While most marketing to Generation Y tries so hard to be hip that it borders on parody, Vans has kept the decades-old brand real and vital for Gen Yers. Marketing programs the footwear manufacturer uses to reach Gen Yers include the Vans Skate Parks, which operate in malls around the country; the wildly successful Vans Warped Tour for alternative music; and the Vans Triple Crown, the brand’s answer to the X Games. The segmentation plan used by Vans relies heavily on segmentation.

An important source of public scrutiny is "watchdogs." these are: the efforts of a firm's competitors, including how often the competitors attack the firm's strategies. taxpayer-supported government agencies that limit a firm's ability to compete in foreign markets. companies designated by the government to only produce products that support the government defense program. socially conscious groups that make it their mission to measure the social responsibility levels of businesses, and provide consumers with their opinions about the level of corporate responsibility of various companies.