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Blog Post 12: Promotion

Vans uses various promotional strategies to promote their brand.Sponsorship and events is one promotional strategies that they use. Vans US Open Surfing competition in Huntington Beach is a huge event! People travel from all over the country to visit the surfing competition on a hot summer day in Cali. When you go to this event, there is the Vans logo all over. There is a special tent that sells all Vans products as well as special edition Vans US Open shirts. This is an example of Vans to push money. Vans uses every type of social media, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twtter, to promote their brand. Not only do they promote on social media platforms, they advertise by giving out catalogs of their newest products at their stores. This media mix is important! The Vans Family loyalty program offers exclusive deals and coupons for your visits to the store. It is very effective to have these promotions! The employees who work at Vans are great at personal selling. They don’t make commission off of the shoes they sell, but they do appreciate their job and help customers find the right shoe for them.

Bhasin, H., & Facebook. (2018, May 22). Marketing mix of Vans - Vans Marketing mix explained. Retrieved from https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-of-vans-retail/

Hultgren, K. (2018, September 11). Vans US Open of Surfing Woos Fans with Creative Workshops. Retrieved from https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/ans-us-open-of-surfing-creative-workshops/

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# You’re It: Five of our favorite #VansGirls photos from IG last week.

Tag @vansgirls or #vansgirls on Instagram so we can post your photos here. And you never know, your photo may end up on vans.com!

1. @kimborra 2. @arringt0n 3. @kittycowell 4. @megankellyann 5. @moninionii

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Chris Pfanner aka Pfanngles alternative angle of Daan’s gnar gnar wallride in Barcelona as seen in the newest issue of The Skateboard Mag. 

Grab a copy of TSM on newsstands today and peep the Vans Barcelona article featuring all the bros.

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Blog Post 11: Place

Vans definitely uses aintensive distribution method. When I went to the mall for Christmas shopping, I wanted to price-match and see if other places sold Vans shoes. Journeys, Zumiez, Tillys, Nordstrom and many more places sell Vans. The actual Vans retail store is special, because they have every style compared to other places. Having Vans shoes at other locations is useful for customers who don’t have a Vans retail store by them. Vans shoes are not sold at superstores.One of Vans competetors, Converse, are sold at Target which is a superstore! The Vans distribution center is located in Santa Fe Springs, CA. They operate out of two buildings. The distribution process is very strategic and precise, due to the fact that they are using heavy machinery and conveyor systems. Vans focuses on their supply chain agility, because to run a company smoothly out of multiple locations, you need flexibility.

Vans. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.vans.com/careers/dc/usa/our-brand/

Vans. (2018, October 02). 66 Seconds with Kelly Zeigler | VANS. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=d1QiXSovvBA

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Blog Post 10: Trends/Pricing

I did a little survey during my Thanksgiving break. I asked ten of my family members if they would prefer Vans or Nike. 7/10 answered Vans. I asked the 7/10 why they prefer Vans. They replied with, “They’re cheaper! And just as comfortable.” Nike has a pair of running shoes that costs about 100 dollars. Vans has running shoes that are just as comfortable, for 50-70 dollars a pair. Vans has a value-based pricing strategy, because they want shoes to be comfortable, stylish, and affordable. According to Forbes, Vans averaged a whopping 2.3 billion of revenue in one year! Every company that sells goods or services, has to have a pricing strategy through it’s product lifecycle. It’s important to make profit and not breaking-even. The new trend for women’s shoes are platform shoes. Vans has platform shoes with different styles that are price lined.They range from 70-75 dollars each pair. Vans is not only very affordable, they are very trendy!

Behind the Vans Boom. (2014, September 11). Retrieved from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/behind-vans-boom

Brown, A. (2015, November 25). How Vans Shoes Became A Quiet Fashion Juggernaut. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2015/11/23/how-vans-shoes-became-a-quiet-fashion-juggernaut/#491971e5994a

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Blog Post 9: Services

Recently, I went to my local mall and walked through the Vans store. Vans always has quality service. They immediately asked if I had any questions or wanted to try anything on. The employees have quick responsiveness to their customers, and that makes me feel good when I shop there! I’ve never had to return anything or had a complaint with their products. On their website for their customer service page, they have frequently asked questions and Customer Service phone number. Vans doing that gives assurance to their customers if there’s anything wrong with their order or products. Now that it’s Christmas season, I had to buy my boyfriend some new Vans so he can match me. The employee helping me was very nice and helped me pick out the right size and style. She asked me if she needed to lace them up for me. I was so happy that she asked, because I DO NOT know how to lace Vans properly. That shows empathy from their employees. Vans employees do not get commission from shoe sales, but they treat their job as if they do. Vans uses mass communication. I’m a part of the Vans loyalty program called “The Vans Family.” They send me personalized emails for my birthday or send me shoes ads they recommend. All in all, Vans is on top of the service game and do anything they can to make their customers satisfied.

Vans. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.vans.com/careers/corp/usa/benefits/

Vans Customer Service | Shipping, Returns & More. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.vans.com/help.html

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Blog Post 8: Brand Detail

Vans has an extensive product mix. Vans sells shoes, of course, apparel, and accessories. They have something for everyone! The product width consists of the number of lines the brand has (apparel, shoes, accessories) and the product depth shows the number of items under each product line (10 styles of shoes under the shoe line). The largest product line they have would be the shoes, because they have ten styles, plus the different colors and collaborations they did with other brands. One thing I love about this brand is the package uniformity. The aesthetic with the eco-friendly tags and store layout shows the value the company has for the environment. Who would like to make their own specialty pair of customized Vans? ME! Vans offers a specialty product all year long. You pick your favorite style shoe and choose your own designs. This would make a great gift for this upcoming holiday season if Vans is your favorite brand. It sure is mine!

Allaire. (2018, July 23). The 10 Most Iconic Vans Sneakers Ever. Retrieved from https://footwearnews.com/2016/focus/athletic-outdoor/10-most-iconic-vans-sneakers-shoes-photos-201228/

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My boyfriend and I always

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Vans are not just one thing and neither are you. Tag your photos on Instagram with #MyVans to show us what you’re all about!

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Blog Post 7: Packaging

Blog Post 7: Packaging

One of the many reasons why I love shopping at Vans is that they really care about the environment. Vans literally has a Sustainability Program! Their Sustainability program consists of volunteer work, in-kind donations to charities, and supports art, music and sports programs. Vans focuses on their corporate social responsibility because they really care about society. The distribution centers for Vans created a way to reduce fossil fuels, contribute to climate change, and water waste. The packaging for vans shoes is my favorite part of buying shoes, because they are great with green marketing. The packaging company they work with specifically uses environmental packaging. The box is made of recycled cardboard, the paper rapping the shoe is recycled, and the tags for apparel items are recycled. Even the cotton in the shoes itself has a high volume of raw materials! The company’s morals are wanting me to buy everything in their store. If I were you, I would definitely check out a pair of shoes or clothing items if you want to help support environment. GO GREEN!

Vans Sustainability | Eco Friendly Clothing, Charities & More. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vans.com/sustainability.html

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Blog Post 5: Target Market

Vans started in Orange County, California in the 1960’s. That time in the OC started a revolution of sports. Starting in this area and time drew a lot of attention to skaters and surfers, which is Vans’ main target market. Vans became the “IT” shoe for athletes. They started to request new colors, designs, patterns, and textures. Today, I see everyone, and when I say everyone, I MEAN EVERYONE, wears Vans. Because of Vans starting in the 1960’s, all of the people who grew up in that time in the OC (geographic segmentation) still have a pair or many.

Who likes Disney? Don’t we all!? Well, get ready for this psychographic segmentation. Vans made a specialty line with Disney shoes and apparel. Of course, they have children’s shoes too! Imagine seeing a baby boy with Micky Mouse Vans? Vans really focuses on their demographic segmentation because they want to make shoes and apparel for every age, gender, and race.

Let’s talk about the events that Vans sponsors. Vans Warped Tour positioned their brand into a festival, which started in 1995. Many artists played in this festival over the years such as Eminem, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and My Chemical Romance. Doing this expanded their target market into the punk rock music scene. Unfortunately, Vans Warped Tour came to an end in 2018. I was super depressed about it, because I had some cool memories there with my family (family life cycle).

How Vans Became The Go-To Brand For Rebels, Mavericks, And Misfits. (2017, July 28). Retrieved from https://www.referralcandy.com/blog/vans-marketing-strategy/

THANK YOU FOR 24 SUMMERS! (n.d.). Retrieved from https://vanswarpedtour.com/splash/

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Blog Post 4: SWOT

Strengths

·     New Designs

·     Niche Market Skate/Snow Shoes

·     Customer Relationships

·     Vans Family Royalty Program

Weaknesses

·     Bigger market penetration

·     Utilize other designs and specialty shoes

Opportunities

·     Expand to other countries with skaters and surfers

·     Marketing Planning to new areas

Threats

·      Nike

·      Adidas

·      Converse

·      Puma

·      Fake “knock off” Vans

Based on this SWOT analysis, I would focus on all weaknesses by attracting a bigger market and bettering their product. Yes, Vans goes for the skaters and surfers because the styles are made for that niche market. If Vans started advertising their non-slip kitchen shoes to new workers, that would increase sales on their not looked at product. Making a marketing plan for the non-slip shoes would be simple. You can go to any fast food place or restaurant and advertise the Vans non-slip shoes. They are work attire and totally “Off the Wall.” Those weaknesses would diversify their company and increase sales. After looking at the reviews for the non-slip kitchen shoes, everyone loved the design and how they look, but the shoe quality didn’t last for a long time. Vans needs to work on perfecting these kitchen non-slips. It’s time for Vans to work on their implementation on the new non-slips.

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Blog Post 3: Strategy

Vans has a very specific design and looks with their shoes and apparel. It is so unique, nobody in the apparel or shoe industry can copy it. Their sustainable competitive advantage is their certain styles of shoes. All of their styles have very cool and trendy names such as Old Skool, Authentic, ERA, Classic Slip-on, Sk8-Hi, Half Cab, Chukka Low and Alomar. Do you live in the snow? Well, if you do, Vans created a new product development for a new market! They have special snow shoes with snow traction under them. Diversification is getting involved as well, because Vans created non-slip shoes for work! Instead of buying the generic, ugly looking non-slips, buy Vans non-slips that are fashionable and work certified! The company does a very good job at planning specific target markets or new markets to go after.  Compared to other skate shoes like Nike or Adidas, Vans has very affordably priced shoes. Vans shoes range from 45 dollars to 80 dollars compared to Nike that has 160 dollar shoes. Talk about cost competitive advantage!

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Blog Post 2: Brand

Vans is an apparel and footwear company based out of Southern California. The Vans corporate mission statement is "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. Vans holds over 50 years of youth culture connectivity and continues to advance its roots in action sports while recognizing the global “Off the Wall” connection between the brand and art, action sports, music and street culture enthusiasts.” The Vans headquarters is located in Costa Mesa, California. The behavioral norms in corporate are similar to distribution and retail. Everyone is treated the same and they all want to satisfy their customers. The Company VF Corporation, which is the home of Vans, estimates around $2 billion last year. Vans stores use the green marketing strategy by having a customer donate two dollars for a reusable Vans bag and help with underprivileged kids and sports programs. They also provide internships, jobs, and family events on their website, which is great sustainability for the community. Vans kills it with their social control by always sending the newest catalogs and emails of the newest styles. Everyone wants the new updates on this killer brand. I’ll be sure to buy the newest platform old skool’s tomorrow!

CNBC. (2018, May 04). Vans shoes maker VF's quarterly revenue tops estimates. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/vans-shoes-maker-vfs-quarterly-revenue-tops-estimates.html

Office Tour: VANS Headquarters – Costa Mesa. (2018, January 22). Retrieved from https://officesnapshots.com/2018/01/22/vans-headquarters-costa-mesa/

   Vans. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.vans.com/careers

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Blog Post 1: Vans

Vans is a very popular shoe brand that has many different styles to choose from. Every time I go into a Vans store, immediately someone who works there asks me how I’m doing and if I need anything. The employees encourage every customer to take their customer satisfaction questioner and have a chance to win a free pair of shoes. Vans keeps a great relationship with their “Vans Family” email program which is an example of relationship marketing. Everyone in the Vans Family receives email promotional offers and first looks on upcoming styles. Vans has a niche competitive advantage because Vans started locally in Costa Mesa, California. Everyone in Southern California has a pair of Vans. Once Vans shoes became bigger, Vans started making snow shoes which changed the diversification of their company. Vans is definitely a star because the shoes and apparel will keep growing and growing in the market.