'Off the Wall is a state of mind' - how Vans plans to broaden its appeal beyond skateboarders

Vans - the California clothing company best known for its action sports apparel - is looking to broaden its appeal to people beyond the skating community.

Its latest ad campaign highlights individuals from a variety of different creative walks of life and represents a departure from its usual skater-focused marketing.

Vans' global brand president Doug Palladini said in an interview with Adweek: "We are no longer just a skateboarding brand. We've become a broader lifestyle brand."

He added later: "We're very much focused on that powerful point of view that thinking differently and being a true individual is really an important thing to us."

Palladini said the "Off the Wall" slogan still retains its history in skateboarding, but the brand hopes this campaign will represent all kinds of self-expression.

Each video from the digital series brings in a different personality from music, art, street culture, and skateboarding, who talk about how they work and express themselves.

In one video, for example, style blogger Jayne Min says: "You don't have to follow what the trend is, just be yourself."

Vans is coming off its 50 year anniversary in 2016, a year during which it opened a number of "House of Vans" locations - a spaces that mix skateparks, art galleries, cafes, and live music venues -  in the US and one in London.

The company finished the 2016 financial year with a 6% lift in annual revenue to $2.3 billion.

Watch the full video series here: