At first glance, the Polo and Tommy Hilfiger websites appear remarkably similar. Both have neutral aesthetics, each gently decorated in conservative pastels and augmented by tasteful shots of the current catalogue. Both have very functional design platforms too, with easily navigable layouts and an unashamed focus on online shopping and discounting that just a few years ago would have been completely unthinkable. (See brandchannel article on luxury brand practices on the web from 2001.)

In fact, neither brand can claim bragging rights in terms of innovation because of all the similarities. So with both sides keeping an obvious eye on each other and neither wanting to be seen as radical, just where is the point of differentiation? Well, it revolves around the concept of intrinsic brand value, and the edge goes to Ralph Lauren.

The fundamental difference between the companies’ websites is that while Tommy has concentrated on delivering what he believes his customers want, Ralph has gone one step further and attempted to nurture an online community that focuses on the emotive subject of brand association, and he does it very well through the Polo “Entertainment” section.

Sure, Tommy can claim that his mission statement evangelizes the “Tommy Spirit,” and that he is pursuing the American Dream, but that’s not going to live with a quarterly magazine, an online TV channel and a travel club, all of which are brim full of content and poignantly used to reinforce the fact that once you buy Polo, you are very much part of the family.

From culture to catwalk, Polo’s “Entertainment” section uses audio, video and flash animation to strikingly good effect. The subsequent development of an online community comes as a bonus side effect that can only promote brand loyalty if managed the right way.

Polo is presently a neck in front of Tommy in the online stakes. But with so many similarities between the two brands, maybe a merger will eventually be in the cards, making Tommy and Ralph the fashion world’s version of Statler and Waldorf. It certainly would be an endearing image, the two stately gentlemen hanging over the balcony at a society dinner, sipping champagne and heckling the fashion industry’s wannabes.