Polo Brand Equity

Polo Ralph Lauren is a line of clothing and accessories designed by the American designer Ralph Lauren. The Polo brand is one of the most iconic brands that Ralph Lauren has created and I personally wear Polo almost every weekend. The brand has a certain "meaning" associated with it. The clothing is good quality, looks great, and is comfortable. Although somewhat on the expensive side, I personally believe it is worth the price. When I wear the Polo brand I feel as though I am better than someone wearing an equally nice piece of clothing simply because of the logo on my shirt. You may think that I am being judgmental of others and you could be right; but what would cause me to think this way? I believe that the Polo brand has created a unique brand equity for itself that attracts customers in a way that shows them their product makes them better than other people. And let's be honest, in American society we are all taught to be the best. I plan to go through each section of the Brand Equity Pyramid model and talk about how each section relates to me.

 

Salience:  In this instance the Polo brand can be easily identified and related to one thing: the logo which appears on all of its clothing. This small symbol of a man playing polo and horseback is the difference between this piece of clothing and one with equal characteristics minus the logo. In college this logo is seen on men in bars, at apartment parties, and even fraternity houses. It is one of the most salient brands in terms of clothing mainly due to its depth and awareness. It is hard to find some who doesn’t know the Polo brand. Before college I never wore the polo brand; I typically wore less attractive clothing and kept my budget low. But what was it about the transformation from high school to college that persuaded me to change the clothes I wore?

Performance: As far as brand performance is concerned, Polo is both a quality product and aesthetically pleasing.  The style and design is top notch; Ralph Lauren has created a clothing empire in America and he continues to be one of the top designers in the world. The only downside to this quality design is the price tag on the clothing. While you can buy most button downs at relatively cheap prices from less known designers, Polo will quickly burn a hole in your pocket if you want to get the latest styles. This doesn’t fit well with a college student’s lifestyle. However, I find great prices at different department stores that carry last season’s designs. These prices are significantly reduced and no one can really tell the difference anyway. This is what is great about the brand; you can wear the symbol that says “upper class” without actually having to pay for it. I personally believe this is why many college students wear the brand. 

Imagery: This is one of the most important aspects of the Polo brand. While I touched on it a bit in performance, the logo serves as more than just an identifier of the clothing. It serves as an identifier of the person in the clothing. Whoever is wearing the brand is seen as stylish, upper class, social human beings. These “associations” add value to the person wearing the clothing. I personally believe this is why many college students wear the brand. We are here to improve ourselves in our social, academic, and professional lives. This brand is associated with positive terms that allow the user to feel more confident in these aspects of life.

Judgments and Feelings: Personally, I think this brand has capitalized on the affluent young male population in the United States. The image of wearing the clothing has created a large consumer base because the brand is seen as being superior to other brands. While Polo is not the best clothing maker in the world, it has created a long standing credibility that allows users to see it as a competent, innovative, market leader. Consumers are attracted to brands that they feel are superior in terms of quality and market dominance. For example: if I went to the store today to buy a new TV and my budget had flexibility, I wouldn’t buy the Emerson brand television because the Sharp television allows me to feel more comfortable with my purchase. I feel as though when I walk out of the store I will have a higher quality experience. This also allows me to feel better about myself socially because my friends will see my television with a well known brand and possibly think higher of me. The same thing occurs with the Polo brand. The Polo brand allows me to feel secure with my social status. Not only does it make the user feel more secure, but it also develops a sense of confidence. The user feels better about himself and thus the clothing makes him more attractive. Another brand like Union Bay may not evoke the same feelings.

Resonance:  I believe the resonance between the consumer and Polo is strong, but nothing like Apple or Harley Davidson. Personally I will continue to but Polo brand products, but that doesn’t mean I am only loyal to them. I’ll buy clothing from Calvin Klein, Nautica, and others. While I associated the Polo brand with positive feelings, I do not “love” the brand. I think that there are alternatives to the brand and I cannot become completely loyal to the clothing line. The one thing that Polo does a good job of is building a community with their brand. I feel as though I can identify with others wearing Polo clothing mainly because of the reasons I described earlier. I see myself as an affluent young male and the brand attracts those types of people. Being in a fraternity I see the clothing all the time and I feel as though the Polo image has become a part of the Greek community in a sense. Speaking from a stereotypical point of view, the Polo brand has almost become a requirement of being in the Greek system. Those that wear the brand are seen as alpha males and if you want to get to the top; you wear Polo.