Research on Product: Brand Building

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The person interviewed is a 46 year old female dedicated to the Polo brand by Ralph Lauren.
She makes many of the purchasing decisions for herself and other members of her family. She buys Polo
shirts for her sons and husband. One of her sons particularly likes the Polo rugby shirts with horizontal
stripes. He will not wear a shirt unless it has stripes and it has to have the Polo logo. The female
consumer remembers wearing her first pair of Polo jeans at age 14, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Many of the woman's peers wore Polo brand jeans. Men and boys wore them when t-shirts
were unacceptable attire, such as for church, to parties, or to the office. Today many different brands of
the rugby style shirt are worn by both men and women. However, no other bear the horse and rider
logo stitched on the upper of the rugby shirts. The Polo brand is often viewed as the original rugby shirt
brand. It stands for quality, reliability, and can often be viewed as a status symbol. Some consumers
will wear cheaper brands but the Polo logo is seen on many different types of sportswear for tennis and
golf, bearing the horse and rider logo.
Ralph Lauren established his brand based on the American Dream and on movie characters. The
first garments to be introduced in the 1950s were Polo brand ties. In the 1970s men's wear was
introduced, followed by women's wear. Jeans, pants and later handbags were added to the Ralph
Lauren line, with many different types of garments also sporting the Polo logo. The brand is said to
represent a lifestyle of sophisticated leisure (World of Ralph Lauren). Today the brand still represents
sophisticated leisure for many consumers. The man on the polo pony is still used as a brand emblem on
garments carrying the Polo brand label. The game of polo has always been considered one played by
those within certain social and economic circles. The Polo brand is positioned as an upscale brand for
those who are financially and socially successful. The brand now extends to handbags and clothing
accessories, along with dress attire, jeans, and the well-known rugby shirts.
Competitors of Polo include Gucci, Coach, Armani, and Burberry. The Polo line consist of mostly
classically styled garments that are timeless; while the Ralph Lauren brand may consist of more trendy
garments and styles. The Polo brand continues to maintain equity while picking and choosing which
stores and outlets to offer its products. The Polo lines are typically found in upscale department stores,
outlet stores, and other upscale shops in over 9,000 locations throughout the U.S., Europe, and a few in
Japan. While many competitors like Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica have experienced a decline is sales
growth Polo has achieved 24 percent sales growth in the first nine months of fiscal year 2010. It has far
exceeded sales targets and growth of the other ...