The Journal on Ralph Lauren’s Empire Building

This week, the Wall Street Journal presented a fascinating analysis of the Polo/Ralph Lauren/RRL/Rugby/Lauren/Chaps marketing and branding empire. Click here to go directly to the article.

The article,” Polo’s High-Stakes Balancing Act,” breaks apart the myriad brands and labels that fill Ralph Lauren’s empire and explains how they all fit together and form a solid though diversified portfolio of income streams. All of the brands at all price points carry the cache’ of the mother ship’s clubby, exclusive, and Ivy League image. That said, each market is carefully maintained and targeted to avoid crossover and brand dilution.

While the ultra-exclusive “Purple Label” and “Black Label” collections set the standard for Polo’s aspirational devotees, it’s the mass-market brands like Chaps that bring in the bulk of company revenue. It really is an interesting read and a great lesson on how to not paint yourself into a corner.