The Zen of Marketing: A Case Study from Lululemon

"Is the name Zen Media a reference to Buddhist philosophy?" she asked me. It wasn't the first time I had been asked that question, and I knew it wouldn't be the last. "Actually, it's not," I responded.

Back when I came up with the name years ago, social media was just starting to emerge. TikTok and Instagram didn't exist, and there wasn't even an iTunes store. But what was clear was that the old marketing rules wouldn't work in this new era. Companies that treated new platforms like billboards found their marketing efforts backfiring. However, those that embraced the new ecosystem found more success.

This is truer now than ever before. Great marketing is like jiu-jitsu, where going with the current makes everything easier. Some might even call it Zen. I

I find myself telling this to clients all the time.

Go with the flow.

Don't fight the tide.

Don't swim against the current.

You get the picture. Our best PR campaigns have always succeeded because we went with the situation instead of against it. Whether it was seizing a political moment with a viral open letter or convincing a major financial institution to steer clear of finances, these campaigns are some of our best work.

Recently, I witnessed another example of this strategy with Lululemon, the $50 billion athleisure brand. Like many other major brands, Lululemon faced the challenge of knock-offs or "dupes."

Dupes have become a trend of their own, with Gen Z leading the charge. Discovering and flaunting these knock-offs has become a sport, gaining media coverage. Teen Vogue even published an article titled "11 Best Lululemon Dupes on Amazon." TikTok alone has over 3.5 billion #dupe views, while #lululemondupes has amassed over 150 million views.

Undoubtedly, Lululemon and other brands lose sales to these dupes. The traditional response would be to fight back. However, the Zen approach is to find a way to make it work in their favor. And that's exactly what Lululemon did.

They organized a "Dupe Swap" event at their store in Los Angeles, inviting customers to trade in their knock-offs of the popular Align pants for the authentic ones.

Lululemon's Dupe Swap wasn't a blind gamble. Despite the millions of dupe sales and views, the Align pants remain best-sellers. By embracing dupe fans, Lululemon believes that their strong brand culture, online and in-store communities, fitness and yoga resources, relatable ambassadors, and product quality will outshine the knock-offs and convince people to choose the genuine article.

In an era defined by deafening noise, brand and community are the ultimate moat.

And you know what? It seems their bet paid off. According to Lululemon, 50% of the participants in the swap were new customers, with half of them under 30.

The lessons here aren’t just limited to b2c brands. B2B can take a page out of this book. How many times have prospects bemoaned gate-kept reports that stop just short of requiring their social security number and mother’s maiden name to get access to??

What are you currently fighting that you could be using to your advantage??

That’s the Zen way, anyway.?