Summary of the Polo Ralph Lauren story – By M Ajay Jenix

 Challenge in creating in new brand in fashion segment

 Core identity of Polo Ralph Lauren – good taste, classic elegant, understated

clothing, exceptional quality and craftsmanship

 In 1974 Ralph Lauren accessed the market for moderately priced men’s fashion

by introducing Chaps, a new brand sold exclusively at department stores

 The new brand provided access not only to a less upscale segment but also to

less upscale retail outlets. Had the Polo brand been stretched, a more severe

brand dilution problem could have occurred

 Distributed only through premier fashion retailers and through the company’s

own stores, the two new brands enabled Ralph Lauren to span a wide range of

price points without an excessive vertical stretch

 In the 1990s Ralph Lauren sought to provide less expensive offerings by

introducing separate Ralph and Lauren brands.

 In the fall of 1999, Ralph was renamed RL. The Ralph/RL and Lauren brands

allow Ralph Lauren to participate in lower price points and target new segments

while still drawing on the equity of the Ralph Lauren brand.

 To tie together the contemporary lifestyle lines (Polo Sport and Polo Jeans) and

to differentiate them from the more classic brands, the company created a

separate brand symbol to replace the polo player mounted on a horse.

 The new brands and sub brands not only draw from the existing equities but also

add life and energy to them. There is logic and discipline to the structure; Polo is

the men’s fashion anchor, whereas the designer name Ralph Lauren is the

women’s core brand equity.