The Marketing Challenges Facing Rollerblade

The Marketing Challenges Facing Rollerblade^Ž, Inc.
The fortunes and challenges of Rollerblade^Ž, Inc. have changed dramatically from the "guerrilla marketing" strategies of 1986 to today. The product life cycle (PLC) and the strategies of managing the PLC are not introduced until Chapter 11 in the text, but these are the issues faced by Rollerblade today. The number of in-line skaters in the U.S.–and the related sales of in-line skates as shown in Figure 1-1 in the text–show a pattern remarkably similar to a traditional product life cycle. This pattern is also reflected in the nature of the promotional efforts of Rollerblade and its competitors over the last decade and in the kinds of products that are now competing with in-line skates. For example, many advertisements by Rollerblade and its competitors have shifted from gaining awareness for the excitement of in-line skating among prospective skaters to stressing competitive advantages of a brand in ads targeted at skaters and brochures describing the product line targeted at distributors. These changes can be illustrated below with ads, a photo, and an overview of Rollerblade’s changing strategy:
Rollerblade ad from the early 1990s (Figure 1-B).		As in-line skating moved into its high-growth period in the early 1990s (see Figure 1-1), a Rollerblade ad targeted at prospective skaters sought to increase awareness of the benefits of exercise and fun from in-line skating.
Rollerblade ad from the late 1990s (Figure 1-C).		By the late 1990s, more in-line skate manufacturers were entering the market and Rollerblade stressed one of its competitive advantages in this ad–stopping with all eight wheels on the ground using its new Active Brake Technology.
Ultrawheels ad from the late 1990s (Figure 1-D).		Ultrawheels, a competitor, used the ad to show families how its "Xpander Line" of skates for children would "grow" as the child grows. This line competes with Rollerblade’s "Juniors" line today, described in Figure 1-6 in the text.
Cover of 2002 Rollerblade brochure (Figure 1-E).		This brochure shows its product line that is targeted at distributors. With increasing competition, Rollerblade has shifted much of its promotion from targeting skaters to targeting distributors.
Photo of Segway HT (Figure 1-F).		Today Rollerblade faces competition not only from other in-line skate producers, but from a number of other "wheeled" competitors, such as skateboards and mountain bikes. It also faces curious competition in special situations from the Segway HT (Figure 1-F and the Internet Exercise on page 26 of the text) and "Heelys"–sneakers with an embedded detachable wheel in the heel shown on page 237 of the text (Figure 1-G).
Rollerblade’s marketing actions today		versus its "guerrilla marketing" days in 1986 (Figure 1-H). As the number of in-line skaters in the U.S. flattens (Figure 1-1), Rollerblade’s marketing strategies have changed (Figure 1-H).