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PacSun's poster for its Beach Ballyhoo event

For Pacific Sunwear, connecting with its intended surf-crazy consumer base was simple. It sponsored athletic ventures such as the PacSun USA Surf Team. They will be competing  June 19–22 at the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, Calif. However, the retail giant tried something new this weekend.
 
It produced the PacSun Summer Solstice Beach Ballyhoo, located near the Santa Monica Pier, on June 19–20. Rock bands performed. Skateboarders and BMX bikers showed sports fans what they got. The event also gave a big platform for PacSun brands such as Nike, Volcom, Hurley, RVCA, Quiksilver, Vans and Roxy.
 
These brands and others produced booths where they showed their latest fashions and other things that make them special. RVCA’s booth exhibited art. Hurley’s booth offered boardshort customization. Free tickets were only available through PacSun stores, and if you couldn't make it to the party, you could watch it on a PacSun webcast.
 
The concert may not translate immediately into sales, but it is a part of PacSun's long-term campaign for mindshare of its target demographic, said Jeffrey Van Sinderen, a retail analyst for financial-services firm B. Riley & Co. It may start convincing surf and skate kids that the mall mainstay of PacSun has become a fresh player in activewear fashion. “We will see a new PacSun in merchandising and marketing for this Back-to-School season,” Van Sinderen said.