Page 12 - Engage - no.9 - Summer 2017

10
Summer 2017
MARKETING CASE STUDY
PROOF EYEWEAR:
A BRAND WITH A VISION
Tanner Dame
CEO of Proof Eyewear
by Robin Bennett
s ometimes it’s difficult to determine why a particular company succeeds. Is it luck,
timing, an abundance of resources, or something else? The secrets of success can seem rather mysterious. Then, you discover a company like Proof Eyewear and things start to make more sense—a DIY formula for success begins to emerge. We sat down with Tanner Dame, CEO of Proof Eyewear, to hear his explanation of vision, culture, success, and DIY marketing.
PROOF’S GUIDING VISION & VALUES
When brothers Brooks, Taylor, and Tanner Dame launched a wooden sunglasses company from
their garage in Boise, Idaho, they weren’t thinking about marketing plans, budgets, brand statements, or celebrity endorsements. They were focused on creating a unique product they could make in their grandfather’s woodworking shop that would stand out in its respective market. After a failed attempt
at bamboo ski poles, they turned their sights to developing a pair of wooden sunglasses, fashioned from reclaimed wood. What they would soon realize was that they were playing in a growing $106 billion global eyewear market, where they would need to differentiate themselves to be successful.
It wasn’t long after they perfected the sunglasses and gave samples out to friends
and family to wear, that they realized people
were connecting to their story before they were connecting to the product. This begged the marketing question: which comes first, the product or the story? A cool product alone might not be enough to sustain their success, but a great family story, a product made from sustainable wood, and
a “give back” culture could be a winning trifecta. It was this exploration that helped them define where they were headed and who they wanted to be. The process led to a set of core values known internally as the “Three Points of Proof”: Sustainability, Charity, and Heritage.
SUSTAINABILITY
“We were looking around for a void in the marketplace—a need that wasn’t being met—when we realized that most of the frames were being made with plastic or petroleum-based materials. There weren’t many sustainable options,” Dame explains. The discovery helped shape a new vision for the company: to be the most sustainable eyewear company in the world. Consequently,