Ralph Lauren Corporation Adds Media Power to Board

Ralph Lauren Corporation brings NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde to a board that suggests more emphasis on content-based luxury branding.

Ralph Lauren Corporation has included on its Board of Directors Cesar Conde, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, signifying a more intense emphasis on storytelling in its marketing of lifestyle and fashion brands. Conde is the immediate 12th board member of the company.

The shift points out how lifestyle and fashion brands are becoming more integrated in terms of content, media influence, and commerce as they focus on remaining relevant in the digital-first economy. Having been long linked to the American Dream, Ralph Lauren seems to be reinvesting the narrative-based approach in its competitive practices against global markets as the competition grows more and more intense.

Conde comes with notable experience in the field of media leadership, having served NBC News, Telemundo, and streaming-oriented NBC News NOW. His history of reaching a wider audience and the use of legacy media to go modern will fit the issue of getting younger, more global consumers in the shoes of the lifestyle and fashion companies.

In addition to media, Conde has experience in achieving rich corporate governance. He is presently on the boards of Walmart and PepsiCo, and he was the former head of the Univision Networks. Ralph Lauren CEO Patrice Louvet indicated that Conde has the background to manage complex, high-growth organizations that reinforce the purpose of the long-term strategy of the company, Next Great Chapter: Drive.

Conde remarked that Ralph Lauren has managed to achieve the balance between creativity and discipline and that he is looking forward to assisting the brand in further developing its relationship with consumers all over the world. To industry participants, the appointment is indicative of the manner in which lifestyle and fashion leadership is currently more influence- and content-driven than design-driven.