Brand strategy

For these brands, and many others, here is one theory on the Ralph Lauren formula: It’s about combining familiarity and desire.

The essence of positioning is sacrifice. You must be willing to give up something in order to establish that unique position. Nyquil, the nighttime cold medicine, gave up the daytime market. The focus of most marketing operations is just the opposite. They look for ways to broaden their markets by line extension, by size and flavor proliferation, b

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And it had that winning amalgamation of familiarity and desire: At the end of the show, Mr. Lauren emerged in a just-running-errands-on-a-Saturday outfit — olive button-down shirt, sleeves slightly rolled up, tucked into beige cargo pants — and waved to the crowd. (Familiarity.) At that very moment, the barn door behind him opened, revealing a lavi... See more