Lululemon picks Droga5 as creative AOR

Lululemon has selected Droga5 as its creative agency of record. 

Droga5 announced the win on Thursday. Lululemon had previously worked with Virtue, Vice’s creative agency on a project basis, most notably for its debut global campaign "This Is Yoga." 

Droga5 will be responsible for creating a new brand platform for Lululemon that grows its recognition across new categories and global markets. 

“From the very beginning, the team at Droga5 displayed a deep strategic understanding of guests, our brand and business, and presented a diversity of creative work across the entire brand experience,” said Nikki Neuburger, chief brand officer at Lululemon, in a statement.

The partnership began in October after a competitive pitch process, said Droga5 co-chief creative officer Tim Gordon. He declined to name who competed in the pitch, but attributed the win to “a great connection on a human level, strong strategy and expansive creative thinking.” 

“This is a true partnership,” he told Campaign US in an email. “Working together, we’ll look to bring everything from big brand campaigns and breakthrough product launches to reinventing brand experiences on every level.”

One key charge for Droga5 is to connect Lululemon’s creative work back to the overall brand experience. That will require making “work that pushes the limits of what can be done while still staying true to the brand,” Gordon explained. 

He added: “The core, essence and soul of Lululemon will be present in everything we do. What makes Lululemon special won’t be lost in the work; it will be celebrated.”

Droga5 expects to debut its first phase of work for Lululemon in early 2021.

The agency has been on a new business tear since being acquired by Accenture in early 2019, picking up the global childcare account from Kimberly-Clark and multiple work streams from Amazon. The agency came in fifth place in R3’s creative new business league for September, thanks to recent wins such as Allstate in the U.S., Maserati’s global creative account and CBS All Access in the U.S. 

The firm recently unveiled a brand repositioning campaign for its parent company Accenture, the largest brand move by the consulting giant in a decade.

Lululemon brought on Neuberger, formerly of Nike and Uber Eats, as its first chief brand officer in January. Despite store closures during the pandemic, Lululemon is benefitting as people lean into athleisure wear and online ordering. Direct-to-consumer revenue grew 155% in Q2 to $554 million. 

In June, Lululemon acquired smart workout company Mirror for $500 million, positioning it to compete in the at-home fitness category with companies such as Peloton.

“This is a special brand that deserves to have an even stronger voice in the world,” Gordon said.