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The iconic eyewear brand lost its way in the 1990s, but is revitalising itself. With the move to 3D technology and Lady Gaga as a creative director, Chris Knight says marketing must do much of the work. By Lucy Handley
Marketing Week (MW): Explain the marketing strategy for Polaroid eyewear.
Chris Knight (CK): The UK used to be our largest market, but it did slip, so we have been rebuilding the brand since 2006/07. We've really put building the brand back up first before rebuilding sales. We have to do that to get the right type of distribution [through retailers]. So now we have built it up through the website - that really got us out in the market again.
The first channel in which we started to do well was travel retail in the airports. The buyers saw that. If you are sitting there next to the luxury brands and start doing well, then you start getting the sales calls. Then you get the trials and build from there.
This year, we are happy to be back in retailer John Lewis. It's mostly our core collection which is about a dozen men's and women's classic styles of sunglasses. It's at a good price point too - it has mid-market appeal.
I want to see Polaroid come back as a major brand in the UK, as it was in the 1970s and early 1980s. And I think it can get back there.
MW: Your unique selling point is your 'polarised' lenses - do people understand what that means?
CK: People don't understand it in detail but we have a lenses tester and train people in stores to explain. But I don't think people really get it until they wear the glasses and then it's almost like a drug. Once you have started wearing polarised lenses you don't give up.
Other brands have polarising lenses, but sell them at a higher price point, such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. Apparently [those brands putting in polarising technology] was consumer-driven. That's good for us, as...