Vans Displays Target 'Greens' and Teens

Like the stock market crash of 1929, the recession of 1990 produced a culture shift with dramatic implications for the retailing industry. The go-go '80s, with its overheated markets and rapacious use of resources, gave way to this decade's search for value and emphasis on the environment.Two new displays created by Vans Inc., an Orange, Calif.-based maker of casual footwear, are textbook examples of how much American consumer culture has changed. Resembling found objects, the displays forgo slickness in favor of natural colors, a recycled look and industrial-style materials."They're in line with the green movement and the whole '90s consciousness concerning natural and recycled materials and colors," says Susan Friedman, Vans' director of marketing. "This approach makes the displays up to date and very fashion forward -- like our shoes."Introduced in September, the displays are designed to appeal to Vans' two distinct core audiences. The company's "heritage customer" consists of teens of both sexes. The other audience is women age 18 to about 45, which Vans refers to as "the ageless woman."Friedman says: "'The ageless woman' is someone characterized not so much by her age as by her attitude and approach to life. We don't have deep pockets, but this is a market we want to pursue. To save costs, we designed the displays in house, because we have experience in 3-D. Also, our designer came up with two very flexible displays that let us work economically with both of these very different audiences."Vans produced 1,000 tabletop units and 500 floorstands. The tabletop display measures 24 inches wide by 12 inches high by 4 inches deep. It uses a leaning-shoe design that mimics the company's logo. An indentation on its base acts as a stop for a shoe's toe, with the heel leaning against a 3-D version of the Vans name.The floorstand is a four-sided tower that spins on a vertical pole. It measures 12 inches wide and 56 inches high. The perforated side surfaces accommodate 22 removable and adjustable wire racks for displaying individual shoes, and three additional shoes can be placed on top. Silkscreened ovals with the company's logo are riveted to each side on either the top or bottom.All four sides feature built-in channels to hold sepia-toned lifestyle photos that come in six-photo sets for each audience. They allow retailers to customize the floorstand to fit their customer base and marketing needs. Each photo measures 12 inches wide by 18 inches high and sports a slogan such as: "Because the average woman is a myth" (for the ageless woman market), or "So you don't have it figured out yet. Join the club. It's called life. We make the shoes" (for the teen market).The tabletop piece has a steel base and a vertical section on top made of corrugated steel and wire grates. A copper-plated logo cut out of steel is bolted to the vertical section to enhance the display's industrial look. As for the floorstand, its base is high-density particleboard. The pole, sides and logo are made of steel.Both displays were created by senior graphics designer Mike Pekovich, who coordinated manufacturing with metal fabricator Nashville Display of Nashville, Tenn. According to Pekovich, Vans' environmental focus extends to the colors, manufacturing processes and packaging the company uses.He says: "We've gone with natural colors by using black paint on both bases, rust-colored paint on the floorstand, and a clear coating on the copper tabletop logo. The paints are actually a ground-up plastic powder that's heated to create a durable finish. This process is both economical and much more environmentally friendly than traditional spray painting, because there's no overspray released into the atmosphere. Also, we've used a natural look in our other materials -- the floorstand photos are printed on recycled paper, and we use Kraft paper or corrugated for our packaging and signage."By relying on rugged materials, Vans expects the displays to last at least two years. The company plans to update the lifestyle photos each season to keep them current. Friedman adds: "The photos tie into our overall marketing direction, and they give us an opportunity to coordinate the look with future ad campaigns."Distribution will be nationwide, and Vans is starting by offering the units to its independent account base, including skate and surf shops catering to teens, specialty footwear stores, fashion-oriented boutiques, and some shoe chains. The tabletop display comes preassembled, and the floorstand assembles easily with the screwdriver and instructions provided.Approximate production costs were $140 for the floorstand and $45 for the leaning shoe display. The displays are provided free to retailers.

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