CONTENTS
OUR STORY
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OUR GUIDELINES
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OUR PRODUCTS
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OUR VALUES
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OUR CONSUMER
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OUR POSITIONING
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SUSTAINABILITY
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OUR PLATFORM
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COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
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ANNIE TAYLOR | N0728925
OUR PURPOSE
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VANS IS A
STATE OF MIND. THINKING DIFFERENTLY. EMBRACING CREATIVE SELF-EXPRESSION. AUTHENTICITY AND PROGRESSION. CHOOSING YOUR OWN LINE ON YOUR BOARD AND IN YOUR LIFE.
OUR STORY
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Vans is the original action sports footwear company that has been rooted in authenticity and creativity for over 50 years. Founded in 1966, Vans has thrived on a legacy of impacting our greater community through our four pillars: action sports, music, art and street culture. We are constantly inspired by the expressive creators within our company and community as they bring new and innovative perspectives to help shape and transform the future of our business. We, therefore, take pride in promoting the support of athletes, musicians and artists and through progressive events and platforms to enhance the connection we have with youth culture.
Vans #36, the Old Skool, debuts with the now famous Vans Sidestripe. It is the first skate shoe that incorporates leather panels for increased durability.
1966 Van Doren brothers Paul and Jim, along with partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia open The Van Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim, Calif. In this year, Vans #44 deck shoes, now known as the Authentic, are born.
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Skateboarders who like Vans’ rugged make-up and sticky sole are seen sporting Vans all over Southern California.
The Vans #98 is also introduced and with the help of skateboarders and BMX riders.Vans Classic Slip-Ons become the rage in Southern California.
1977 1976 Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta design the The Vans #95, now known as the Era, with a padded collar and different color combinations. It becomes the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders.
Vans’ “Off the Wall” logo makes its debut.
1988
2001
The Vans Steve Caballero, the first signature skate shoe, is introduced.
1995 Vans brings the Warped Tour to the main-stage for the first time.
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1978 Vans introduces the Vans Snowboard Boot line.
The Sk8-Hi is introduced in 1978 as “Style 38”, and showcases the now-iconic Vans Sidestripe on yet another innovative silhouette. It protects skateboarders bones from skateboards catapulted at them and has brought a whole new look to the park.
1996
Vans assists with the production of “Dogtown and Z-Boys”. The film takes the Audience Award and Best Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival as it looks at the beginnings of skateboarding and the personalities that evolved the sport.
Vans sponsors the inaugural Triple Crown of Skateboarding.
2011
2003 Vans launches the vault by vans collection. A combination of high-fashion and premium design added to Vans’ classic silhouettes. Today, vault by vans continues to forge innovative partnerships, including collaborations with Marc Jacobs and contemporary artist Takashi.
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2009 Harry N. Abrams publishes “Vans: Off the Wall, Stories of Sole from Vans Originals”. The book contains accounts from sport legends, artists and musicians who have helped shape Vans as an icon of California Culture.
Vans releases its first-ever surf film, ‘Get-N Classic, Vol. 1’ featuring the Gudauskas brothers, Pat and Dane, Joel Tudor, John Florence and the rest of the Vans surf team.
2010 Vans opens the House of Vans Brooklyn, skate and event space in New York with music by Public Enemy and a hard charging bowl session headlined by skate legends Tony Alva, Steve Caballero and Omar Hassan.
Vans introduces the new WaffleCup™, the first vulcanized cupsole. The technology combines the support and durability of a cupsole and the superior boardfeel and grip of the traditional Vans vulcanized shoe.
2012
2013 2015
Vans airs its “Twenty Years: Off the Wall, On the Snow” retrospective film to celebrate 20 years of snowboarding heritage. It is produced by Mark Hatchett.
In May 2015, vans launches “PROPELLER: a Vans skateboarding video”, the first ever vans skateboarding film. Propeller gives Vans’ storied legacy in skateboarding global recognition and becomes one of the fastest-selling skate films to ever hit iTunes.
2014
House of Vans, London, opens a creative space; consisting of 3,000sqm art, music and skate space under Waterloo station. It represents the eclectic diversity of London and the cultures that have embraced Vans from its humble beginnings.
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2016 On March 16, 2016, Vans celebrates 50 years of “Off The Wall” heritage with the launch of The ‘Story of Vans’ campaign. To honour the anniversary, House of Vans hosts ten activations around the world to embrace the brand’s diverse history. Vans also releases its Pro Classics Anniversary Collection and welcomes influential rock band, Metallica, to the House of Vans stage.
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OUR PURPOSE We believe that our purpose is our mission. Our purpose is to enable CREATIVE EXPRESSION and INSPIRE youth culture by celebrating and encouraging the Off the Wall attitude that comes from expressing your true self. We promise our consumers that Vans are designed to adhere to the creative pursuit of being YOU.
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OUR VALUES
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We are DETERMINED. We have the Van Doren spirit. We’re scrappy and resourceful. We use ingenuity to tackle every challenge head on and find a path forward, even if it’s not a straight line.
We are CONNECTED. Culturally, digitally, socially. We build lasting and meaningful relationships with our consumers, customers, partners and family, wherever they might be.
We are INCLUSIVE. We invite unique perspectives and value different experiences. We want to hear each other’s point of view.
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We are vibrant and EXPRESSIVE in how we speak, interact and get our jobs done.
OUR POSITIONING 14 14
At Vans our culture sets us apart and it influences everything we do. We are a LEADING action sports brand who provide ARTISTIC individuals the opportunity to embrace their Off the Wall attitude through wearing our AUTHENTIC, PERFORMANCE-BASED AND FASHION FORWARD products. Unlike our competitors, we integrate ourselves into the action sports lifestyle and youth culture that our consumers live by; we promote the very sports, music, art and street culture that matters most to them. Nike stands for athletic performance; we stand for creative expression.
EXPENSIVE
LIFESTYLE
PERFORMANCE
INEXPENSIVE
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OUR PLATFORM
auth
enti
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DURABLE
CREATIVE
E L Y T S E F LI
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OUR GUIDELINES 18 18 Ultimately, we want to uphold the mark we’ve been leaving since 66’ . So, whilst we DO like to get down with the kids and DON’T like to follow the rules, there are SOME we must abide by (or we’ll get a telling off). We like to think our company design manifests our values, so have a look at our guidelines and specifications for yourself!
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NEW
OUR LOGO
The Vans logo is an integral component of our visual identity as we are constantly attempting to keep it relevant. Our current logo resonates with previous logo variations and is a combination of both our brand name and slogan.
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OLD
Some key design principles are always present; all versions of our logo use a thick, bold, capitalized san serif font that extends the V in a line above the rest of the letters.
Our slogan “Off the Wall,� (jargon created by skateboarders) made its logo debut in 1976 and is still manufactured onto some Vans merchandise today. This, combined with the vibrant red colour utilised in the emblem are what inform our contemporary logo. The new logo now uses red and white for the brand name, which is showcased within a modern rectangular shape, and black for the motto.
DO’S AND DON’TS It is important that the Vans logo always gets used correctly and that the appearance of it remains consistent. It should therefore not be misinterpreted nor modified in any way. Here are some examples that should be avoided:
DO NOT DISTORT THE LOGO
DO NOT DESATURATE THE LOGO
DO NOT INVERT THE LOGO
DO NOT FRAME THE LOGO
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OUR COLOURS PRIMARY
PRIMARY
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C = 0 | M = 0 | Y = 0 | K = 100 |
C = 7 | M = 99 | Y = 84 | K = 1 |
These variations of red, black and white are what make up Vans core colour palette. They should be used for all general communications such as advertising, marketing tools and POS to ensure that a consistent design scheme is maintained.
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
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C=0|M=0|Y=0|K=0| USAGE: RED BLUE WHITE BLACK
– used for navigation points – used for hyperlink text – used for headline – used for background
C = 57 | M = 10 | Y = 7 | K = 0 |
OUR FONT
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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890!@£$%^&*()
Tepeno Sans is the primary font for both Vans logo and main body text. Characters used for headlines should be in uppercase, however main body text can consist of both uppercase and lowercase. Both bold and regular typefaces can be used to represent Vans.
TEPENO SANS
ABCDEF 12345
HEADLINES Note: Headlines throughout the site should follow SEO and semantic best practices. The subheader class is used for styling variation without affecting SEO hierarchy. <h1>
HEADLINE 1
<h1 class=”subheader”>
HEADLINE 1 SUBHEADER Used exclusively for page titles. <h2>
HEADLINE 2
<h1 class=”subheader”>
HEADLINE 2 SUBHEADER
Used exclusively for page-level secondary headings.
<h3>
<h5>
HEADLINE 3
HEADLINE 5
HEADLINE 3 SUBHEADER
HEADLINE 5 SUBHEADER
<h4>
<h6> HEADLINE 6 <h6 class=”subheader”> HEADLINE 6 SUBHEADER Used for item-level secondary headings within components.
<h3 class=”subheader”> Used for component-level headings.
HEADLINE 4
<h4 class=”subheader”>
HEADLINE 4 SUBHEADER
Used for component-level secondary headings.
<h5 class=”subheader”> Used for item-level headings within components (Article/Product teaser titles)
PARAGRAPH TEXT Ad quodist qui a quis alicia ent voluptam repel ma qui berchil iberferio. Ad et aut lit volori cusciat et, si unt officid ent est idis minimolores ad quis reped et quo quam aliquas volorporum corita similibusa qui ut fuga. Tem fugit dolupienis deliquam harum ilis ius aliquat ibusda nonecat empore ne ide nempel inihicit, necae molore venimol enimust invelitem architium nem hictem volorepre doloresed moditae ptatium ea et, optatis rem. Namusam, quid quatatibus aligendam experna turiorrovid quame incitam quia dustissi ad est voloresequi ipsandi aut qui autem idem ius ulluptusa sequodi coreritio dipsa velliquam ratinum ipsunt voluptas estiae ent.
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OUR IMAGES
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At Vans, we aim to communicate to our consumers a classic, laid-back and authentic brand through our photography. Our digital images highly convey these attributes as many of our photographs consist of live-in-action athletes conquering their sports. Adding a monochrome effect to some of these images accompanies the original feel to the photos as they appear to have historic value.
THIS IS #OFFTHEWALL
TAG YOUR PICS WITH #OFFTHEWALL TO BE FEATURED ON OUR SITE
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Nonetheless, we feel that our consumers are our number one priority and therefore it is fundamental that they can share their own photographic experiences with us as a brand. Consequently, we invite them to tag their pics with #myvans to be featured on our site so we can really see the authenticity of our products from first-hand customers.
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OUR TONE OF VOICE 29 29 At Vans, we believe that our tone of voice is a LIGHT-HEARTED and RELAXED one to reflect the global Off the Wall connection we have with our consumers. We don’t like to take life too seriously, so the language we use can be pretty informal – that’s not us being unprofessional, we just prefer to see it as a conversation between one fellow skater to another.
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STORE REQUIREMENTS
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Within all our stores, we like to fill the space with visual reminders of the Vans trade mark, including the waffle sole, checkerboard decals and printed emblems. Our design concepts are usually minimalistic but consistent as we use wooden furnishings to create a neutral yet, simultaneously, urban feel. The dĂŠcor should act as a blank canvas on which you would paint, with our clothing and footwear being the medium, to establish an authentic environment. Our visual merchandising should demonstrate an overall timeless, eclectic and stylish look, brought to life by the audio soundtrack and LED lighting. It is important that our employees bring Off the Wall to life through their passionate, fun and dedicated attitude. They should act as the voice of the brand and as a result should exemplify genuine conversation with our customers when selling our original and innovative products. As an entirety, they should elevate the customer experience by creating an industry leading atmosphere for them.
VANS ARE NOW SYNONYMOUS WITH THE EFFORTLESS COOL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE, AND THESE ARE FIVE OF OUR MOST ICONIC SILHOUETTES.
Since its debut in 1977, the laidback and comfortable slip on shoe has been an emblem of skate and surf culture. The black and white checkerboard featured on the shoe is immediately identifiable as a Vans signature from music festivals to movies. The slip on was Jeff Spicoliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoe of choice in fast times at Ridgemont High.
THE AUTHENTIC
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THE SLIP-ON
OUR CORE PRODUCT RANGE
The authentic was named for a reason. It has been a Vans staple since the company was founded in 1966, making it a classic heritage symbol. It has been worn by skaters and surfers ever since its launch.
THE ERA
THE SK8-HI
THE OLD SKOOL
The Old Skool was the first shoe to feature the iconic sidestripe that we know today, drawn by company founder Paul Van Doren. It appeared on the scene in 1978 and is notorious for being the emblem of creativity.
33 33 The Sk8-Hi launched the same year as the Old Skool and was the second design to showcase the sidestripe. This shoe took skaters to the next level by its style and above-the-ankle padding. The Sk8-Hi has since become a wear-everywhere staple and an enduring symbol of street culture.
The Era was our first skate shoe, designed in 1976. It has the same clean lines as the authentic but additionally has a padded collar and extra sturdy construction. It was built by skateboarding legends Tony Alva and Stacey Peralta as a shoe to both protect and take a beating.
OUR CONSUMER Our primary Vans consumer has always been teenage male boarders, bikers and surfers. Whether they’re amateurs or extreme sport lovers, they all LIVE to ride their chosen vehicles before meeting the Sheila’s at a punk rock concert on a Friday night. 34 34
The Vans guy is enthusiastic, carefree and authentic. He has a part-time job at a coffee shop and spends his wages adding to his boarding collection. His artistic and expressive creator personality is reflected in the shoes he wears – the Custom Vans that he designed himself.
THE EXPRESSIVE CREATOR
However, as we have evolved into the more casual sneaker market, we have adopted a bigger appeal and are being worn by both male and females. 18-24 year old’s choose to wear Vans on their feet because they are both comfortable and practical. We are now interchangable with street fashion.
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IT WAS NEVER ABOUT WAVING THE BRAND LIKE A FLAG, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE
“
- PAUL VAN DOREN
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SUSTAINABILITY 36 36
As a supporter of youth culture, it is integral that we protect the planet and its resources for future generations. Our sustainability scheme embodies everything we believe in and furthers our mission by supporting music, art and action sport programs through monetary and in-kind donations and volunteering. We are proud at our attempts to reduce the environmental footprint of our operations and products - Vans Sole, our environmental program, demonstrates how we do it.
GREEN SOLE OPERATIONS
WHAT DO WE DO?
Here is how Green Sole Operations makes change. We focus two key areas: Energy and Waste.
HEADQUARTERS
DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Throw It Out, Responsibly. Throughout all of our Vans office buildings our waste stations are clearly marked with descriptive signage so that everyone can dispose of waste easily and efficiently.
Divert It. Throughout all of our Vans office buildings our waste stations are clearly marked with descriptive signage so that everyone can dispose of waste easily and efficiently.
Stay Hydrated. But use a reusable cup. Every employee has a reusable coffee mug and water bottle. We’ve installed filtered tap water stations to eliminate use of disposable plastic water bottles.
Saving Cardboard. We recycle more than 11,000 lbs. of cardboard each day, saving enough energy to power the average American home for more a year!
Silver or Plastic? That’s an easy answer. We’ve replaced plastic break room utensils with reusable silverware, saving 3,000 plastic utensils per month. That’s a lot of utensils.
Think Outside the Shipping Box. Our comprehensive box reuse project is aimed at reusing as many inbound shipping boxes as possible for outbound shipping. Can you believe this saves more than 120,000 lbs. of cardboard each year?
Keep Score. We publish a monthly operational sustainability scorecard so that our goals relating to energy use, waste diversion and paper use are clearly communicated – to everyone.
Give Back. Since 2012, we’ve been donating the proceeds from recycled cans to local charities.
RETAIL STORES
Smarter Materials. Our retail stores are built with FSC certified wood fixtures and low-VOC paint. Light It Right. Since 2012, we’ve been installing new energy efficient LED track lighting for all new and remodeled stores. LED fixtures use over 40% less energy compared to previous fixtures. More than half of our stores in North America currently use LED lighting, with the goal of converting 100% of our stores to LEDs. It’s In The Bag. Since 2013, we’ve been selling a reusable shopping bag, with proceeds benefiting the A.skate foundation and Surfer’s Healing. To date, we’ve donated over $1 million to these charities through the sale of this bag and saved approximately 75,000 lbs. of plastic.
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GREEN SOLE PRODUCTS
HOW DO WE DO IT?
The products we create account for more than 90% of our environmental impact. To truly fulfill our commitment to protecting the planet and its resources for future generations, we must change the way we create products.
HIGG
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Vans uses the Higg index, created by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to measure the environmental performance of apparel and footwear products. We use the factory environmental module to measure the sustainability practices of our supply chain. It enables our teams to assess a number of key apparel and footwear products and through this process, we identify where improvement can be made and develop strategies for increasing the environmental performance of our entire product line.
SMARTER PACKAGING
Hang Less. We eliminated branded hangtags on several key apparel product categories, saving over 400 trees annually. Hang Smarter. Hangtags that we use on our Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparel products are now made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper, printed using soy-based inks and use a jute cord. Box It Better. Our new shoeboxes are made with 80% post-consumer recycled paper, printed using soy based inks and use less ink than our previous footwear box. Less Stuff. Eliminated hangers and hang tags on surf footwear, saving hundreds of thousands of pounds of material per year as well as the fuel and emissions needed to ship these hangers around the globe.
BETTER COTTON
We look at our footwear and apparel products through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and by sourcing through Better Cotton Initiative(BCI). BCI works to reduce the environmental impact of cotton production and improve livelihoods and economic development in cotton producing areas. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing this because Cotton is the highest volume of raw material that Vans uses in its products and has a disproportionately high impact on the environment.
LEATHER
Vans uses leather certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG). LWG certifies that the facilities that process leather are measuring and actively reducing their footprint on the environment. This includes water use, energy consumption, air pollution, and waste. 82% of the leather used in Vans footwear is LWG certified. Our goal is to reach 100% LWG certified leather in 2018.
SHAPING SUPPLIERS
In addition to using better materials in our products and packaging, we work with our supply chain partners to reduce the impact of their operations. For example, in 2012, VF partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), and International Finance Corporation, a member of The World Bank Group, to engage 24 large Chinese apparel and footwear suppliers in an in-depth energy efficiency program. The program identified opportunities to reduce energy use across all supplier facilities by an average of 20 percent. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve since extended this program to Vietnam and Cambodia.
WORKER WELL-BEING
Vans commitment to high ethical standards applies no matter where our products are made. Suppliers must meet strict social, environmental and ethical standards established by VF Corporation.
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OUR COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
E-COMMERCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
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A focus on digital has been key to our success as a brand which is why we have spent a lot of time building assets in our digital interactive space, and innovating in our Off the Wall digital TV station. At the end of the day, our target age group moves at digital speed so it is fundamental that we are always keeping our brand touchpoints accessible to them. Social media is another key strategy for us as it is how we directly communicate with our consumers; we create a genuine two-way conversation on a global scale via these platforms. Through our various online channels, we have access to over 14 million brand loyalists at any given time.
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WEBSITE Our wesbite is what we use as our primary form of communication as it is constantly being updated with new product arrivals. The design should fit in with our branding guidelines and the hompage should showcase who we are as a brand. We have also launched a new digital site to tell our brand story, merging both content and commerce to create a more seamless approach. So far, our approach has been working but there is still room for future growth. With the global foorwear market set to reach $211.5 billion this year, recontextualising Vans beyond action sports has allowed the company to reach a larger percentage of this pie.
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COLLABORATIONS 44 44
Vans has always been about making quality and affordable shoes, which is what we aim to communicate with our consumers. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why we say no to things more often than we say yes, including distribution offers and collaborations. Whilst we have partnered with some brands such as Kenzo, we have always thought it paramount that pricing stays reasonable and that the communication strategies we embrace fit with our brand. We therefore believe that we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be charging our consumers premium prices.
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