I RESOLVE... TO LOOK AT LIFE WITH BETTER VISION: Supreme sighting: U.F Oakley!

MANILA, Philippines - From August to December of last year, Oakley enthusiasts flocked to their favored eyewear dealers to buy a rockin’ pair (or two) of the world’s ultimate shades for a chance to visit the Oakley headquarters in the United States. But this was no mere promo for end consumers. The winners of the raffle would also bring their eyewear dealer along for the ride! So dealers went nuts with their marketing, and pushed for sales to no end.

The raffle was called “Wherever O May Roam,” a title that Meera Enterprises has been using since the 2005 bar tours and last year’s medieval Scopemeister launch at the Manila Polo Club. With this project, however, Meera took the name to the extreme by actually taking consumers and dealers to the Oakley fort that is aptly named One Icon out at the Foothill Ranch in Irvine, California. 

The employees of Meera weren’t left out of this wonderful opportunity, though. They were challenged to hit their target sales and out of the 11 who qualified, five lucky members of the team took flight for what many considered to be the trip of a lifetime: April Herce (sports and lifestyle sales and marketing manager), Tess Santos (optical sales supervisor), Mary Jane Landrito (sales supervisor) and Rudy Landrito (merchandising supervisor).

This is the first time any eyewear distributor held a three-pronged promo targeting its employees, dealers, and consumers in one go. The lucky eyewear dealers included Ideal Vision Center’s general manager Santo Dy and brand manager Roul Ang; George Optical’s owner and CEO Geoffrey Co; and Dr. Merle and Noel Casaje, owners/CEO/COO of Optical Works. These dealers wouldn’t have made it to One Icon if it weren’t for the 10 consumers who won the raffle. But out of all the winners, only one was granted a US visa: Christin Lee of Cebu City.

From Cebu City to One Icon, Christin didn’t just have a peek at where Oakley eyewear is made or how the company began. She and the crew had an experience, further inflating their love and understanding of the brand. At Oakley, you see, it’s not enough that they make the best eyewear in the world … their headquarters need to look as bad-ass as their creations. Because when you put together products by fusing art with science, you need a working environment that will certainly inspire.

It is no wonder that majority of Oakley events have an industrial feel. The front of One Icon itself oozes with industrial texture and lines, symbolic of Oakley eyewear’s sturdy and sleek reputation. Upon entering, you cannot help but imagine being inside another dimension, or another world if you will. You know that people work there, but your reaction would be more like, “Wow! People work here?!” 

From the reception bunker, to the F-16 ejector seats used as guest waiting areas, to the sci-fi inspired walls, and Star Wars goaded feel … it was just awe-inspiring to say the least.

Jim Jannard, Oakley’s founder and original mad scientist, dreamt up and built this whole place with the brand’s character in mind.

Territory sales manager Eric Peng greeted the group with an initial explanation on what the place was all about, what the brand was all about, and gave them a run-through on what to expect for the rest of the tour. Yes, it was a real tour indeed. Something you’d think you’d only find at Universal, or Disney.

This was not expected, at all.

Eric brought the group initially to the Oakley Amphitheater for a quick rundown of what Oakley was all about through a video montage of where the brand has been, and where the brand’s future is headed. From there the group was introduced to the Sr. EW brand manager Declan Lonergan who then allowed the group an inside peek into what was to be expected from the eyewear giant — two awesome, technological breakthroughs called the Pitboss and the Jawbreaker. Both highly aggressive-looking eyewear pieces, the latter will actually be introduced to the public via the Tour De France and its most revered participant Lance Armstrong. So as not to get into trouble, I think we should stop here for now.

The group was then handed over to Jessie, Oakley tour-guide extraordinaire. Very pleasing and accommodating, Jessie took the group through the paces, from the first ever product developed by the brand in 1975, a pair of motorcycle handle bar grips, to eyewear that made a dent in history, to the latest innovations in eyewear technology.

After getting a handful of first-hand brand info, and getting to know the brand so much more, the group was whisked away into the underbelly of Oakley. Manufacturing was up first. How the eyewear is made, the process it takes to make them all perfect, how much work and nit-picking goes into the production line, and quality control — it was all astounding to say the least.

Next stop was testing and product quality. Here, it was evident how much research and development goes into every single product coming from the out-of-the-box minds of Oakley mad scientists, because as Jim Jinnard once said, “There is no box!” Oakley products undergo several hardcore tests to prove that they are indeed the world’s best. The Scopemeister test is one of the main go-to staples on finding out whether lenses attached to the eyewear frames not only pass ANSI standards, but actually exceed them as only Oakley can. From vision to peripheral accuracy, to UV protection, and clarity, everything is scrutinized to no end. There is also what is known as the Impact Test, wherein lenses are shot through a machine with a shotgun. Wearing shades is not only for sun protection, but also for actual physical protection from the elements, and Oakley makes sure nothing gets through any Oakley eyewear purchased. To go through the whole gamut in detail would probably take all the space in this section, so we’ll move on from here.

Creative and product development was next on the agenda, but the “real” masterminds behind the brand’s success were busy brainstorming up new stuff we’ll end up buying eventually. So the group skipped that for now and headed back to the reception area where everyone was told they could for one day only purchase pre-determined amounts of products all at 50 percent of the retail price! Of course, everyone went wild and made a beeline towards the employees store.

After all was said and done, the group was even given a loot bag in the guise of a kick-ass knapsack filled with goodies inside, as if the tour was chopped liver. The loot included a pair of blue limited-edition Frogskins, wayfarers that shout blast from the past, but with the same high-quality lenses that one can only expect from Oakley.

Goodies in the bag, tour done, the plane has landed … coming home was like running into a wall of heat! But no fuss, because the crew was armed with brand-new Oakley artillery, along with a newfound appreciation for the brand.