PacSun Marketing Plan

1. IMC Campaign
Aidan Cooke
07/31/21

2. Table of Contents
IMC Campaign Cover - 1
Table of Contents - 2
Executive Summary - 3
Background and Research - 5
SWOT Analysis - 9
Target Audience and Market - 10
Marketing Goals, Objectives, and strategies - 14
Creative Strategy - 15
Promotional Mix and Channels - 19
Creative Execution - 20
Conclusion - 21
References - 22

3. Executive Summary
Overview
- PacSun is one of the nation's largest leaders when it comes to youth fashion and
clothing. With over 600 stores across the United States, PacSun has been providing the
California fashion style for over 40 years. While their stores have been succeeding
greatly since the merge with eddie Bauer in the early 2010’s, the era of physical stores
and shopping malls has slowly been coming to an end with the rise in technology and
the lack of need for in person shopping.

4. Executive Summary
Marketing Strategy
- Because of the rise in internet shopping, my main marketing strategy over the past
month has been focusing on how to keep PacSun successful and in the spotlight by
slowly transferring from the physical era to the digitized. While changing from over 600
physical locations to an online shop front will come with its difficulties, the usage of
marketing and advertising will change the perspective of the target audience from going
in stores to simply using their smart devices to get all of their shopping needs.

5. Background & Research
History
- Before PacSun became a nationwide storefront with over 300 hundred locations in 40 states
(FundingUniverse), Pacsun started with simple roots and the basic premise of becoming a
surf shop. Tom Moore of California created PacSun in 1980, an abbreviation of the formal
name Pacific Sunwear, with the simple goal of creating “his first surf shop catering to surfers”
(FundingUniverse). The opening of a new surf shop in California was nothing new but the
success that came from this new venture was apparent which led to the idea of implementing
a year round version of Pacific Sunwear. Tom brought on a partner by the name of Jack
Hopkins who he opened a second shop with the following year. The American shopping mall
would then become the home for the Pacific Sunwear brand for the next 17 years (PacSun
Wiki).

6. Background & Research
Industry Leader
- As the PacSun brand grew over the years, placed in malls spread across the country,
Craig Gosselin, former general council of Vans and lead HR, joined the PacSun brand
as head of HR and CEO (Gosselin, Janna.). With the addition of Gosselin to the
PacSun company, he was asked to champion the establishment of core values for the
PacSun brand. “At PacSun we have core values that we live by: trust, individual
excellence, creativity and passion,” Gosselin said.” (Gosselin, Janna.). While under the
control of newly titled CEO Gosselin, the 10-k form of 2007 which was documented
during his time as CEO states “Our mission is to be the leading lifestyle retailer of
casual fashion apparel, footwear and accessories for teens and young adults.” (Pacific
Sunwear of California, Inc.,). Dating back to the start of Pacific Sunwear (PacSun) the
mission was originally to create a surf shop that catered towards surfers, but as time
went along the mission and goals of the company drifted towards the market of retail
clothing directed towards the young adult and teen demographic.

7. Background & Research
Challenges
- Over the years of the PacSun company lifespan, PacSun did not have the smoothest
sailing when it came to rebranding and keeping customer attention. As the market for
surf/skate apparel and fashion has slowly started to diminish, the rise in hip hop attire
and street apparel has flooded the clothing market. PacSun began to struggle in the
late 2010s and as the attention and profits started to diminish, PacSun began to work
on how to rebrand and keep their heads above water. The company decided to work
with Golden Gate Capital and Wells Fargo on a debt-for-equity agreement (Hicks,
Jessica). The new found agreement with Golden Gate Capital led to the merging of
PacSun with Eddie Bauer in 2018 which was another brand that had been saved from
bankruptcy by Golden Gate Capital. A managing director working for Golden Gate
Capital “brought in additional brands to create a more well-rounded offering
representing California style.” (Hicks, Jessica) which led to the rebound of PacSun and
the new financially successful version of the PacSun brand we see today.

8. Background & Research
Competition
- With PacSun being one of the leading distributors of clothing and fashion for the young adult
and teen demographic, they have a very specialized and wide variety of clothing that they sell
throughout their stores. Although they may be one of the top chains for the youth target
audience, they do still have to compete with other large chains within the clothing market. With
other companies such as Tilly’s, Zumiez, Aeropostale, and WetSeal being some of the leading
competitors with PacSun, there is a large market for youth clothing and fashion (ZoomInfo).
PacSun has collectively gathered a revenue of 827 million dollars since its debut in 1980, other
leading brands such as Tilly’s or Aeropostale have collected revenues of 1 billion dollars for
Aeropostale and 619 million for Tilly’s. As PacSun started to move away from its surf/skate
apparel marketing and more towards their focus on youth fashion and brand collaboration, they
have begun to separate themselves more from the collective group of youth fashion with their
own individuality (ZoomInfo). While being one of the top competitors in their market, PacSun
has reinvented themselves over the years and whilst they were on a decline over the past few
years, the rebranding and merging of PacSun has created a new opportunity for the company
to separate themselves from the competition and continue to grow in the market of youth
fashion.

9. SWOT Analysis

10. Target Audience & Market
Target Audience
- As PacSun has changed and developed over their many years as a company, their
target demographic has ultimately stayed constant except for when the company had
originally started back in 1980. With the exception of the original surf shop, most of
PacSun’s time in malls across the country has been directing their clothing towards the
youth and young adults. In the current era of today’s shopping, PacSun has come out
and addressed that “they’ve got a very young demographic and want to be involved in
what they want to do” (Retail Dive,n.d) this statement was given after the interview in
which they discussed PacSun’s new mobile app which has made accessing their
clothing even more accessible especially to the younger audience. Gen Z has become
the first generation that was raised in a digital world. Starting from 1997 - 2012, “they
are unlike any other generations, who either grew up without or came into adulthood
during the rise of social media, smartphones and instant accessibility to information.”
(Voice of America,n.d). PacSun’s target audience as of right now is directed towards the
ages of 14 - 24 (retail dive,n.d) with both men and women being targeted as potential
audience, I believe this is the perfect market to stay in tune with.

11. Target Audience & Market
Target Audience
- As the digital era of shopping becomes more and more relevant, shopping malls and stores
are slowly becoming a thing of the past. As an added bonus to the demise of shopping malls,
the covid pandemic has accelerated the slow downfall of the American shopping mall “
coresight research estimates 25% of America's roughly 1,000 malls will close over the next 3 to
5 years.” (Lauren,2020). With PacSun being placed in over 600+ malls spread across the
country, this new development of shopping online allows for PacSun to smoothly transition
from their local in person shops to this online era without having to directly change their target
audience. The addition of their mobile app has created a marketplace for their direct target
audience to continue shopping their catalog in an already digitized generation. The reasoning
behind focusing on this generation solely relies on my belief in a soon to be digitized market.
Gen Z being the major focal point for PacSun’s marketing, PacSun has noticed the changes
we are seeing in today's world when it comes to topics such as gender and they have began
marketing multiple lines of their clothing as “gender free fashion” (Stenzel,2021) to incorporate
more choices for their target audience that is breaking gender norms more and more everyday

12. Target Audience & Market
Potential Market
- Brian is a 18 year old teen born in 2003 placing him in generation z. Growing up in gen
z has given him the ability to express himself artistically and through his clothing style
through the usage of social media platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter.
Being raised in a digitized generation, Brian creates photoshop art and photo edits
using his sense of design and style through his pictures and clothing. Brian is from the
mountain state of Colorado and works at a decent paying job, Chick-fil-a, where he
makes 17 dollars an hour and puts that money towards his college future and also his
spending habits of clothing, food, and adventures with friends. Working 35 hours every
two weeks, Brian makes on average 1200 dollars a month, with his living situation and
most of his food already covered at home with his parents, he can just put his money
into savings and the rest for splurging on the things he loves.

13. Target Audience & Market
Potential Market
- Brian enjoys hanging out with his friends after school and on weekends going for
drives and going shopping for new clothes and video games he can enjoy with his
buddies. While making 1200 a month, Brian puts half of his monthly earnings into
savings and the other half he uses to spend on things he enjoys. With PacSun being
one of Brian's favorite places to shop, he spends on average 300 dollars a month at
PacSun purchasing clothing, shoes, or whatever catches his eye in stores. Brian is a
senior in high school at Littleton High School and as he comes closer to graduating and
moving on from his high school experience, he is enjoying his last days with all of his
high school friends and family by adventuring throughout his state and taking photos
with his newly bought outfits along the way

14. Marketing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Goal: Start advertising the PacSun app more to encourage more online shopping rather than in person shopping.
Objectives and Strategies:
1. To improve online sales by 50% by 2022
- Create advertisements that showcase the app and it's easy to use accessibility
- Create deals and sales only available when purchasing online
- Implement new brand deals that are only available online
- Add more clothing lines and items rather than in person stores to support that the app and website have more to
offer
2. Introduce new clothing lines that support Gen Z beliefs online to encourage online shopping
- Add more gender free friendly clothing items to the online shop
- Introduce clothing items online that support groups such as the LGBTQ ,BLM, and Women's Rights
- Create a online section dedicated to support for these groups so they are easy to find
- Create a deal where purchasing these items online go to support aid for LGBTQ groups, anti racism groups, and
Vocal Women Activists

15. Creative Strategy
Venn Diagram

16. Creative Strategy
Slogan: The brands you love, right at the touch of your finger Rejected
Statements:
- PacSun will market towards the younger generations using technology
- PacSun will create brands that market towards generation Z
- PacSun will switch to technology stores rather than in person

17. Creative Strategy
Creative Brief
What am I advertising?
The focus on switching from in person to technology is about the change in how the world works and where it is moving towards.
The need for malls and in person stores is slowly dying and the pandemic accelerated it. With everything becoming digitized,
creating a solid base for online shopping is a great way to start transitioning from in person to online. The sooner the transition is
started, then the easier the switch will be from closing in person shops to focusing on online sales and marketing.
Who am I focusing this on?
The main target for this statement is generation z. A generation who has grown up on technology and who would rather shop online
rather than in person. Being the main target audience of PacSun, using the resources of technology is the easiest way to
communicate with their audience and deliver items and clothing while not sacrificing sales.
What do they currently think?
Generation Z has already begun doing most of their shopping online. Shoe stores have seen a major decline because they are only
able to offer a set collection. Online has any item they could possibly be looking for and its only a matter of time before they start to
do this with all sorts of things they need. Clothing has already seen a rise in digital sales and with PacSun having so many in person
stores, the time and need for in person stores is coming to an end.

18. Creative Strategy
Creative Brief
What would we like them to think?
The main goal with this statement is to see a rise in digital sales. If Generation Z starts to see a larger focus on the online store then
they will start to use it more which allows for cutting costs on physical locations. We want them to think that there is less use for
going in person and that they can find whatever they need online.
What's the most persuasive way about this?
Showing Generation Z the vast amount of clothing and superior catalog of items will create a want to shop online more, plus
shopping online has all of their sizes because they are being created due to sales. In person can be sold out of sizes and certain
items may not be available at certain stores.
Why should they believe it?
Belief will just come from evidence. Seeing the website and the proof of how many items they can shop from just goes to show the
lack of need to go to the store in person.
Are there any creative guidelines?
Displaying and marketing the collection size is a key point to getting Generation Z to shop online. They have to see a reason to use
the website and see how much easier and efficient it is. Marketing towards the website by displaying popular collections or new
ones built for the online shop is a great way to intrigue the audience.

19. Communication Channels
Media Channels
1. Social Media Social Media is a fantastic tool to get your point across and advertise to millions across the world. With my focus
this month on getting PacSun a heavier online shopping presence, this goes hand in hand with social media when it comes to
marketing. Marketing the online shop on social media allows you to directly lead your audience from the ad to the website with a
simple click and even if it doesn’t lead to a purchase it can still lead to more traffic throughout the website. Displaying ads on social
media that showcase new collections or sales on the online store is a great way to get more people purchasing items on the online
shop and it all just starts with them simply clicking on the link.
2. Billboard The billboard ad can be a great tool to inform people about something they don't know about, especially something like
a shopping app. While social media does a great job at showcasing your marketing to people within the social apps, there are still
some people who aren’t as commonly frequenting on those apps. The usage of a billboard can inform the customer that there's an
easier way for them to shop and all it takes is downloading this app. Showcasing the app name and what's on it is a great way to get
people interested in it and downloading to check out what you have to offer.
3. Television A lot of social media ads are targeted towards peoples internet cookies and what they are most commonly associated
with. For some people they may not be big online shoppers when it comes to clothing, showcasing a television advertisement is
another great way to showcase the app and what it does. By creating a short advertisement that explains what the app is and what
it has to offer can pull in more people that may not be as familiar with online clothing shopping. The tv ad should showcase some of
the more popular brands and should explain how easy it is to use so that people are more inclined to download it and give it a shot.

20. Creative Execution

21. Conclusion
Being one of the largest retailers in youth fashion and clothing across the US, PacSun
has displayed how their connection between the digital shop and physicals has been
showing some disconnect. While the advertising and marketing of their physical shopping
has been especially strong over the past 10 years, the slow downfall of american shopping
malls is rapidly approaching every year. Within this new era of online shopping, focusing on
the online store is one of the best ways to not only create a better shopping experience for
the young generation of Gen Z but to also help smooth the transfer from the physical
shopping experience to a more personalized and digitized way of shopping. Throughout my
study on the PacSun brand, PacSun has overgone plenty of diversity and changes to stay
relevant and recognized over 40 years. The digitized era and new future of online shopping
will either be another hurdle for PacSun to bounce back from and overcome, but if not
handled properly or soon enough it may also be their downfall.

22. References
“Gen Z: Born to Be Digital.” Voice of America, www.voanews.com/student-union/gen-z-born-be-digital.
Gosselin, Janna. “Craig Gosselin: It's a Matter of Trust – General Counsel at PacSun.” Forefront Magazine, 4 Mar. 2013,
www.forefrontmag.com/2013/03/craig-gosselin-its-a-matter-of-trust-general-counsel-at-pac sun/.
Hicks, Jessica. “Here's How Three Bankrupt Retailers Bounced Back, and What Debt-Ridden Brands Can Learn from Them.” The Business of Business, Thinknum, 15 Sept. 2020,
www.businessofbusiness.com/articles/bankrupt-retailers-coronavirus-data-american-appare l/.
Lauren,thomas. “25% Of U.S. Malls Are Expected to Shut within 5 Years. Giving Them a New Life Won't Be Easy.” CNBC, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2020,
www.cnbc.com/2020/08/27/25percent-of-us-malls-are-set-to-shut-within-5-years-what-co mes-next.html.
“PacSun Firms up Mobile Strategy for Teen Retail Business.” Retail Dive, www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/pacsun-firms-up-mobile-strategy-for-teen-re tail-business.
“Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc.” FundingUniverse, www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/pacific-sunwear-of-california-inc-history/.
“PacSun.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 July 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PacSun
Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc., www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/874841/000089256907000366/a28643e10vk.htm.
“PacSun Firms up Mobile Strategy for Teen Retail Business.” Retail Dive, www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/pacsun-firms-up-mobile-strategy-for-teen-re tail-business.
“PacSun - Overview, News & Competitors.” ZoomInfo, www.zoominfo.com/c/pacific-sunwear-of-california-llc/29442930.
Stenzel, Tess. “Pacsun Releases Gender Free Collection.” FashionUnited, FashionUnited, 2 Apr. 2021, fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/pacsun-releases-gender-free-collection/2021040254779.
“Where Are the Early 2000s Brands That Popularized Skater Style?” Glossy, 12 Jan. 2020, www.glossy.co/fashion/where-are-the-early-2000s-brands-that-helped-popularize-skater-st yle/.