‘Damn, Daniel!’ You Sold a Lot of White Shoes
Vans swears it didn’t make the viral video, but it knew how to capitalize on it.
Vans shoes.
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A viral video from earlier this year starring a California teen and his gleaming sneakers featured a particular catchphrase ("Damn, Daniel!") and particular footwear: white slip-on Vans. The combination proved powerful enough to help boost sales for the brand by mid-single digits in the Americas, parent company VF Corp. said on Friday, with a 20 percent increase in direct-to-consumer sales and 30 percent jump in online sales.
"It wasn't planted at all," said VF Corp. Chief Executive Eric Wiseman. "I won't say it was a lucky gift, but it gets to how much California youth like the brand. And it was expertly managed in how our brand responded."