Lululemon's 'Second Chance' Pants Are Actually A Genius Marketing Move
The $92 pants have drawn some criticism on social media, but a brand consultant says they are actually a genius marketing tactic and make good use of inventory that would otherwise go to waste.
"As a business decision and as a reputation decision, it's a good move," said Gary Hagins, chief operating officer of Reputation Management Consultants.
"It's a fun way to make light of the situation and it's consistent with a politician who makes an error and then books Saturday Night Live to make fun of it," he added.
The sheer bottoms that the company recalled in March accounted for about 17% of the company's inventory and could cost Lululemon up to $67 million in revenue this year.
To turn the flawed goods into the "Second Chance Pant," the company sewed an extra layer of fabric onto the back of the pants and added strips of see-through mesh along the legs, Business Insider first reported on Tuesday.
On the tag for the pants, Lululemon takes a humorous tone.
"These pants were inspired by a need to find functional and beautiful design solutions for our sheer pants," the tag reads. "This is what celebrating failure looks like!"
Hagins said the most recent quality complaints over Lululemon's apparel are "no more than a speed bump" and that the brand will recover quickly because of the way it is handling the situation.
"When people do admit a mistake and try to address it, the public reacts favorably to it," he said.