Maybe it’s the Vancouver air.
Or Canada’s World Cup game today.
But I’m feeling inspired by being up here today.
So let’s look at a Canadian brand who has an interesting story unfolding right now.
Lululemon’s brand has taken some hits.
Stock pressure.
Competitive pressure.
Mistaking a Japanese taiko instrument for a Chinese dagu drum.
All in all, it’s a little more heat than they’re used to.
Incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill, who starts in September, has a reported $1.8B war chest to work with.
Which sounds amazing.
Until you realize that money doesn’t create courage.
Money creates options.
Courage places the bet.
So where do you focus?
If I were their Chief Courage Officer, I’d start here:
The Re’s set you free.
Reinvest in the product.
Reignite the community.
Re-earn the emotional premium.
Rebuild the rituals that made the brand feel less like apparel and more like identity.
Now, I’m not going to pretend I have a seat behind their curtain.
I don’t.
But I do know this:
You cannot spreadsheet your way back to magic.
You create belief by doing the right small things, consistently, until people feel it again. Remember why people loved you in the first place.
Lululemon’s Return on Courage won’t come from having $1.8B.
It will come from the discipline to use that money in a way that reminds their core customer:
“We still see you.”
“We still get you.”
That’s the move.
Not just to grow.
Make Believers again.
Stay Courageous!
– Ryan Berman
