CASE STUDY

Case Study - VANS - Skating on Air

Case Study - VANS - Skating on Air

Introduction

The case study basically understands and at the same time investigates the segmentation techniques and strategies a company uses to survive and then beat its competition. Segmentation is the method that a company uses to define and subdivide a homogenous and large market in to clearly define segments and each segment have similar same demand characteristics, needs or wants (Business Dictionary, n.d, p.1). Segmentation is done by companies merely to be able to design such marketing mix strategy that matches and satisfies the consumer expectations in a particular segment so that value can be delivered to the consumer.

This paper seeks to address the various question that were asked in the case study about the company Vans. The organization is well renowned for selling apparels and footwear. The case study describes that there are changes in the market taking place and different opportunities are arising that the management of Vans has identified and so it needs to find the best solution and strategy to be able to capitalize on these opportunities.

In the year 2002 the company Vans achieved enormous success that outpaced the other big brands in the industry and transformed the brand in to a three hundred and fifty million dollar business. Thus this swift growth of the brand followed by the increase in demand of the products created the need for a new strategy that would be able to guide the future plans of growth in the brand as well as the business. The president and chief executive officer of Vans Gary Schoenfeld very strongly realized the fact that the brand was at a turning point. The CEO of Vans was very much happy about the performance and position of the company while realizing that this was not all the company can achieve, there was still room for more improvement. He was not concerned about the fact that the company required to grow more or not but he was focusing on the fact that what best ways are available to the company to go through the stages of growth.

Background of the Company

The company Vans began in the year 1960 as a shoe manufacturing company that was heavily influenced by the Southern Californian culture of skateboarding and surfing. The company designed affordable and durable shoes that were aimed at catering to an unmet need of a niche market. Being local and small the company allowed its designers a great deal of flexibility to experiment with various different patterns and designs in such ways that the big companies in the same industry did not. Since there was a particular culture that the company tried to incorporate in its products there was increased focus on including the skate and surf lifestyle in their brand and this enabled the company to be a contributor to the subculture movement at that time. Since the company's focus was on its customers and the features of flexibility ...