Skateboard stories on the Web
I cannot call myself a skateboard fan. There is to much action in action sports for me. I’m not that brave. But I love the communication style of that world. I love the indie/low profile approach of the latest websites launched by Converse and Nike SB. No frills, it’s all about the content, beautiful images that tell authentic stories: either you can or you cannot play that trick.
Converse is now online with Skate Like a Punk, the blog and the story of Rune Glifberg.
I find brilliant the huge sign “click here for product”. If you trust your product to be great, you want and you have to show it off. Yes, websites like this are made to sell shoes. That’s why it’s a huge pity for Converse there is no ecommerce module attached. A strong call to action that then diverts you to the brick & mortar world definitely more than one click away.
The other website I’d like to share is by Nike SB: Debacle.
A digital place to promote a movie available on DVD only in very selected stores around the world. Or online, in HD, open to everyone, but only for a limited period of time.
For the real deal, check out caughtinthecrossfire.com
If you like communication approach of skateboarding, fresh ideas and creativity then you definitely don’t have to look ad converse, nike or adidas. I’m not that kind of no-global-anti-multinationals, i like those brand and i usually look with interest at all their communication strategies and approach, but they definitely don’t put anything new or interesting in their ads both online and offline. Company like Lakai, just to tell one, do creative and fresh things with small budgets.
Talking about action sport industry only, corps have bigger budgets, a lot of communication agency ready to do everythig, and some good athletes, but anyone of these company never moved communication on anther level neither they did cool or exciting things in this world. Good art direction, good quality, but anything new.
Smaller and more focused companies, instead, put toghether the best ideas,uses new media in a clever way, create great concepts, and run successfull ad campaings of all kind, without spend thousands and thousands dollars with big advertising firms.
That’s happend because those small company have emplyee or consultant that daily do actionsports that are creative people with good ideas and deep knowledge. If you never pusherd yourself on a skateboard, rode a bmx or surfed a wave, you’ll lost a lot of things that belong to those world. I think that this is the main reason why they failed previous attempts to enter actionsports (nike for example tried to enter the market threee time with its own brand or other satellite brands like savier without success). Now is much better than middle 90s but they’re still forced to follow communications trends, strategies and approach, instead of creat something fresh.
Maybe is the same thing that happen to communication agencies, more bigger and older they become, more they lose creativity, become slow and tired.
Also check out the Adidas Diagonal video.