The Brand Extension Strategy for Subculture Brands to Achieve Mainstream Popularity: The Case of Lululemon

Abstract

With the emergence of new industries, there exists a notable gap between starting subculture brands and trying to appeal to the mass market. Although appears to be an opportunity, the questions on how subcultural brands broaden their marketing persist. Thus, this paper aims to show how subcultural brands make use of relevant marketing theories and analyze the case studies of stripped brands which successfully moved from niche to mass market. It is found that creating authentic brand stories and building highly interactive brand communities are the keys to brand success. Grasping the zeitgeist and social cleavage points to develop new products and sales models can help brands rapidly expand their market size. While expanding the brand, brands must pay attention to the consistency of brand values and subculture. In the initial stage, the brand should lay the cornerstone significance of the product, organize diversified activities closely related to the subculture on the basis of reliable products, and establish a close connection with the subculture consumers.