Gore Leads the Textile Manufacturing Industry

Gore Leads the Textile Manufacturing Industry
Introduction
WL Gore & Associates (Gore) is a reputed American organization that manufactures fluoropolymers. The company gained different recognitions based on its performance and excellence in the global textile industry. Gore has been awarded the "Best Place to Work for Millennials,” "Best Workplace for Diversity," and the "Prince Phillip Award for Polymers in the Service of Mankind" (Gore, 2022). Gore has a unique product portfolio, marketing strategy, and organizational style that has sustained industrial performance for decades. Gore leads the textile manufacturing industry through its unique business practices.
Successful organizations require alignment in the product portfolio and marketing strategies to attract customers. Organizations use a marketing mix to manage product portfolios against price, promotional strategies, and distribution networks while creating strategic relevance (Catana & Toma, 2021). Simultaneously, organizations deploy relevant motivational strategies to keep employees intact with the strategic decisions and mitigate talent attrition in the long run (Soliman & Altabtai, 2021). The objective of this paper is to investigate the marketing mix and motivational practices used by Gore to become successful. Subsequently, the paper will make strategic recommendations to overcome performance gaps.
Marketing Strategy
Price
Gore charges a premium pricing strategy to its customers. Gore provides specialized materials to its customers, distinguishing its product portfolio from the competitors. As a result, the company charges higher prices due to the limited availability of substitutes in fluoropolymers. Gore provides materials to different textile manufacturing brands, such as Nike, Under Armor (UA), K-Way Le, and the North Face. Jackets, shoes, and apparel are promoted separately by the specified brands with Gore-Tex technology. Brands using Gore-Tex technology charge premium prices from the customers based on fabric lasting and quality (Ismael, 2019).
Premium pricing refers to the price charged above the market brackets. Companies using price premiums are more likely to set new benchmarks by charging above the competition based on product specialization, uniqueness, and competitiveness. Customers would be willing to pay a premium price against the trust and specialty of the products offered by the companies (Santos & Schlesinger, 2021). Ahmad and Oriani (2022) state that companies charging premium pricing promote value-based products. Value is created based on unique features and complexity in replication. Companies with a distinct technology or feature would convince customers to pay higher prices due to the minimal probability of brand switch. Gore charges premium prices to its customers. Brands like Nike and UA would charge USD500 to USD750 for jackets, shoes, and related apparel due to the integration of Gore-Tex in the product (Ismael, 2019).
Promotion
Gore follows a joint promotional strategy to promote its products and services to different textile brands worldwide. According to Rosario and Raimundo (2021), a joint promotional strategy allows brands to collaborate and perform co-marketing to reach relevant target audiences. The promotional strategy is proactive, and the parties equally share the benefits. In this strategy, one brand operates passively while the second brand is proactively presented among the audiences (Rosario & Raimundo, 2021). Li, Larimo, and Leonidou (2021) argued that joint promotional strategies gained popularity in the digital age. Brands would collaborate to create mutual content that captures the target audiences' interests and ensures continuous engagement. The promotional strategy is subliminal for the passive brand, adding value to the product and service while attracting the target audiences.
Gore collaborates with brands to promote specialized products designed for apparel, shoes, and accessories. For instance, Nike promotes its premium footwear and apparel by specifying the inclusion of Gore-Tex. Nike would justify the product price by educating customers about the Gore-Tex technology while promoting product lasting, sustainability, water resistance, and other value-added features. Customers would develop a subliminal value towards the features integrated by Gore-Tex technology (Solarview, 2022). Gore benefits in the long run through the promotional strategy by receiving orders from different brands repeatedly.
Strategic Human Resources
The applied motivational theory is exhibited in Gore's culture. The cultural values include freedom, Fairness, Commitment, and Waterline. Gore follows competent motivational practice to ensure talents are determined to accomplish long-term objectives. The competence-based theory focuses on talent participation in decision-making using knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs; Mulang, 2021). Gore ensures that employees have the utmost freedom while making independent decisions. The decisions must align with the holistic corporate objective devised by Gore in the long run. The top-management teams (TMTs) are more likely to maintain low power distance and provide autonomy through delegation to encourage the participation of employees based on competency (Gore, 2022a). Employees would strengthen cultural values for Gore by utilizing relevant KSAs based on the desired situation.
Competence-based motivation is equally exhibited while practicing fairness. Gore emphasizes heavily promoting diversity in the workplace, and the company would not segregate employee opportunities based on caste, race, color, and gender. The company focuses strictly on competencies and KSA pools exhibited by employees while dist...