RALPH LAUREN SHOWS EXPERIENCE POTENTIAL WITH FATHER’S DAY PACKAGEU.S.

U.S. fashion label Ralph Lauren has created a golf travel package for its Father’s Day gift guide to offer consumers a branded experience. Ralph Lauren’s Ultimate Polo Father’s Day Gift, valued at $9,000, includes a round of golf with professional golfer Jonathan Byrd and a stay at the Sea Island Resort & Spa in Georgia. For fashion labels, providing an experience beyond apparel and accessories allows a brand to connect on a deeper level with consumers. “Experiential marketing spawns engagement which drives revenue,” said Chris Ramey, president of Affluent Insights, Miami, FL. “It’s a rare occurrence when a brand can nail so many of the pillars of marketing in one promotion: philanthropy, passion, celebrity, geography, education, rarity and family,” he said. Mr. Ramey is not affiliated with Ralph Lauren but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Ralph Lauren did not respond by press deadline. Gift guide Ralph Lauren introduced its travel offer on social media, mentioning #TeamRLgolfer Mr. Byrd. The brand included a link to its ecommerce Web site. On the click-through, consumers are directed to the product page for the experience, which is included as a link under Father’s Day on its gift guide page. This does not allow for purchase, but instead provides a phone number to call to book. Ralph Lauren’s Father’s Day gift includes a two-night stay for three guests at the Lodge at Sea Island Resort, along with a dinner for dad and his two guests at the Georgian Room, the only Forbes Five-Star restaurant in Georgia. The resort is the setting for the annual McGladry Classic, a PGA tour golf tournament. When consumers are traveling from the airport, whether in Jacksonville, FL, Savannah, GA or Brunswick, GA, they will have ground transportation provided to the hotel, as well as on their return trip. The trip also provides three Sea Island Essential massages. To prepare for their golf game, each of the three guests will receive a Polo Golf or RLX outfit. They will also train for an hour with Todd Anderson, who was the 2010 PGA Teacher of the Year. Though the package is intended for Father’s Day, the trip can be redeemed any time before April 4, 2015. However, the golf game with Mr. Byrd and the stay at the hotel are subject to availability. Tying in its charitable efforts, 100 percent of the purchase price of the trip will go to Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony Fund, which works to fight cancer. The initiative works to help underserved communities have equal access to care and make treatment available at earlier stages for patients. Sports fans This experience will help to further cement Ralph Lauren’s positioning in the sports world. U.S. apparel brand Ralph Lauren heightened its association with the United States Olympic team with a video featuring a select group of athlete brand ambassadors. In the video, the athletes talk about their feelings about participating in the Olympics and representing the U.S. while sporting the apparel Ralph Lauren designed for the team. Ralph Lauren is continuing its legacy of outfitting the U.S. Olympic team, which gives the brand an opportunity to connect itself to the prestige of the games, and connect with fans following the sporting events (see story). Other luxury brands outside of the travel industry have viewed events as an opportunity to provide experiences to consumers aside from their typical products. For instance, Italian jeweler Bulgari’s hotel and resorts in Milan anticipated an influx of fashion-forward guests during the city’s annual Fashion Week with a special offer. By organizing a special offer dedicated to all things fashion, Bulgari highlighted its associations to the fashion world. Guests who might have been unfamiliar with the jeweler’s lifestyle or unaware of its hotel properties were introduced through exclusive experiences likely to create repeat guests

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