Vans Inc.’s new skate line, Rapidweld “S” Pack, pays “homage to a culture of classified missions led by the military, the Air Force and beyond.”
So does its TV spot promoting the shoes.
The Cypress-based footwear and apparel company’s ad mixes sleek footage of black leather-trimmed shoes with flickering images of passports, redacted words, darkened hallways and aerial maps. The 20-second spot, for full effect, also features audio of a military-like briefing.
Rapidweld “S” Pack is part of the Vans Syndicate Fall ’14 collection, which the company says “celebrates the diverse heritage of ideas, attitudes and influences that make up skateboarding’s unique lifestyle.”
The spot was produced by the brand’s in-house marketing team.
Shoe Quandary
Skateboarder Nyjah Huston is faced with a serious challenge in DC Shoes Inc.’s new commercial. Images of skating competitions, falls and crowds flash before his eyes as he stands in front of a car trunkful of skate shoes—all eight styles are named after him, and he has to pick just one.
Thankfully, cheers from loyal fans resonate in his head, helping him put something else on his feet besides Boneless socks, produced by Stance Inc. in San Clemente. The “Choose Your Nyjah” slogan can be seen on print ads in skate magazines, as well as at the end of the video.
The brand is owned by apparel manufacturer and retailer Quiksilver Inc. in Huntington Beach.
Toshiba Simplifies
Do we need coffee drones, smart scissors and 5-D printing? Toshiba America’s new animated 30-second TV spot, “Welcome to Sillycon Valley,” shows what happens in a “tech world gone wrong.”
The ad ends with a finger pressing a pause button to quiet the technology hype—a video playing on Toshiba’s Encore 2 Tablet.
The company also released a TV spot for its new portable Canvio AeroMobile Wireless SSD storage device, and another ad, called “Unleash Yourself,” to promote its detachable Satellite Click Series laptops.
The ads were created by Los Angeles-based Goodness Manufacturing, which is Toshiba’s advertising agency of record for laptops and TVs in the U.S. market.
Toshiba America’s 2013 media budget for notebooks and laptops was $10 million, according to Kantar Media.
In-Store Advantage
Irvine-based Advantage Sales & Marketing LLC recently wrapped up a national rollout of the TouchCG in-store selling application.
TouchCG, created by Fairfield, N.J.-based StayinFront, enables sales reps to “access retailer [point of sale] data and identify and repair store-specific SKU issues, including voids, out-of-stocks and out-of-dates,” the company said in a news release.
“StayinFront is a key competitive advantage for us,” David Cortese, Advantage’s chief information officer, said. “[Its] PitchBook provides our sales reps with professionally-developed sales stories, integrated with store-level data, for presenting new items, promotional events and display recommendations.”
Advantage has more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
Bits & Pieces
Industry veteran and award-winning producer Marcus Vadas joined Newport Beach-based ChopShop Entertainment as executive producer. … Blue C Advertising in Costa Mesa is hosting a “Taco Tuesday” donation drive on Aug. 12 to collect accessories, bedding, clothing, kitchenware, luggage, shoes and sporting goods for Goodwill of Orange County. … Irvine-based Weedmaps, a listings and review site for marijuana dispensaries, hired Katherine Smith as its chief marketing officer.
