1. Jacob Warren
3/17/14
MKT 4440
Social Media Assignment
“Vivo barefoot Social Media Marketing”
1. Vivobarefoot was the first shoe company to invent a barefoot style shoe with a non-
puncture sole that allows your foot to move the way it was supposed too. They target
proactive people who want to run and live, as close to being barefoot as possible. Aside
from having many different types of running shoe lines, they also make very strong
lifestyle shoes that also allow for natural shock absorption and motion control but with a
much more casual look. In my opinion, Vivobarefoot’s commitment to manufacturing
shoes that provide as close to a barefoot experience as possible while still being eco
friendly is what sets them apart from other shoe companies such as New Balance and
Nike. They should spend more time targeting the working lifestyle than they are right
now. This would allow them to connect with the working class who needs to dress up
every day and still want to be comfortable.
2. The four social mediums they are employing are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and
Instagram. They use these four mediums very wisely in order to connect with the
proactive and extreme athletes who care about improving the geometry of their
movement by letting their feet act like they were meant to with the barefoot-like zero
drop soles. Their main goal is to demonstrate the advantages their products bring to
athletes all around the world.

2. 3. a) YouTube really accomplishes Vivobarefoot’s goal in a very simple and efficient way.
I think they are really succeeding with YouTube because videos easily show how
wearing their shoes can change a person’s running geometry. Vivobarefoot calls this
intelligent running. However, they don’t have videos of the more stylish shoes that can
be worn from the office to the weekend exercising routine. These lifestyle-oriented
products can be very versatile, yet no one really knows about them. YouTube videos
demonstrating these products could really show that Vivobarefoot can offer their brand to
any sort of customer. One example could be a video of a lawyer presenting a case in
court with their leather/wooden shoes that look great with a suit, and then show him
coming home and switching into their world famous running shoes that take him for a run
through the woods after a long day at work. This kind of direction is what can make their
brand surpass all of their competitors. Even though I like the direct demonstration videos
that show how their shoes function, they should have more entertaining videos that relate
to all of their product lines.
b) Facebook is another way Vivobarefoot connects with their customers.
Vivobarefoot’s Facebook page allows customers to sign up for their fan mail, which
explains new products before they come out the following season. They also seem to do
a great job getting back to their customer’s Facebook comments on a daily basis. They
could incorporate videos of their actual workers making their eco friendly products. This
would show the consumer their working environment as well as enable consumers to
connect a face with their product. Vivobarefoot needs to change their profile picture
from the trail running shoes to the more stylish working class shoe because it shows their
not just targeting the running demographic. This could be a picture of a celebrity that

3. wears their shoes for a weekend look instead of more rugged activities, like running or
hiking. However, I do think their colors are usually very bright are a great idea because
bright colors resemble the loud lifestyle of their targeted customers.
c) Vivo barefoot could really improve their Twitter page in many ways. Their posts
don’t include enough pictures or videos of people actually wearing their shoes. They
have many positive reviews and comments that can be helpful but don’t show what the
products can do. Videos and pictures can be a key selling point on their Twitter page.
They should have pictures and videos of athletes as well as regular customers being
stylish in all aspects of their active lives while wearing their shoes. Although like
Facebook, they do allow people to sign up to follow them on Twitter. This connects the
customer with weekly company news and their new shoes coming soon. Their profile
picture should show what the product looks like on an actual person using their product.
I would recommend more depictions of young executives wearing their casual style shoes
instead of just running feet. Again, this would show the true versatility of their
groundbreaking zero-drop sole. They also need to replace the cluttering of all the
customer comments with pictures and videos. It needs to have comments from the
company explaining how their products are used. Pictures would take out a lot of the
clutter off of the comments and blog reviews and it would add more color and
entertainment value to their Twitter page. Also, their page could have a colorful
background of people wearing Vivobarefoot shoes. This would be more interesting than
the current white backdrop.
4. Their social media messages are consistent for the most part. The message is,
“Natural feet have all the technology they need, and a healthy shoe should let your feet

4. do their thing.” Following this philosophy allows the consumer to feel like they can be a
more authentic, natural person by using their products because they will return the
geometry of their movements back to what they were when humans roamed the Earth
barefoot. Their corporate messages shared through social media are also consistent with
emphasizing their running shoes more than their other product lines. This is my biggest
problem with their social media marketing. It doesn’t introduce other lifestyles that their
casual shoes could enhance through Vivobarefoot’s style and comfort. Young
professionals today want products that can move easily between the professional part of
their day and the active part. This new emphasis in Vivobarefoot’s social media
campaigns could put them ahead of companies like New Balance, Nike and Adidas
because these companies’ products don’t offer such versatility.
5. The overview of the social media marketing of Vivo Barefoot ultimately resolves
from their great innovation. They have more to offer than they are marketing to the
public on their social media mediums. They need to use these mediums to show that
these soles are an innovation that won’t be going away any time soon. Their YouTube
page was the most productive out of the four because of their demonstration videos and
many running techniques. They do a good job of advertising to people like them. Their
public visibility needs to improve because they mostly rely on word of mouth more than
advertisements for the most part. Their Facebook page would be a great spot to have
sponsored ads. Even though not many people know of them, they have very loyal
customers. Not many of their customers only buy one of their shoes. It is common for
customers to keep buying their products due to the many different varieties they have.