Dive Brief:
- Vans has started a “new approach to storytelling” through an ad campaign called “Always Pushing,” which will include both physical and digital experiences, according to a press release Tuesday.
- The VF Corp.-owned brand said the new slogan is “an ode to the free-spirited attitude of progression and youthful optimism that has driven skateboarding culture and popular culture since Vans’ founding in 1966.
- The campaign comes as Vans’ financial results continue to drag on VF’s earnings. Within the last year, the company has appointed a new president for the brand and is working to reposition it for success within a larger transformation program for the company, which also owns The North Face and Timberland.
Dive Insight:
Additional products, events and experiences supporting the “Always Pushing” theme will be released through the summer and fall, according to the release. The first will be The Bunt Jam, a music and skateboarding event in Toronto.
In its release, Vans said “[h]yperlocal and unique media plans” will be used to bring the stories of “Always Pushing” to fans worldwide “during cultural milestones across fashion.” It referenced June’s OTW by Vans experience in Paris, and said future activations would include “iconic sports moments scheduled this summer [and] highly anticipated cinema releases.”
The campaign launched Tuesday with a video soundtracked by rap group Paris Texas, featuring Vans Skate team riders, BMX bikers and other artists and creatives. It was developed in partnership with ALEX/2TONE, a creative director, visual and graffiti artist and co-founder of Born X Raised, a Los Angeles-based streetwear brand.
“Our mission is to inspire and empower our consumers to live ‘Off The Wall,’ embodying the relentless determination to push things forward,” Drieke Leenknegt, Vans global chief marketing officer, said in the release. “This progress is fueled by partnering with athletes and creatives who bring unique perspectives to the forefront and inspire the next generation in how they view the world differently.”
Vans revenue fell by 26% in VF’s most recent quarter, which was reported in May. The results included VF’s “deliberate actions to further right-size inventories in the wholesale channel.” When VF hired Sun Choe, previously of Lululemon, to lead the brand, David Swartz of Morningstar Research Servies called the hire “desperately needed good news” for VF. He also said that a turnaround of Vans was critical to VF’s future.
The company is set to report its latest earnings Aug. 6.
