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I mean that’s what makes money right? Underground, grassroots won’t
get you to the red carpet event, on magazine covers or “McScrooge
swimming in money” rich. Sadly, everyone has figured this out.
The skate and snowboard industry has its fair share of those after the almighty dollar. Shaun White has numerous video games, a clothing line and shoe collection at Target. Quicksilver/Roxy sold their surf brand at Costco. Zoo York is now available in JCPenneys.
And for a while I’ve been devastated. As sports against the establishment, as people willing to break the rules, is the fan base no longer loyal? Have we lost what it means to be a progressive? Or are companies willing to do whatever it takes to sell their product? Is greed the cause?
Shaun White has been on the scene for well over 10 years, so this may be his only way of progressing the brand he has built. Many would argue that he is an Olympic personality now and he should be available to all. Quicksilver and Roxy had overspending money troubles and Costco may have been their only way to redemption. Zoo York? Well I don’t know what happened there.
In my previous blog post, Action Sports Predictions, the experts interviewed stressed bringing the brands back to the core board shops. It would take a large scale event to get everyone on board with this idea, until then growth will remain slow. For now money is being made going through larger retailers, reaching a larger base where customers may have no idea what this brand means or stands for. In a big-box retailer does anyone care what the brand stands for?
A few years ago I read Small Giants by Bo Burlingham. At that moment I decided I would always maintain that philosophy. My business is not about the biggest buck; it’s about integrity and creating meaningful jobs for others. It was about growing in a sustainable and maintainable way. But maybe as a new brand I’m able to have these hopes and dreams.
Going through specialty stores is not the easiest route. But these brands are established, they shouldn’t have to struggle to convince the owner that it’s good product. I’m sure over production, ability to expand and numerous other factors are to blame. This is a big issue with many factors so I will be covering this in future posts…I hope you will leave your comments as to what may be the cause of this sell out mentality.
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I’m not going to go in to my business
specifically, but I will spend some time on what it takes to start and
run an action sports company. Recently, Transworld Business (Jan. 2011
Issue) wrote an article “THE ACTION SPORTS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS”
summarizing the 2011 forecast from top industry experts and how each
aspect of the industry can contribute to growth and maintenance for many
years to come. Transworld Business Website
The first piece of advice to catch my eye was from Mark Price, CEO of Firewire Surfboards. To summarize his point, Price urged the support of new brands. The concern is that older, more established brands will be the only ones available and that will cause action sports to lose the “youth culture.” I think this is an identification issue with the sport. Dominant brands are owned by the majority of participants, but you want to hold on to the new comers by offering them something different. This brand might be local, offer new technology, or help underground riders. Any way the emerging brand chooses to differentiate, they must write their story and help the customer feel as if they are part of starting something great.
The second piece of advice was from Pierre-Andre Senizergues, Founder and CEO of Sole Technology. Senizergues take was more on the environmental aspect of the industry. He commented on our ability as a whole to “combat the world economic challenges.” His main focus is on sustaining our planet and our sport for kids in the future to enjoy. As a small business owner who is trying to make a difference with the small amount of products I carry, this advice is very important to me. It can be difficult with costs and limited resources to follow through. If we all put our best foot forward, we can bring awareness, drive costs down and make sustainability part of everyday products.
Finally, a few experts commented on the need to keep specialty brands in specialty stores. A new trend of the actions sports industry is to offer your products in big box retailers in order to make more money, sell extra inventory, or are more comfortable with being in an established retail store. Specialty stores, like Eternal Snow, are finding it hard to keep their doors open and when Quicksilver offers their brand in Costco it’s easy to see why. But larger brand stores are not immune to bankruptcies. As C.J. Olivares, General Manager of Fuel TV, mentioned, bringing buying experience back to the customer and making them aware of the brand benefits is extremely important. Many people will purchase clothing and not know the brand or purpose behind the company. Everyone, including riders, should understand the depth of the industry. We want to hold on to those first movers, those who want the latest and greatest and keep our products under tight distribution.
As reiterated in the beginning of the article, 2010 was a difficult year, I personally felt like I was slapped in the face, kicked to the ground and held down till 2011 showed its face. But with the minds of those who know the industry best, I feel like we can’t fail!
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