Overarching Web 2.0 Considerations, Recommendations, and Proposals

critical analysis and recommendations for improvement. each specific critique followed by a specific recommendation for improvement

To begin with my critical analysis and recommendations for improvement, I must first bring forth the trend I have noticed throughout all of the surfing companies with regards to their web 2.0 footprint. Although decently established on many of the social networking, blogging, and micro blogging sites the industry for some reason displays too much information which is extremely hard to track and follow. It seems as if they want to keep their consumers informed, but the way in which they go about doing it is extremely hard to keep up with.

Some of these companies include Quiksilver Inc. and Skull Candy, who sponser many events and continuously offer products to the public. After observing my twitter feed this morning it was noticed that by 11am EST, Quiksilver had already posed seven times with Skull Candy taking the lead with ten posts. This method of communication can be thought of as an information overload in the sense that those on the other side of the computer screen cannot keep up.

To shed light on Von Zipper, they fall into this trap as well but not just through Twitter, but Facebook as well. The only disconnect is that they do not continously update their feeds like the other companies, but on the other hand only advertise, announce, and publicize a new product once its on the market, or congratulate a team rider if he or she wins a competition. Although a decent strategy, the problem lies with the days of lag; the downtime between posts which may leave consumers frustrated or confused as to why they are not linking to another page or expressing their creativity with promotions or deals.

A recommendation for this would be to simply cut down on the multiple posts a day and conserve the good information and promotions for weeks that they deem important.  

does the organization have a solid & effective Web 2.0 strategy? Compare/contrast with competitors.

As a sunglasses/goggles/apparel company appealing primarily to the extreme sports market, Von Zipper is swimming in a field of competitors offering the exact same products. From Quiksilver to Hurley, or Electric to Spy, or even Anon to Dragon, Von Zipper has to maintain quality and performance in order to retain loyal customers, and even steal some away from the others listed above.

Unlike many major corporations selling copious amounts of products(Nike, Adidas, Microsoft), Von Zipper has three things to sell. With a very defined business model, VZ went international back in 2002 and haven't turned back since. Their product life cycle consists of development, production, distribution, and sale. Seems simple right? Now try tossing in advertising, salaries, promotions, and sponsorships... Not so easy huh.

Electric Opticals website is pretty bad, it is really awful actually, and I can imagine why. They offer a superior product, but focus too much of their time and money on product development and production to worry about how savvy and visually appealing their website is. A recent acquisition of Volcom, Electric specializes in sunglasses and goggles manufacturing and distributing.

Spy Optics offers an identical product to consumers world wide. If you didn't personalize what was stated earlier about this market, I hope these pictures help. The market for moto/snow/sunglasses and goggles is extremely horizontal, and the barriers to entry are slim to none. There are new brands exposed yearly, offering up products to trade shows, conferences, and expositions in the hope of becoming the next new brand of a Fatherly company like Quiksilver, Hurley, or Billabong.

Since both competitors, as well as VZ were all acquired companies under huge brands deeply embedded in the surf/snow/moto community, the financial reports are pretty hard to come by. It will take another week of some extensive research to weed out the companies reports and filings but it will be done. That being said however, each product has its own loyal following. For example, I rock the Von Zipper Clutch sunglasses everyday. They pose an attitude which may be "too cool for school", but when it comes to goggles I shred in nothing but the Electric EG1s. They offer durability and comfort while giving the rider a style so swag that the majority of riders on the mountain can't overcome or match.

Provide recommendations for establishing, improving, and maintaining the company’s Web 2.0 strategy

A solid implementation strategy for Von Zipper to utilize in order to find a way to better reach their followers in a web 2.0 context would be to offer promotions based on their feeds and updates. Currently they rely solely on strict product line updates, which personally I follow but not to the T which probably goes for all other 18-25 year old users as well, but if they were to start offering free promotions or deals based on those feeds I know I would definitely stay locked on their profile.

Bands utilize this technique well, in that they might offer 15 free tickets to a show to those who reply first after a post. The first and only time I was able to win tickets was when I was 17, ten days before my 18th birthday, when the band Soldiers of Jah Army(who are absolutely huge now) posted a similar update. Although this feed was on Myspace, because I wasn’t yet 18 I couldn’t get the tickets... Bummer.

Discuss associated risks of Web 2.0, how to mitigate.  Dispel any Web 2.0 related myths and misconceptions that may arise from your proposal.

As for risks involved with web 2.0, I feel as though VZ has nothing serious to worry about. As long as they maintain a steady flow of information without excess garbage, consumers will be satisfied with what they see and continue to use and purchase their product.