THE FIVE STAGES OF BRAND GRIEF: Why Vans Left Me Barefoot (and What It Means for Your Brand)
I wanted to give Vans my money, but they wouldn’t let me.
As someone whose instincts and policy have been to help every organisation unlock its hidden billions and thrive, I’m acutely aware of the forces that connect and disconnect brands from their customers and alter the emotional connection one has to a particular brand.
A few weeks ago, while packing light for a London trip with only a pair of Converse Chuck 70s, I ended up with blisters after walking over 30 miles (50 km) along the River Thames. Mental note to self: Vans Old Skool low tops (suede/canvas) are more comfortable for long walks than Converse Chuck 70s. At that moment, I had a single desire: I wanted desperately to buy a new pair of Vans canvas. Staying in Central London, I was confident I could easily find a Vans store, so I set out to make a purchase. The Vans website listed four stores. I embarked on an unintentional odyssey, visiting three locations and finding no directly operated stores. Zero. Nada. This was disappointing in so many different ways.
The flagship store on Oxford Street was closed for renovations (unannounced on their website), another was mysteriously absent from Neal Street, and the third was nowhere to be found within Westfield Shopping Centre. I even searched the big touch screens present to guide you to your brand. “No Results.” was all the display informed me.
This frustrating and now personal inconvenience was more than just a bad customer experience; it was a stark, tangible reminder of the invisible, powerful emotional forces that disconnect brands from their customers fast—It just happens to be a core specialism of mine.
It also sparked a realisation: this customer journey, marred by unmet expectations, mirrors the emotional stages of grief outlined by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. And, as Rory Sutherland of Ogilvy UK often highlights, context matters powerfully.
Let’s explore the Five Stages of Brand Grief looking through the lens of Vans:
Denial: Brands, much like individuals, often enter denial about their problems. In Vans’ case, this might manifest as underestimating the impact that inaccurate website information and unannounced store closures have on customer’s emotional experience and Van’s revenue model. “It’s just a website glitch,” they might say, operating under the Streetlight Effect, blinded by inaccurate assumptions. When “Absolutely abysmal, I ordered hi-tops for my son over a week ago...after a week, I checked Vans website, and my order was still processing...” you know something more is going on. For a customer eager to purchase, it’s a significant, preventable obstacle, creating real pain. So, I did a quick breakdown analysis, and it shows a staggering 74% of Vans’ online customer reviews are 1-star, with an average rating of just 1.6 stars. To me, that was unsurprising and almost anticipated. To me, this points to a significant organisational customer disconnect and a brand in denial (context matters).
Anger: My own frustration with the situation and my mental mind-map of that odyssey reflect the anger customers may also feel when a brand fails to meet expectations. “They totally cheated me. Ordered shoes several weeks ago but have not received anything yet. Have emailed but received no answer.” This unnecessary and preventable customer anger, born from wasted time and unfulfilled desires, quantifiably leads to lost sales and damage to brand loyalty. As Sutherland might say, Vans is failing to understand the “why” behind my behaviour. Why was I frustrated? Because the context of my experience—inaccurate information, closed stores, wasted time—created a negative emotional response. The result is billions of dollars wiped from VF Corporation’s share price valuation.
Bargaining: At this stage, a brand might try to rationalise the issues, downplaying their significance or seeking quick fixes instead of addressing the root causes. “We’re working on it,” they might say, perhaps selling off corporate aircraft and aircraft hangars to please shareholders. “After being told to take them to a store for exchange and a 50-mile round trip, the store refused and diverted me back to customer services. After going around in circles with their customer service, I gave up. £65 wasted.” This outcome may appear to please shareholders in the short term, but it’s just misdirection. Bargaining with themselves, hoping to avoid the real work of transformation. The organisation is failing to ask the fundamental why this happened.
Depression: This stage represents the realisation of missed opportunities and the potential consequences of inaction. “Will never purchase from them again. 3 months later I still didn’t receive my order, only thing I received was ignorance from this company.” It’s a critical point where brands must acknowledge the need for change and seek genuine solutions or risk falling further behind. This is where a brand’s plan might not be a truestrategy but rather “solving problems with plasters for wounds that do not exist,” as Roger Martin might observe.
Acceptance: Finally, acceptance involves embracing the need for true transformation and committing to a new (untrodden) path, even if it challenges existing playbooks and ventures deep into the dark unknown. It’s not accepting the first answer, such as blaming “Yodel delivery.” This is where true growth and revitalisation occur. As someone with decades of experience in investigating customer disconnects, I’ve helped organisations illuminate their unseen revenue streams and successfully taught them to unlock billions.
My proprietary Organisation CT Scan, combines quantitative analysis, behavioural science, and a deep understanding of customer psychology to illuminate the untrodden pathways to extraordinary growth. It’s unthinkable to turn back once you truly see the unseen.
This is the area where brands can truly “behavioralize” their approach, as Sutherland suggests, by understanding and monetising their customers’ psychological and emotional drivers.
My experience with the Vans brand highlights a critical need for VF Corporation to move through and beyond these stages of grief to unlock its unseen, hidden internal revenue destruction.
My background, investigative drive and ethics revolve around teaching organisations like VF Corporation to be unpretentious and examine their portfolio’s naked truth. Taking that first step can be difficult; I know, I’ve been there myself. But remember, every journey begins with a single question. Your comfort is knowing I’ll share what I’ve learned and help you and your portfolio brands quickly unlock their unseen potential.
The new pathway plotted beats any strategy plan or plane. My humble offer is simple: I will help VF and Vans find, locate and reveal the keys to your missed revenue. I’ve publicly shared two lost keys. One with a US$0.10 solution and the other with a US$0.00 solution. Each key holds billions in locked revenue for Vans. The Organisational CT Scant may enable you to also see Vans’ invisible revenue, drive customer experiences, and, in the process, transform your broader portfolio of brands faster and much more efficiently.
The only question that remains is, how much growth do you desire VF Corp.?
