🥳 Yeah, you CAN knock the big brands out

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🪩 Volume 106 | October 15, 2025

Hey, good marketer!

Last week, I got invited to teach my daughter's class about BRANDS.

Mind you, they're all 3 and 4 (so they can't read).

I showed them pictures of logos and asked them to tell me what they think of when they saw them.

The fEEEEElinggggs these kids had when I showed Bluey (Keepy Uppy!!!) vs. Bass Pro Shops (fish tank!!!!) vs. Chick-Fil-A (chicken nuggets!!) vs. Publix (free cookie!) was hilarious.

It was also a reminder that brands should forever chase that kind of instant reaction, and overly positive association :)

This week's read time: 3.5ish mins

For you skimmers: 1.5 mins (hit the bold headers and bullet points)

image of play doh and a statement about how the best marketing keeps things simple

You don’t need to kill your competition to win market share.

Ya just need to infiltrate it.

That’s EXACTLY what brands like Alo Yoga and Vuori did… quietly eating away at Lululemon’s throne while Lululemon focused on scaling, optimizing, and ~playing it safe.~

This week, I’m breaking down how a household name lost its grip, why it matters for brands trying to become one, and how you can avoid the same fate.

The brand breakdown (ha, no pun intended):

1. The early days: a cult in yoga pants

Lululemon didn’t start as a clothing brand, it started as a movement.

Chip Wilson built something that felt elite, aspirational, and personal:

Technical fabrics that felt revolutionary (remember Luon?)
Retail stores that doubled as yoga studios
A philosophy about self-improvement and discipline woven into every tag

It was athleisure. It was identity. And people paid a premium to belong. Me incuded lol.

2. The corporate glowup (and the cost)

Then came the IPO. The Wall Street expectations. The pressure to “appeal to everyone.”

The problem here: in trying to be everything to everyone, Lululemon lost what made it something to someone.

“GAP-ivization,” as Chip Wilson calls it—the slow death of differentiation by committee.

Suddenly, risk-taking was replaced by “alignment meetings.” Product innovation gave way to “marketing moments.” And brand storytelling started to feel… like every other fitness brand.

3. The fall: the four lost pillars

Wilson’s recent Wall Street Journal critique called out four pillars that once defined Lululemon… and how they’ve since cracked.

I made a pretty table breaking that down:

The REALLY UNFORTUNATE BUT NOT SURPRISING result:

Sales down.
Stock down 50%.
Competitors like Alo Yoga and Vuori up massively.
And a once-cult brand… just another activewear company.

4. The infiltration: how competitors have slipped IN

While Lululemon was optimizing spreadsheets, Alo and Vuori were rewriting the culture playbook:

👟 Alo Yoga has made “studio-to-street” aspirational… not just yoga gear, but influencer status symbols.

🏄‍♂️ Vuori mastered softness (both in fabric and branding) creating effortless, laid-back luxury for men and women.

Both went hard on lifestyle storytelling while staying founder-led, creatively brave, and laser-focused on product feel.

They didn’t have to outspend Lululemon.

They just had to out-differentiate it.

💡 The takeaway: er, this can happen to ANYYYY business (product OR service, B2B OR B2C)

You don’t need Lululemon’s scale to win market share.

You JUST need to protect these pillars like your life depends on it:

Guard your DNA. The second you start “appealing to everyone,” you’re appealing to no one.
Integrate marketing with product. The best marketing starts in the design room (or that team meeting).
Encourage risk. The bolder the bet, the bigger the moat. Risks should literally excite the sh*t out of you.
Protect your creatives. Bureaucracy kills artistry faster than competition does. (tape that to your computer screen).

Every brand wants to be a household name.

Few are willing to do what it takes to stay one.

SO DO WE THINK LULULEMON CAN COME BACK FROM THIS?

It'll take a rebrand of sorts, and not visually. I have hope. But I also have OPTIONS: and Lulu is a brand I haven't bought from in years because of those options.

Crazy right????

I’ve been almost pushed-over-the-edge about Artkive App. My almost 4 year old can draw a bumble bee way better than I ever could and I can SEE her confidence growing. This brand has started serving me ads, and given the 400 pieces of toddler art I have, I’d like to try and preserve that. Freaking awesome concept.