.They will respond to negative posts withappropriate customer service and solution to theissue. But they also respond to positive posts,offering a thank you and agreement with the user.It is a valuable tactic that further ensures thatconfidence in the customer.

Athleta utilizes their Facebook page mainly forpromotions, for both their products and their blog.Athleta should move beyond their brand into furtherunderstanding the characteristics of their consumersand page viewers.

Facebook 11

Facebook

The Lululemon Facebook page consists of dailymotivational posts that encourage those to eat healthyand live a fit lifestyle. There aren’t very many promotionalposts, besides the occasional free shippingadvertisement. Lululemon does a good job responding toposts on Facebook that speak negatively toward thebrand and the overall brand image. However, they do notrespond to positive posts and encourage their users. Theyuse Facebook as a way to truly captivate their audienceand engage them into a conversation about the brand.One of the great things about the Lululemon Facebookpage is that is brings about community. The postsspotlight certain individuals who are making strides in thefitness industry and the fashion industry. It draws peoplein not solely through their product, but through theoverall fitness experience.

Lululemon  wins  the  gold  star  for  their  Facebook  page  because  of  the  way  they  engage  their  audience  through  both  promotions  and  content  and  the  way  that  they  encourage  conversation  among  their  page  viewers.  

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Athleta uses Twitter mainly as a way to connectwith their users on another popular platform. Theirposts are the same as their Facebook posts, with aslight variation. The majority of posts link to theirwebsite or blog.Athleta should leverage Twitter for engaging theiraudience and encouraging their customers, theway they do on other social platforms. Twitter is agreat platform for customers to converse witheach other about a brand or a product and Athletashould use this more to their advantage.One tangible way to do this is to create fresh and new content through a campaignto keep viewers interested in their Twitter. Athleta should also use the platformmore for driving customer engagement and conversation, and customerrelationship building.

Twitter 13

Twitter

The Twitter for Lululemon is very effective atgrabbing audience attention with content. TheirTwitter reflects their brand image and purpose,which is to create products that will translate to ahealthy lifestyle. Lululemon’s Twitter consists offrequently posted motivational quotes, healthyrecipes, and tips to a healthy lifestyle. Lululemonalso has a great customer response system on theirTwitter. They respond quickly to consumers and in alight hearted way. Similar to Athleta, it would bevery helpful to start a new campaign in order todraw viewers further into a conversation.

Lululemon wins the gold star for Twitter becauseof their great customer care and their fresh andengaging content that encourages customers togo deeper than the product and into the greatermessage behind the brand.

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Instagram

Athleta uses the image-­‐centric platform Instagram toreach a solid amount of their audience base.Instagram is the hub formost fitness fanatics lookinggain tips and motivation.The Athleta Instagram consists of pictures thatadvertise for their brand and clothing. Their cadenceis great with posts once a day. They have varioushashtags such as #MyFit6 and #PowerToTheShe,which engages users into conversation and allowsAthleta to be more easily found. Athleta alsospotlights their customers through the hashtag#athletafan and leverages user generated content ina greatway.To improve, Athleta should focus on moving pasttheir brand and towards having a distinct view of theworld. They do this occasionally, but often times theyare pushing their product and promotions, which canoverwhelm the consumer. Athleta should giveconsumers insight into their brand withoutconstantly pushing their product.

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Lululemon does a great job of leveraging theirInstagram to give users insight and perspectiveinto the world around them. When looking at theLululemon Instagram, one doesn’t see product,they see all that there is to explore in the world.The pictures are high quality and they showcasegroups of people as well as high achievingindividuals, in their Lululemon attire. Thehashtags #thesweatlife and #choosefeeling intheir motivational posts, make it easy for users toengage in the conversation.

Lululemon wins the gold star for Instagrambecause of their ability to go further thanthe product. Their posts encourage,celebrate, and motivate consumers.Lululemon goes beyond the brand andsteps into representing the lifestyle of theirconsumers.

Instagram 16

Pinterest

Pinterest is a valuable tool for Athletaas so much of the brand revolvesaround fitness, food, and lifestyle; allof which are best advertised with highquality visuals. Athleta’s Pinterestpage is well divided into boards thatmake it easy for followers to followthe specific board or boards thatinterest them.

One suggestion for Athleta is to maketheir Pinterest more visuallysynchronized. When looking at theirPinterest boards it is visuallystimulating, yet creates a slightfeeling of confusion with all of thecolors and image variation. Athletashould ensure that it’s Pinterestimages are consistent with theiroverall brand image. It would also bebeneficial to continue to create moreboards dealing with the fashion foreach specific season so that followerscan get real time advice.

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Pinterest

Lululemon’s Pinterest page is incredibly reflective of their products andbrand image. Lululemon understands how consumers place a heavy value onmore visual sites such as Pinterest and Instagram. The thing that stands outmost on Lululemon’s Pinterest is the color synchronization and calm that itcreates. Most importantly, it is consistent with the overall brand image ofLululemon. The boards also have simple, yet descriptive names, making iteasily accessible and viewable for their followers.

Lululemon wins the goldstar for Pinterest becauseof consistency and visualappeal. It is hard to leavetheir Pinterest pagebecause there are so manygreat images and boardsthat attract attention andengage the consumer.

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Blog

Athleta does a great job of leveraging their blog toengage their audience and still subtly promote itsproducts. Athleta blog topics include training tips,yoga poses for certain moods, recipes, guestbloggers, beauty routines, and healthy city guides.Their blog is upbeat, colorful, and informative. Blogposts are created daily and reflect new and freshcontent that is not the exact same as what is onother social media platforms.

One thing the Athleta blogdoes very well is advertisetheir products in a way thatdoes not overwhelm theconsumer. A recent posttitled “The Fit 6” describedAthleta’s new line ofleggings and why they are

the perfect addition to any fitness lovers wardrobe.The blog also drives traffic back to the websitethrough the tabs at the top.

Athleta wins the gold star for theirblog. The brand posts with cadence,color, and relevance. Athleta trulycaptures their target audiencethrough their blog, creating a strongsocial presence and brand image.

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Blog

The Lululemon blog showcases their brand image in away that makes consumers feel something deeperabout the brand aside from the physical product.Lululemon’s blog discusses all aspects of fitness,health, and lifestyle. Topics range from inspiration andmotivation, persona spotlights, travel, meditation andworkout tips, and podcasts.

The Lululemon blog, however, has room forimprovement. Their posts are not very consistent. Forexample, there were two posts on October 6th and thenext post was not until October 15th. Consistency is extremely important for abrand that focuses heavily on lifestyle characteristics. Color is also somethingthat the Lululemon blog is lacking. A colorful blog would reflect well on a brandthat sells fitness attire. Lululemon often substitutes a blog post for a podcast,which is great on occasion. But consumers at work are often looking to scanthrough a post quickly and quietly and don’t’ have the time or the means tolisten to a podcast.

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In  Store

Athleta has over 100 nationwide stores and over 60 global stores. Athletastores are characterized by cleanliness, color, and light. The products areeasy to find, with a shelf of leggings on one side and a large wall of tops onanother. From a social standpoint, there is not much in store that draws thecustomer into connecting with Athleta on social media channels. They dohowever have large, blown up pictures throughout the store, with a verylarge picture behind the register. These pictures are consistent with theiradvertising on social channels. When walking around the store, thecustomer can notice the similarities in these images and the posts onAthleta social channels. It provides a way for customers to recalladvertisements and images, but doesn’t do anything to help them connectto the social channels.

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In  Store

Lululemon has over 300 stores both nationally and internationally. Asearlier stated, Lululemon prides themselves on being a premium brandfor fitness apparel. In store, they carry one size of each of theirproducts, in order to communicate that they are a premium line ofapparel. Their price points also speak to this ideal. Lululemon storeshave a wall of leggings that are easily accessible based on fit, size, andcolor. They also have large images around the store that are consistentwith their advertising; however, as a differentiating factor, they havemotivational quotes and other visually appealing elements at point ofpurchase.

There is no winner for the in storecategory. Both Athleta and Lululemonare incredibly similar in their stores. Bothstores have hardwood floors, a similaroutline, and pops of color to catch thecustomers eye. Neither brand makes aneffort to draw customers into socialchannels. The fact that they are sosimilar could be hurting their brandperceptions. They are not doing anythingunique to make them stand out and theyare potentially copying each otherthrough their in store displays. BothAthleta and Lululemon have very distinctand effective social channels, so it wouldbenefit them to draw their customersinto those channels in store.

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ConclusionWinner

Athleta Lululemon

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

Blog

In Store

In conclusion, Lululemon receives the final gold star for their social media marketingstrategy. Although it was a close race, and each brand has their strengths on certainplatforms, Lululemon’s social media marketing strategy directly targets andeffectively reaches their target market.

Athleta does a great job at reaching their consumers through their website and theirblog, which are both characterized by high quality, color, and user-­‐friendliness.However, Athleta needs to improve upon their content on social media sites such asInstagram, Facebook, and Twitter. There needs to be a balance between promotion,lifestyle, and motivational posts.

Lululemon stands out on social media platforms because of their ability to move pastthe product and into the overall lifestyle qualities of their consumers. They offerconsumers a unique perception of the world around them without overwhelmingthem with product. This is a crucial social media marketing tactic for brands,especially for a brand that places a high value on the quality, lifestyle, and fitness oftheir consumers.

Athleta and Lululemon have a strong social media presence and they recognizethat their target consumer is constantly browsing social sites and staying up todate on the latest social trends.

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