Skin follow up

In April I posted a blog about Skin Industries, a Southern California based clothing company. I wrote about some of the marketing strategies the company uses, and what makes them stand out from other clothing companies. As part two of this blog, I will update what they have recently done marketing wise, and what I think they could do to make their marketing a little better.

Since my last post Skin has continued to post daily on MySpace and Facebook. They do well updating fans/friends of what they are doing. They have released their spring catalog, which was posted as a bulletin on MySpace. They are also updating frequently on new rider Mike Alessi. This is a good thing, as fans of Alessi can keep themselves updated by checking Skin's site. It's a good way to bring people in, and in turn see their merchandise. They are also adding pictures on MySpace and Facebook of more athletes and celebrities wearing Skin. Clearly anyone famous wearing your product is a boost to your brand name recognition. Social Media is a big part of Skin's marketing. They like to run different contests and giveaways through their socail media sites to make sure their fans keep visiting the sites. This is a great use of marketing. Currently they are running a contest where you can win $100 in Skin merchandise just for telling them what you're favorite Skin t shirt is. This is a way to advertise, and conduct market research at the same time.

With all this said, I feel Skin needs to work on keeping thier sites fresh and updated. They do great in sending out bulletins and posts on what's going on, but the sites don't change much. With Facebook this is a given. The site has a boring element to it anyway. It is used mostly to share information and not so much to be eye catching and draw new customers in. To that respect their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/skinindustries) does what it is supposed to do. It gives a lot of information, and provides links to their other sites. MySpace, however, is a different story. While they do a good job of sending out bulletins and posting info, the profile page has not changed for several months. It does not give the viewer anything new to look at, and thus no reason to go back there. I think adding minor things to the main page every couple weeks or so, gives the site (http://www.myspace.com/skinindustriesusa) a new energy, and a new purpose for people to view it. I understand that people feel that MySpace isn't prevelant anymore, but it is still a large social gathering place, and should not be ignored by companies looking to reach new people and keep people they alredy have.

It is my hope that Skin will continue to make quality gear and it will continue to become more acessible. Eminent Lifestyle Stores are carrying more and more Skin gear and accessories, and other stores are beginning to follow suit. This is the time for this great company to shine, and I think it is close if it just adjusts a few things with its marketing scheme.