“It was never about waving ar was always about the people.
round the brand like a flag. It .�
Founder of Vans Paul Van Doren
Contents
Vans ... A Conversation with Steve Van Doren ... Brand Essence Model ... Perceptual Map ... New Concept References
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Paul Van Doren was the founder of Vans. He was born in 1930 and was raised by his mother and father in Boston. After leaving school at the age of 14, he followed his passion of horses to the racetrack where he would give odds on the race. His mother disapproved and pulled him towards the shoe factory in which she herself worked. There, sweeping floors and making shoes, Van Doren’s future was defined. After 20 years, Van Doren became the Executive Vice President of Randy’s, a Boston based shoe manufacturer, which lead him to create one of the worlds most popular shoe brands, Vans. Vans target a group of young and energetic customers (between the ages of around 18-24), and have always had the primary target of boarders, bikers and surfers. Founded in a country where extreme sport is a massive movement, Vans were able to develop comfortable footwear appropriate for professional and amateur extreme sports lovers. Being a leader in innovation, they have now evolved into the casual, active and performance shoe, appealing to all consumers.
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Vans marketed their brand through Hollywood stars and sports personalities to bring their name into the spotlight. The 1982 promotional campaign that really influenced Vans nationally was the film ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont’, starring Sean Penn wearing a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons. This lead to Vans being sold into large department stores and even independent retailers! Even though the film ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ put Vans on the fashion map, what really makes Vans the brand it is today is the fashion sense of extreme-sports enthusiasts. Vans make a shoe suitable for skateboarding, ‘bmxing’ (bicycle motocross), snowboarding, surfing and casual wear.
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Vans have always been inspired from the place in which it was born, California. Their inspiration comes from the street art that covers it’s walls, music that is played by it’s underground musicians and just the local flavor surrounding it’s community. Vans built their brand from the Californian ground it started on.
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Steve van Doren Age: 57 Birthplace: Quincy, Massachusetts Current location: Fullerton, California,
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What Year did you get involved with the family business? Vans was founded 1966 by my father and I started working in the company when I was ten in 1966. So I’m involved since day 1. What’s your favorite skate soundtrack? Punk Rock, Pennywise. What’s your favorite skate spot in the world? Probably the Bondi Bowl Australia. Beautiful spot next to the ocean. What’s your favorite VANS shoe/modell? My slip ons.
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What do you like about Amsterdam the most? The friendly people. I have dutch relatives, my father. So I really enjoy being there. 3 essential pieces you’ll always put in your bag for a trip. Vans shoes (vans slip ons), Hawaiian shirts, charger for my phone. What was the most impressive place you ever visited? I took a cruise up to Alaska to see the glaciers, they are monstrous and so beautiful. What changed the most over the years? Last night I had a questions and answer and they are talking about kids in the past, now I see young kids, they get younger and younger and get better and better. The world wide acceptance of skateboarding changed and just everything happens so quick today. If you could change something or bring something back from the good old days, what would that be ? The possibility to fabric our shoes in the states between 1966 and1994, I want that back. What was the biggest success in your career? This great company, I’ve worked for my dad for 25 years and my daughter is working with me since she’s 5 years old, thats great! I’ve continued it on and she’s continuing it on too. Besides that, 200 countries are selling our products and I am seeing the people on the street wearing Vans that’s just great. I’m living my dream. Home is? Home is for me probably BBQ and skate events, there I can talk with thousand of great people and having a good time.
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Something that a lot of people may not know is where the slogan ‘Off The Wall’ came from. Skateboarders themselves created this famous slogan. ‘Off The Wall’ was a saying back in the 70s used by skateboarders when they rebelliously rode in empty pools. They were ‘coming off the wall’ so to speak; so Vans first official skateboarding shoe, created in 1976, had the ‘Off The Wall’ logo printed on the heel of the shoe. From then on, the edgy, distinctive saying remained as the company logo.
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Being a company that aim to create the most sturdy and reasonably priced shoe, Vans became a unique brand, gaining a competitive edge against its competitors. They also aim to keep their market and production in the USA, making it a somewhat of an unusual company. The low labor costs and business environment in Asia was something they have stayed away from. They also integrated the customization service, which makes them stand out from other shoe brands.
Vans also support bands through music festivals and hosts many skateboarding events as part of their marketing strategy.
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o o o o o o o
o o o o o o o o o
Being unique Staying true to yourself Comfort Authentic Stylishness Charm Trendy
Affordability Durability Comfort ability Style Versatility Strength Security Contentment Quality promise
attributes
VANS BRAND ESSENCE MODEL
source of authority
personality
o o o o o o o o
Skaters Snowboarders Surfers Young Vibrant Unrestricted Independent Strong
o The fact it is affordable o Fast transactions o Product of the US o They are durable o Been around since 1966 o They gave skateboarders a better image 22
Although Vans are a very distinctive, unique brand, some consumers do not class Vans in the same category as athletic shoes, but deem it to be more stylish and durable. Nike and Adidas are definitely the main competitors with Vans, as they offer style and the athleticism with their shoes. However, in terms of pricing, Nike and Adidas are generally higher priced for the average consumer. If someone went out with the intention to purchase a shoe for exercise or sport, they may not necessarily consider the brand Vans as they are sometimes seen to be a casual, everyday shoe. But with that in mind, the fact that they are extremely durable and can be worn with almost any item any consumer may possess. Nike and Adidas clearly hold the spotlight when it comes to athletic shoes. They have a vast range of products that cover a number of different sports. However, with Vans, not only are they seen as an athletic shoe, but they also are worn for fashionable purposes, yet still hold that image of the skateboarding shoe. As well as being a modern shoe company, Vans also have their own clothing line, which really suit its target audience - giving them the feel of being relaxed, cool and fashionable. The only other brand that provides the same kind of affordable fashion is Converse. Converse is a very popular brand that covers areas similar to Vans, such as the customizing your own shoe service. They also carry a line for the skateboarding scene but are not really well known for it. They are more known for their association in the basketball area.
Even though Vans compete with big brands, they possess a distinct identity and have created a unique role in establishing various events and sponsorships.
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Perceptual Map sports
inexpensive
expensive
lifestyle
The company uses media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and more.
Being a brand that targets mainly young teenagers, Vans use a bold, striking pattern that appeals to their audience. Although their associated colors, black, white and red, are confident and loud, Vans are still able to still hold that strong message of being simple, relaxed and easygoing. The wording they use for advertising and marketing is very straightforward and easy to read.
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Vans’ loyal consumers are already satisfied with the wide range of versatility and style they provide when introducing new products, so creating a new concept or product idea is somewhat of a challenge for anyone when thinking of this brand. They include a clothing line that relates to the consumers of their brand. They host many events including skateboarding, snowboarding, bmxing and even art shows.
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A new concept for the brand Vans. When thinking of this task, I unfortunately found it quite difficult to come up with an idea. Firstly, I needed an idea ‌ I needed a nice, clear and concise explanation of what I can do to resolve any business problems and how it can ultimately bring customer satisfaction. Having done so much research for this brand, and being such a huge lover of what Vans do, there were very few gaps where I believed I could fill. If I sound bias, which I most definitely do, its not just my opinion, it’s in my facts. So, why not think of something new that the brand can do? Something they have never done before. Something no other shoe brand or retailer provide. A service that needs to relate to, not just the lovers of Vans, but to the lovers of all fashion.
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Something Vans have been known for since the very beginning has been their fast delivery system. When Vans opened for the very first time in 1966, Paul Van Doren would personally help customers whilst they shopped around his store. Doren was such an expert that he could look at a customer’s foot and say ‘hey, you’re an eight and a half’ then would proceed to help them find what style and colours they wanted. He was able to have shoes ready to go by the following day, helping his business grow not just in stock, but also in the number of his followers. Obviously nowadays, a fast delivery system is not hard to come across when buying from retailers online. You shop, you find, you buy. And usually, just in one click, your items are ready to be delivered straight to your door …in about 3-5 days. But where I find a slight gap in this system, is when it comes to returning something you thought was for you, but really it wasn’t.
This is area that I would consider placing a new marketing concept for Vans, their delivery/returns service.
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Being a massive enthusiast for online shopping, the one thing that annoys me the most, is when you have the need to return an item that you are just not satisfied with. The thought of leaving the comfort of my home (hence why I shopped online in the first place), waiting in a queue that protrudes out of the very front door, simply to be greeted by someone you can only assume has been working there for decades, due to the extremely unhappy expression on their face, makes online shopping almost not worth it
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I myself am I able to determine whether or not I’m going to keep an item I’ve purchased within about the first 5 minutes of trying it on. “Ahhh, if only the postman was still here, I could just hand it back!” a thought that had crossed my mind many times after purchasing online. Then, one day it actually became an idea. An instant return service is something I have never heard of and would be a great new concept idea for a brand such as Vans. The idea is to provide online shopping customers a service where they can order they’re items, have them delivered, try them on, and if they want to, hand the item back to the postman if what they ordered isn’t what they expected. How it would work is that the customer would order the Vans product they have chosen through browsing, and when they get to the checkout, the ‘instant return service’ option would be provided. There would be a price; depending on how many items they had chosen, added onto the total amount of their original purchase. This would also determine the amount of time the deliverer would wait for each customer using the service.
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Of course, like all new ideas, there are weaknesses. Such as, how would the consumer know when their delivery is arriving? And is there a limit on the amount of time you have to decide? The instant return service would mainly be used as a ‘one off’ type of service. If a customer has bought maybe one or two items, the choice to have something instantly returned would probably suit them better than rambling to the post office, just for one top. In terms of when the delivery is arriving, the use of text and email notifications is a new scheme that is growing in the delivery industry. Companies such as Hermes, use this to let their customers know when their package is arriving, and also provide them options for if they are unavailable to receive it; such as, delivering their package to next door, or even coming another day. This way, consumers would be warned on whether or not they are losing out on that little bit of extra cash they have spent on the instant return service. At this point in my new concept pitch for Vans, I would talk about investigating the competition. I may be thinking that this idea is completely original and it very well may not be. But, in this case it really is. Looking at delivery companies for many different brands, not only for shoes, but clothing and accessories as well, there isn’t a distribution company that provides this kind of instant return service.
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This did make me think, “to me this is a great idea, companies must have thought of such a thing and maybe it doesn’t work.� But having spoken to online shopping users, this is something they would definitely use and think that it can be done. After researching Vans thoroughly and getting to know what they are really about, I believe that this new marketing concept could really fill a gap in the market and make them even more unique than they already are.
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