What Are Your Biggest Oakley Disappointments?

[O's & J's]

One word "CHINA"

 

[Herbsley]

But on the other hand-----perhaps the opinion from collecting communities like this help spur on something like the Bad/Mad models? So perhaps being vocal to whatever extent we are about such things actually has some productive purpose-

This is a very good point.
If Oakley does indeed use communities such as this to glean info from consumers on where they are going right and wrong, then discussion such as this could be beneficial in that sense.

 

[QLR1]

One word "CHINA"

That will always be a sore point.

I never really got caught up in the USA vs China craziness. Probably because of the world I live in, less patriotic pride; and economic activities are being done on a global scale.

I just hope no naïve newbie joins here and creates an all new thread going on an anti China rant. That has definitely been beaten to death.

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

That will always be a sore point.

I never really got caught up in the USA vs China craziness. Probably because of the world I live in, less patriotic pride; and economic activities are being done on a global scale.

I just hope no naïve newbie joins here and creates an all new thread going on an anti China rant. That has definitely been beaten to death.

I say we buy a whole bunch of land in Hawaii and build houses near @Xs and Os so we can be away from it all on our own little island.

 

[cyclerdoug]

Beaten to death is right, @QLR1

Love it, hate it, or completely ignore it, that's the way it is.

Starting that thread as a newb is not going to get you all in the cool kid club.

 

[P226]

Also, despite what this community thinks about recent oakley products, the general population and consumer may be more inclined to purchase the 'generic' looking models instead of taking a chance on the bold. To this end, consumers are dictating the direction oakley is taking, and sadly it does not seem to be in the direction that created the brand. You see this in all sorts of products. In the end, whatever will bring in the coin is the direction the company will go.

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

Also, despite what this community thinks about recent oakley products, the general population and consumer may be more inclined to purchase the 'generic' looking models instead of taking a chance on the bold. To this end, consumers are dictating the direction oakley is taking, and sadly it does not seem to be in the direction that created the brand. You see this in all sorts of products. In the end, whatever will bring in the coin is the direction the company will go.

That's a stupid move. Appealing to the masses rather than the people who truly LOVE the innovation and different direction the cool stuff goes?


























Please note-sarcasm font was used during the typing of this post.

 

[P226]

To us, yes it is stupid, but to the company, it is all about the mighty dollar. It may not be all that bad, because if the company is making profits, they will continue to have money to source different projects, and that keeps hope alive that something amazing will still come along. You need r&d to come up with something like x-metal. So will we see less of the 'out there' styles? Most likely, but the fact that they are trying with styles like madman leaves hope. They may have messed up royally with marketing and pricing etc, but the idea was sound. They are still trying to innovate, if only at limited capacity...we just need to make sure we let them know when they hit a home run...

 

[ucdavis4PT0gpa]

Also, despite what this community thinks about recent oakley products, the general population and consumer may be more inclined to purchase the 'generic' looking models instead of taking a chance on the bold. To this end, consumers are dictating the direction oakley is taking, and sadly it does not seem to be in the direction that created the brand. You see this in all sorts of products. In the end, whatever will bring in the coin is the direction the company will go.

Well---while I see your point- I must point out this will spawn the chicken or the egg debate. Is the company producing the product(s) driving the trend(s)? Or are the people buying the product(s) driving the trend(s)? To the best of my knowledge Oakley was doing just fine before the Lux buyout - and in fact at the time of the buyout the total cost per share ($29) was actually MORE than the Lux stock price at that time AND OO alone was trading at about what Lux in its entirety was ($24 and Lux at $25)- so what Oakley was doing (and what I/some lament the loss of) was making just as much money as Lux but then suddenly after that the product direction changed.

People's tastes didn't just shift all of a sudden- the company started just leaving a huge swath of the consumer base (those that had made Oakley as valuable as it was) out in the cold and shifted direction most likely because it was cheaper- the sameness we're talking about? That's why it exists- it's cheaper. Producing say a Splice which is totally different than other models with different materials etc costs more than making multiple variations of basically the same O-Matter or Wire frame with slightly modified molds (it's also easier to automate because there's less components etc).

So to me that's maybe the biggest f*** you from the post 2006 shift- that many O loyalists who were daring and cutting edge and bold came on board during the Golden Era and made the company worth having then were just turned out into the cold as far as product. I mean what was one of the most famous slogans that came out of JJ led Oakley? Everything can, and will, be made better- and, as I've said before and will say again, that's a legacy the Mother Ship has been essentially s***ing on the last decade. Now it's everything can, and will, be made cheaper. The final irony of course is that they didn't have to- as I pointed out, Oakley was quite successful under the model it was operating under but, as we all know, in the corporate world it's never enough.

 

[MJ]

Let's also remember luxottica bought oakley in 2007. To ucdavis' points, the reason why WE LOVE and loved oakley is because of their uniqueness. Why they STAY in business is because the job of any successful business is not to cater to the extremes or a small group of people. Its aim is to retain as many long time fans and customers, but more importantly, to grow and gain NEW customers. Its easier to do this by creating a design more appealing to the general public with the Oakley "twist" rather than make drastic offerings that may look awesome, but doesn't necessarily work during mainstream day to day use with business casual or regular clothing. Especially once you leave the warmer states here in the CONUS. Also, in terms of sports glasses oakley is still pushing the envelope. No one is even close. BUT this is bc in the sporting world, where its all about being unique, flashy, yet being functional, oakley can let fly with all its creative minds