Capturing Brand Image: How Vans and Nike Market Who They Are

Understanding who you are as a brand is one of the most important elements to consider when developing a marketing communication plan.

Consider Vans and Nike. Both started out as small-scale operations that now dominate their respective corners of the market. Both took different approaches to marketing to their consumers. Both understood where their brand fit and let it drive their marketing strategy to success.

Vans started in 1966 in a small shop in Anaheim, California where they would take orders for custom made shoes and fill orders overnight (Tschorn, 2016). The Southern California skate community quickly embraced their shoes because the durable soles were perfect for the wear and tear of pedaling and braking.

Early failure contributed to the brand’s success. Vans attempted to move into the athletic shoe market and had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984 (Tschorn, 2016). Recognizing that their identity was ingrained in the skate community was key to focusing their marketing strategy.

Vans realized their niche and went beyond simply marketing to the skate community; they created a brand that became synonymous with Southern California and the skate culture in the region. A symbiotic relationship developed between the two. Vans commercials featured skateboarders and punk rock music instead of products. They became the main sponsor of the Warped Tour and signed professional skateboarders to their brand. Their web channel OfftheWall.TV features skate films, interviews and highlights from professional skateboarders and shop owners “to capture the voice of their audience and shed light on the culture that has been created in their shoes” (Vogl, 2015). Walk into a Vans store and the sights and sounds of Southern California surround you: skate videos play on screens above racks of t-shirts and board shorts while skate decks line the walls surrounded by shoes that have remained the same stylistically since the beginning.

Nike was founded in 1964, beginning as a distributor for Onitsuka Tiger shoes; founder Phil Knight initially started by selling shoes out of his trunk before separating and creating his own company (O’Reilly, 2014).

Nike is the most valuable sports brand in the world and has gained that status by developing innovative products that outperform their competitors (Ozanian, 2016). Their products were designed with the athlete in mind and their marketing strategy is designed to target innovation in athletic performance. Nike realized athletes want products that improve their natural ability and give them a greater chance of winning. Their advertisements often have professional sports celebrities and focus on how the product can enhance performance. Nike signs the top athletes in their respective sports to endorsement deals. Descriptions of products on their website speak more to design innovations that improve performance rather than style. Their commercials highlight incredible feats of athleticism by the best players in the world. Unlike Vans, their marketing strategy is driven by highlighting their product superiority. Nike understands innovation is who they are and built their brand on capturing their innovative ability and projecting it to the athlete.

Understand what your brand is and what it brings to you consumers. Listen to what they are saying and how your brand is viewed. It may not be what you initially envisioned your brand to be but the ability to adapt is what separates the successful brands from the rest. Vans didn’t intend to be a skateboard company (Roderick, 2016). Nike continues to reinvent athletic gear. Their ability to recognize where their product fit in the market and be receptive to the way their brand is viewed has been a vital contribution to their success.

O’Reilly, L. (2014, November 04). 11 Things Hardly Anyone Knows About Nike. Retrieved June 12, 2017, from http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-nike-facts-about-its-50th-anniversary-2014-11

Ozanian, M. (2016, June 20). Nike – pg.2. Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlm45jemm/1-nike/#29c3c4b6314e

Roderick, L. (2016, March 29). Vans turns 50: ‘Why we’re not just a shoe company’ Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/03/22/vans-were-not-just-a-shoe-company/

Tschorn, A. (2016, March 12). How Vans tapped Southern California skate culture and became a billion-dollar shoe brand. Retrieved June 11, 2017, from http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-vans-turns-50-20160312-story.html