BA case writing
Total word count: 300
Questions:
- Ad agencies defend the idea that “a brand must appear to be authentic if it wants to be successful.” How does O’Neill use Social Media to extend their brand image and gain authenticity? Or are they just like other surf/skater brands? Explain your reasoning.
- How does O’Neill utilize professional riders to influence the skateboarding fashion market through social media?
- Compare O’Neill with either Volcom’s or Billabong and describe how they resonate with serious skaters.
Discussion Story (context)
“The original California surf, snow and lifestyle brand, was founded in 1952 when a young man named Jack O’Neill took his unstoppable passion for surfing and used it to battle Mother Nature. Jack’s initial vision of producing functional and innovative board riding products continues to lie at the core of everything the company does. From the first neoprene surf wetsuit and board leash to the world’s first stitchless board shorts. O’Neill will always be committed to growing its reputation as one of the world’s leading youth lifestyle brands based on being the First Name in the water. While many things have changed since those humble beginnings, Jack’s initial vision of producing functional and innovative board riding products continues to lie at the core of everything the company does. O’Neill’s core values — innovation in style and technology — have seen the brand devote itself wholeheartedly to the evolution of the action sports lifestyle. O’Neill’s progressive spirit will always drive the company forward.”
Resources: Listed below are a few web sites to help answer these questions. You will need to find additional web sites to help support your answers these questions.
Brand Authenticity: Is It for Real? http://adage.com/
Regaining their “cool”: can the big three surf brands recover? http://
To: ____________ (instructor name)
From: ____________ (first name and last name)
Re: ____________ (assignment name)
Solution Preview
To:
From;
Re: Ba Case Writing
July 13, 2019
In the quest to connect with the millennials, marketers continually leverage on authenticity to unlock the power of the consumers. As such, marketers stopped selling and started engaging with consumers to drive the pull marketing efforts (Byron). Similarly, O’Neill uses social media to extend their brand image and gain authenticity by differentiating their product through creative expression and embracing content marketing as their main communication strategy (Byron). Based on their core value of innovation in style and technology, the company expresses itself in a way that fosters connection with the target consumers, the youth.
(380 words)