La Martina Marketing Case
Marketing management | La Martina | Case Write-up |
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Lando Simonetti founded La Martina for the purpose of producing and selling functional polo equipment, focusing on controlled growth, limited availability, and embodying the polo lifestyle. Originally developed for polo players, the initial customer base of La Martina was comprised of polo players, teams and clubs. This niche market, with only 7,000 to 8,000 professional players and 20,000 casual players worldwide, is concentrated in only a few countries across the world. As polo is typically played by more elite segments of the society, La Martina also targeted its products at socialites who were either avid polo players or enthusiasts, who not only had an appreciation for polo but could also afford to pay for these expensive products. The company grew through giving attractive product offers and deals to polo teams, associations, and riding clubs at some of the most prestigious schools and universities throughout the world.
Together, these strategies greatly reinforced the association of La Martina with polo, and solidified its status in the public eye. As the sport gained international attention, polo became increasingly fashionable, and so did its products. Demand for La Martina products steadily pulled the company into the fashion mainstream, which posed a new dilemma for its growth strategy – whether to refrain from entering the fashion market and retain its niche market, or to capitalize on it. While fashion implies the prospects of fast growth and markets of scale, it could also risk compromising some of the La Martina brand values.
ALTERNATIVES
The first alternative Lando faces is to resist entering the fashion market and continue to focus the efforts of La Martina directly on its core goals of providing the highest quality equipment and gear to polo clubs and players, personifying the passion and essence of the sport, and spreading the popularity and lifestyle of polo through
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Lando Simonetti founded La Martina for the purpose of producing and selling functional polo equipment, focusing on controlled growth, limited availability, and embodying the polo lifestyle. Originally developed for polo players, the initial customer base of La Martina was comprised of polo players, teams and clubs. This niche market, with only 7,000 to 8,000 professional players and 20,000 casual players worldwide, is concentrated in only a few countries across the world. As polo is typically played by more elite segments of the society, La Martina also targeted its products at socialites who were either avid polo players or enthusiasts, who not only had an appreciation for polo but could also afford to pay for these expensive products. The company grew through giving attractive product offers and deals to polo teams, associations, and riding clubs at some of the most prestigious schools and universities throughout the world.
Together, these strategies greatly reinforced the association of La Martina with polo, and solidified its status in the public eye. As the sport gained international attention, polo became increasingly fashionable, and so did its products. Demand for La Martina products steadily pulled the company into the fashion mainstream, which posed a new dilemma for its growth strategy – whether to refrain from entering the fashion market and retain its niche market, or to capitalize on it. While fashion implies the prospects of fast growth and markets of scale, it could also risk compromising some of the La Martina brand values.
ALTERNATIVES
The first alternative Lando faces is to resist entering the fashion market and continue to focus the efforts of La Martina directly on its core goals of providing the highest quality equipment and gear to polo clubs and players, personifying the passion and essence of the sport, and spreading the popularity and lifestyle of polo through