How Doug Palladini positions Vans on issues that matter to its target audience

Doug Palladini’s position at Vans Inc. requires an adeptness at not only understanding what’s moving the market from a business standpoint, but also from a cultural standpoint. The company held its annual

Checkerboard Day Nov. 18. It’s the company’s largest philanthropic program; this year it was used to support 16 global charities focused on helping build community through the arts, sports, culture and social impact.

The company’s used its social channels, app and website to build momentum around the day.

It’s a philanthropic play and a necessary one to keep in touch with its consumer base, execs say.

“Vans’ purpose is to enable creative expression and we have a mission to become and be the global icon of creative expression particularly in youth culture. So, what we try to do at Vans is we try to be a purpose-led brand and it’s important that for us, it’s not just something you say. It’s not just a poster you hang in the lunch room. It’s the action you take,” Palladini told the Business Journal.

Checkerboard Day is one example. There are countless others the marketing engine must oversee: building of skate parks, inviting talent and other guests to the company’s House of Vans retail formats, giving back, tying the brand into the elements of the action sports world and that’s all across the 100 countries the company’s sells product in.

When last year’s Black Lives Matter movement came to a head, Vans was there, Palladini said.

“Our fans expect Vans to take a stand. They want us to be marching alongside them in the things that are important to them. That could be protecting our planet. That could be racial and social justice, and I would say we would be more at risk by remaining silent and sitting on the sidelines than by being clear about who we are and what we want,” Palladini said.

Consistency on where Vans and any company, particularly those tied to youth culture, can remain trustworthy is now more “mission critical” than ever, according to Palladini.

He added: “We think that there’s a specific type of consumer that is inspired by the same kind of things that we are around creative expression, and so we try to lean in to find those people in this world and try to connect with them, understanding full well there will be people who don’t believe that for whatever reason. And we are OK if they decide then that Vans is not a brand for [them].”