Burberry was one of a number of British heritage brands that experienced a resurgence in the early 2000s, both in the United States and globally. Hunter boots went from British countryside and school uniform attire to a must-have item among American middle school girls and Barbour jackets--a conservative wardrobe staple for over a hundred years--opened a store with trendy brand collaborations in SoHo. Burberry’s rebirth admittedly began a little bit earlier, but it shared many of the same qualities as those of other British brands: iconic design, a history unrivaled by almost any American consumer company, decades of family ownership (and perhaps brand neglect), and a Royal Warrant from the Queen herself. These products were not conceived principally as fashion items but rather practical clothing tailored to the less than ideal British climate. However, they have each morphed in their own ways (and on their own timeline) into global fashion brands as a result of several key branding and business decisions.
Turning to Burberry, Rose Marie Bravo transformed the sleepy brand into a global powerhouse by leveraging the iconic check pattern to expand product lines into new categories and across a relatively wide range of price points. In my mind it seems as though she sought to position the brand as a premium Ralph Lauren (a brand that is unquestionably of American heritage) with an air of British sophistication. In doing so, however, she made the brand more vulnerable to competition by stretching across too many markets and losing sight of the target consumer. It’s a classic example of business decisions taking precedence over long-term brand preservation--her strategy improved financial performance tremendously (and was likely necessary to grow the business into a multi billion dollar publicly-traded company). However, it’s easy to undo decades of careful brand positioning with a few decisions. Ralph Lauren has more recently done the same. While for many years it effectively operated in outlet malls and on the floor of high end department stores with different sub brands, the brand now seems to be stretched too thin. Consumers lost track of what it really stands for, and it became susceptible to competition at every price point. Burberry arguably did the same. The target consumer--an affluent British (or Anglophile) professional looking for a classic, well-made coat or handbag--was likely alienated by seeing the Royal Warrant in labels across mid-tier department stores globally. What was good for business ultimately damaged the brand by giving competitors more and more ways (in terms of price, target customer, and product category) to make inroads. Bravo succeeded tremendously in growing the company, however, I think it’s less clear that she succeeded in stewarding a heritage brand into the 21st century.