Lululemon Athletica Inc. is losing two of its top executives and has suffered through a major product mishap. But the yoga gear maker still has a sense of humor.
It recently posted this advertisement on its Facebook page:
The posting comes four days after current CEO Christine Day said she would vacate her post as soon as a successor is named. The company has given no reason for Ms. Day’s unexpected departure, except to say the decision was her choice.
Investors weren’t very happy about the news. Lululemon’s stock fell 22% in two days, though it’s up more than 4% today. In her half decade on the job, Ms. Day oversaw big gains in the company’s sales, profit and stock price.
More recently, though, Lululemon has struggled with quality control issues that forced it to recall yoga pants, because they were too see through. In April, the company said its product chief would leave the company.
That isn’t usually an occasion for corporate humor, but, “We’ve always been a fun and irreverent brand and love that our stores and social media teams are not afraid to spark a conversation in our communities,” a Lululemon spokesperson said in an email.
At least one CEO has seen Lululemon’s Facebook post and likes it. Spencer Rascoff, the chief executive of real estate website Zillow, tweeted about it:
Gutsy use of social media @lululemon, embracing chaos via tongue-in-cheek FB post on CEO search. I like.
Consumers have added their own comments to a prompt on Lululemon’s Facebook page that asks, “Any ideas?”
Wrote one: “Someone who will bring quality back.”