In case of emergency...

So in case of emergency, what can Vibram do to contact those that it needs to contact?  I did some digging, and couldn't really find any real crisis, aside from their general warnings against false products, which is probably their number one issue, especially with their FiveFingers brand being so popular and trying to be copied.  We'll get back to that. 

What channels does Vibram have available to get a hold of us in case of a situation?  To get a hold of investors isn't too difficult…their online news room and their press contact section of their main site is simple enough to navigate and see what is going on within the company structure.

Vibram's contact with government bodies seems a bit more obfuscated - What makes this difficult is the company's base in Italy, yet servicing the greater part of Europe and the United States, as well as China - their products geared towards Military bodies and servicemen is a great connection, and their press releases about a new heat-resistant sole is a bit more geared towards a government branch, but it is still a bit aloof and not necessarily aimed at a government body, rather, more off pointed at an investor who provides equipment to firefighters or military personnel. 

For FiveFingers, their Twitter pages, Facebook pages and the website are already prepared to spread the word of CSR, and the main website for Vibram has its own link on the top-right:

If you check out their environmental policy, Vibram has it clearly stated what they use, how they use it and what they are doing to continue their efforts, as well as a history of what they have done to further their ecopolicy, some of which include Renewable Energy Movements, Recycling and their Zero-impact program through Lifegate.  If you need the details, check out their ecopolicy site: http://www.vibram.com/index.php/us/VIBRAM/About-Us/Ecopolicy

I think that the most unclear, yet important connection Vibram can increase their communication through would be their government channels - since a lot of their main products are geared towards servicemen and Military personnel they would want to make sure that the bodies that are associated with them are in touch, kept up-to-date and informed if something were to have gone wrong with their product.  Their investor communications and CSR relations are pretty clear on their site, and make clear their channels to which consumers and interested publics can locate and investigate.

So what would I change in the case of a crisis?  Personally, this can be approached in a slew of ways, since there are many options and multiple sites that Vibram can act on.  As far as an issue with their hiking boots (in the event that maybe people have died due to a lack of grip), they would have to get through to people with their online news room and their press contacts.  Further, they could display messages on their website, and provide restitution to families or communities that were effected.  If it were a problem with their FiveFingers Brand, they have the limitless outlets provided by Twitter and Facebook.  Also, both brands have access to YouTube, which both are active on as a way to display a message about a product, or in the event that it is needed/requested: an apology.

The most important strategy for any company is to get it clear that something has gone wrong and they will do what they can to not only fix the problem, or to make clear that they have made the mistake.  Vibram wanted to make sure they made a product that kept people from harm, and their main line is just for that - to keep people out of harm.  In the event of a crisis, they need to make sure that people aren't harmed, otherwise they have failed what they have tried to accomplish, and that harms their reputation.

Giant Friggen Feet

So what do you think is a great way to commemorate a foot-glove?

Giant Friggen Shoe.

A giant foot glove.

Though, that wasn't all that Vibram had to say for being in the foot-glove business for five years - a whopping 30% off of these toed pedi-shrouds and free shipping seems nice to do also. 

It's nice to see that a company that Vibram is constantly trying to please us from yonder, but at the same time, there doesn't seem to be enough communications for the other side of Vibram: the more formal shoe sole, along with the mountain climbing shoes.

Last week we saw that Vibram's use of Social Networking and blogging was bit more minimal than their FiveFingers' brand-style:  While they post updates and maintain a Facebook and Twitter account for the foot-gloves, their main source company doesn't use too much of the social "pimping."  Now, I don't think that's too much of a bad thing: It makes me think of them as a high-end company that understands that to find a good thing, one doesn't have to have a constant feed of what they are doing. 

I can see this as well as their internal communications.  For Vibram, I can't really find too much internal communications, aside from news updates in their Online News Room and all of the Facebook posts for their FiveFingers' Site (Especially those Black Friday sales...woo!)  So what would I change? What would I keep the same?

For one, I think Vibram could use an actual company blog, if at least for the FiveFingers' brand, as it has definitely made it's claim on the more mainstream portions of society.  Though how would a blog help?  Internally, a Blog within Vibram's corporation would not be a bad idea...it would help with internal communications and allow the whole company to keep in touch.  What would make it difficult would be that the company spans three unique regions: Italy, the United States and China, so corporate communications through a blog would require either three translators, or someone that could get the message by easily.

For external communications, I think FiveFingers has the right idea - this is a relatively modern product, and it should receive as much of modern technology's spotlight.  I also like that there are not any real blogs dedicated to Vibram or their Shoe Technology that is external, rather, the only big blog I could find was birthdayshoes.com, which is more of a blog celebrating barefoot activities, which have been revolutionized by products like the FiveFingers.

This leads me to a strange problem - how can you have just one celebrity spokesperson for Vibram?  The company would need at least two people - one for Vibram, the other for FiveFingers.  While Vibram would benefit from someone like Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs" or any well known military/civil hero, I could see the FiveFingers Brand being identified with a more trendy, yet athletic persona, like Matthew Mcconaughey, Hugh Jackman or Milla Jovovich...or hell, you could use Martha Stewart and really take advantage of the whole "great for Lounging around your Home" spin to it.

Media Relations

I made the right choice out of the gate to take a look at the Vibram corporate site for press information, rather than their smaller, more fun FiveFingers site.  While I love the layout of the smaller FiveFingers site, the corporate site is run more like a business, keeping a Press Page dedicated to managing announcements, news releases, as well as downloadable content, ranging from fact sheets about upcoming soles to information for Vibram's appearance at upcoming festivals and new technology releases.

That is not to say that the FiveFingers website is useless, but rather it is not the main platform for media relations - they still keep a news feed engaged in their site to let the public know what is going on, as well as product reviews and links to other sites that have commented on their shoes.

So what media relations are used on the corporate site?  Traditionally, they use standard press releases in the form of a downloadable PDF on their press site, although this is more of a fact sheet "package", followed by a backgrounder of new products that are coming out.

Then there are the majority of press releases that are short - they provide a small piece about an upcoming event and supplement it with a picture or a small poster of the event that is taking place.  

There is one other piece that is worth checking out - their usage of Video, via their YouTube Tester Team (although, this isn't so much a Video News Report [VNR], but rather a way of showing off some of the capabilities of the new soles.).

So taking a look at some of the press releases, there were several things that I took note of: As I had mentioned before, their releases were more collections of Fact Sheets.  This didn't strike me as too strange, since they are a brand based on delivering a specific item: A superior shoe.  In fact, I'd almost prefer this to the method that companies like Apple use, where they throw a new VNR out with every announcement to have a spokesperson talk for 5 minutes about a new product.   Don't get me wrong - I love me a new apple product, but I'm not one to need to hear a 5-10 minute rendition about how they are coming out with new cloud technology, I'd just rather be able to skim to what I want to know, and then move on.

Some other elements that Vibram provides in their press releases are their contacts, and the key places to locate information if needed.  On every press release, at the bottom of the page is a contact section, much like this:

Vibram Contact on Press Release

There is one other piece that I feel is also worth mentioning about Vibram's Press site: Their Frequently Asked Questions (or FAQ).  I guess my first interest comes in the FAQ, as it seems to belong in the About Us section, or under their "Vibram" tab on their main page.  I could argue that it would be useful to get general information and questions answered for the wayward journalist, but if I wanted to find FAQ, I would direct myself to an About Us page, as it seems to make more sense in finding that information there.

So this was a bit difficult...

I didn’t expect it to be, but nevertheless, I had to really do some digging to find out the information for this.  On a good note, Vibram’s website is not the most difficult website to navigate and audit.  It has a simple structure that breaks down very “tree-like,” so going into a quantitative audit wasn’t incredibly hard. 

What I find interesting about Vibram as a company is that their social networking, blogging and new media work exists for pretty much only one facet of the company – their FiveFingers brand.  This might be because of their uniqueness in the market, or maybe having to do with their appeal to a younger audience more interested in running a different way.  Aside from that, the rest of the main site is simply built - pick an activity (like hiking, mountain climbing, or industrial work), and browse until you find what you want/need - simple and effective.

Vibram does have a Social Networking branch, but this also gets a bit confusing.  The easiest way to access their social network is through Facebook or Twitter, more specifically focusing on the FiveFingers' brand.  What makes it a bit more confusing would be that if you were browsing around on Facebook, you would probably encounter a TON of different Vibram communities, but not necessarily the right one (the one linked to the company).  If you were interested in following their Facebook page, the link to like them on their main site would be the best bet.

Blogging doesn’t seem a huge part of the Vibram community (unless you want to consider birthdayshoes.com the unofficial blog that I could find up to date), but Vibram does have a tester team dedicated to posting videos up on YouTube, as well as videos posted on their main site to show specific events or demos of their products' durability.  Vibram also ran a competition to see who could make the best video showcasing the use of their Five-Fingers shoes.

With social bookmarking, Vibram definitely utilizes the essential tags on Twitter like #running and #barefoot, as well as tagging their product within big events, much like the recent New York City Marathon. 

So what does this mean as far as Vibram's relationship to their audience?  For one, it was easy for me to navigate around and find out what exactly I would want/need for a heavy excursion.  Their videos and articles that they post are up to date, and their Tweets/Facebook updates definitely keep up with latest events (as I mentioned above, take the New York City Marathon).

It's intriguing to see how the FiveFingers' site is almost a different, more youthful creature, versus the corporate look of the Vibram main site.  When I went to the Vibram main site, I felt as if I was browsing a company that wanted to sell me a top-of-the-line shoe, complete with articles and videos of its triumph, sustainability and durability.  This contrasts heavily to the FiveFingers' branch, which feels more like a community - you can check out different barefoot activities to do, watch videos of different athletes (both professional and amateur) and engage in a lifestyle, versus feeling like you're being sold to.  This makes me want to engage more with just the FiveFingers site only - it feels like a family versus a group of salesmen.

Golden Octogon of "Win"

Take a look at the bottom of your shoes.  Go ahead.  Indulge me.

Now tell me…what symbol do you see?  Is it a swoosh?  Maybe the ADIDAS logo, or (for those few out there) the Reebok logo.  Maybe it's the Sketcher's "S" or a big ol' "V" for Vans.  Either way, we wear our shoes for a reason.  I know for the longest time, I used to wear Vans and Sketchers, because they were comfortable, and the Sketchers were discounted for me (The perks of working at a Starbucks).  Now it's onto a different symbol -

www.vibram.com

This symbol has made me understand a superior making of footwear, especially since the "swoosh" or the Reebok symbol just don't seem to do it for me anymore (and that they break in a few months). 

So what did Vibram do that made it the brand that it is today?  Lets go back to 1935, when Vitale Bramani (by the way, did I mention that Vibram is his name: VItale BRAMani) had undergone his big tragedy?  On a climbing excursion several of Vitale's companions died from inappropriate footwear, regarding the "tricounis," or the stiff, hobnailed ice-climbing shoe. 

Courtesy of www.supertopo.com

Terrible for rock-climbing, Vitale wanted to do something different - footwear that would be unlike any other, that could go any place and provide safety and protection.  In 1937 he made his first sole, the Carrarmato.  It utilized the same vulcanized rubber that automobiles used to maintain grip. 



Now you want uniqueness?  Nothing becomes more unique and more appropriate in the field of safe hiking than a shoe that allows you to traverse multiple areas with ease and comfort.  Vitale not only thought outside of the box, but he knew that there was a demand, as more and more people were suffering from these tragedies. 

So how did this brand become authentic?  Well, despite the yellow plaque that is displayed on the shoes, or the tests that show that unique biomechanics are being used to walk - How about conquering mountain peaks like K2 or Mount Everest?  If you were seeking individuality, then climb a massive mountain.  People will definitely look at you differently.  There is also the testimonials - hundreds of them on Vibram's Five-fingers' website alone, all dedicated to sharing how people use their Five-fingers

So here's my next request: check out the extension of Vibram's website: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ and tell me what you find is talkable about this?

What has happened is a brand has exploded, not just as gear for extreme hiking, but also for daily workouts, casual lifestyle and corrective fitness.  This has made people come out of the woodwork and try this footwear more and more, and tell us about how much it has changed their lives.  It has even gone as far as create fanatics, much like Adam Downing and his Tattoo of the Vibram Gold Crest on his feet.  This same gold crest not only shows how dedicated Vibram is to a superior product, but it has become their "calling card," and for some people, their emblem of satisfaction to a fatastic piece of footgear.

Now this has entered Vibram into a field that is much more mainstream, simply by opening up customer interaction - this was in fact one of the selling points that got me into using Five-Fingers - I watched enough testimonials and videos of people using "foot-gloves" to run marathons, hike trails, do yoga, sit and play videogames, go paintballing.  The brand has easily extended itself to anyone that isn't necessarily interested in high-intensity activities, like mountain climbing, but it appeals to anyone who wants to walk about barefoot in their everyday life.  That makes us feel special.

Foot-gloves.

One day I was walking down the street with my girlfriend, when I saw a friend of mine.  When I looked down, he was wearing what looked like gloves on his feet. 

My mind was blown.

After a few months of running more and more, I had received a pair of these strange shoes for my birthday - Vibram Five-fingers - and after doing some research I found a new way of running that was not only effective, but also better for my legs and feet.

So what is Vibram anyway?  Vibram is a shoe company that has specialized in some extreme footwear since 1936.  The creator, Viale Bramani, a seasoned climber, had experienced a tragedy the year before in an alpine climbing accident.  This prompted Vitale to make a new sole for climbing shoes, which focused on placing vulcanized rubber on the bottoms of the soles - this made the soles similar to tire treads, and prevented slipping.

Now, this company has come a long way - lets face it, they began making mountain climbing boots and I'm wearing footwear to allow me to run barefoot.  Currently they have expanded as far as China - so why do I like them so much?  My shoes haven't been destroyed yet.

Most people that know me can vouch that I go through shoes like candy - I'm doing so many different activities that I twist and break soles and seams like a weak fishing line.  When I was given a pair of Five-Fingers for the first time, I wanted to see what made these so great.

Their versatility is unbelievable.  I've been able to wear these things in any kind of weather or water (and that’s just for running amok and trail running).  When I investigated a bit more into their product line, I saw some footwear that can be used in any situation, whether it's casual walking, or attempting to complete K2 or Mt. Everest. 

I wanted to put these shoes to the test, and see if their mission and their vision was really what it's cracked up to be.  I went camping, hiking and canoeing to see if they could stand up to how active my feet are, and then I wore them continuously at work, putting repeated strain on not only my feet, but also on the special soles. 

Not only did they stand up to it, but they certainly were more comfortable than any other shoe I've worn, in and out of work.  Vibram's mission states that they want "To develop the brand through continuous innovation, originality and quality of the products, while remaining faithful to the tradition of our brand."  As far as innovation and originality, wearing a pair of shoes that are designed to act like foot-gloves is innovative enough for me.  For quality and remaining faithful to their brand, these shoes went above and beyond - they remained intact and prevented me from hurting myself (despite my usual clumsiness), while remaining comfortable. 

And lest I mention, their campaign to have people record their own experiences with these shoes and post them on their site shows a dedication to listening to their customers, to ensure that not only are they making a quality product, but that I can see how their quality product works.  Vibram makes buying shoes a personal experience. 

By the way, in case you didn't click the link above, check out their main site.  It's quite intriguing

...here we go.

So yea, It's my first blog.

Sad to say that it's been this long now that I've been putting this off, but hey, it can't be all that bad...right?

Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

*explodes*