Vineyard Vines and the Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants

Abstract

This case, “vineyard vines and The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants,” introduces students to a unique partnership in the social media advertising world. Preppy clothing powerhouse vineyard vines had a history of interacting with its customers by featuring user-generated content in its catalogs and on its website and decided to continue this tradition on social media by partnering with a group of fans called The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants. This successful and authentic social media marketing campaign resulted in increased sales for vineyard vines and influencer status for the members of The Brotherhood. At the end of the campaign, the vineyard vines marketing team is left debating how to grow its social media presence through partnerships. The case has been used as part of a social media marketing course and would be effective in any undergraduate- or graduate-level marketing course. Excerpt UVA-M-0909 Rev. Dec. 15, 2016 vineyard vines and The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants Shep & Ian Murray, brothers, cofounders, and CEOs of the growing lifestyle apparel company, vineyard vines, stepped out of their office and paced the dock overlooking the Long Island Sound in Stamford, Connecticut. vineyard vines had focused on marketing user-generated content since its inception in 1998 to show the authenticity of both the brand and the people who wore it. Shep & Ian featured their valued customers in seasonal catalogs and on the company's website, displaying the “Every day should feel this good” lifestyle the brand promoted. The rise of social media had brought more opportunities for vineyard vines customers and fans to submit content, and the Murray brothers wanted to make sure they leveraged this user-generated content in a meaningful way. Shep & Ian knew their customer base had room for further growth if vineyard vines could continue to expand its effective social media marketing strategy. vineyard vines had a strong online presence already, but given its younger customers and strong brand identity, vineyard vines needed to be on the cutting edge in the social media sphere. Over the past two decades, vineyard vines had taken the “preppy” East Coast clothing market by storm, making it difficult for traditional brands such as L.L.Bean to remain relevant. With the new wave of social media platforms, Shep & Ian knew vineyard vines would need to get creative to continue its success. If done correctly, a social media marketing strategy could catapult vineyard vines' brand and top line much further than ever before. The question was, how? vineyard vines debated whether to rely on traditional internal marketing content, turn to loyal followers for user-generated marketing material as they had done in the past with catalogs, or partner with popular social media influencers. They wondered whether partnerships with social media influencers would help vineyard vines grow or if they would propel newer, smaller, and nimbler brands born out of social media to compete for vineyard vines' top spot in the preppy clothing market. When vineyard vines received an unopened e-mail from The Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants Shep & Ian wondered…was this spam? . . .