longboarding in advertising

sniffleless · 10-23-2006, 10:12 PM

looks like we've been sold out. everywhere you look they have a longboard in some ad somewhere. just saw one tonight in one of the wife's women's mags. it was for nissan. it was bound to happen sooner or later. so there you have it. the media blitz has begun.

SanchoPancho · 10-23-2006, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sniffleless

looks like we've been sold out. everywhere you look they have a longboard in some ad somewhere. just saw one tonight in one of the wife's women's mags. it was for nissan. it was bound to happen sooner or later. so there you have it. the media blitz has begun.

I'm pretty sure I saw the same ad in Rolling Stone last month. It's like a long haired guy barefoot tucked facing the camera? Cuz that's the one I saw. Also, there's one in the Dockers commercial. Only for like 3 seconds though. But it's something.

Stop The Madness · 10-24-2006, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sniffleless

it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Yeah, and that's a good thing. Because being featured in mainstream ads is the final proof that you're considered vaguely hip but essentially non-threatening to the consuming masses and the status quo. Longboarding, as the admakers see it, doesn't rock the boat in any way. And as everyone knows, this is a view that pleases many people right here at Silverfish as well .

And hey, when we get right down to it - who wants to rock the boat? Who wants to turn their back on mainstream acceptance?

Right?

WalkTogether · 10-24-2006, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop The Madness

Yeah, and that's a good thing. Because being featured in mainstream ads is the final proof that you're considered vaguely hip but essentially non-threatening to the consuming masses and the status quo. Longboarding, as the admakers see it, doesn't rock the boat in any way. And as everyone knows, this is a view that pleases many people right here at Silverfish as well .

And hey, when we get right down to it - who wants to rock the boat? Who wants to turn their back on mainstream acceptance?

Right?

I do all this because it's FUN and gets my blood going. This will gain popularity until everyone starts doing it just because it's cool and most will probably end up not getting stoked on it.

Rocking the boat is always fun. Go jump in front of a car or two.

Stop The Madness · 10-24-2006, 01:19 AM

When something is done by "everyone", you can be sure that it doesn't rock the boat anymore. It is the boat.

My point was that I can't see any reason to consider the increasing ad visibility of longboarding a good thing.

WalkTogether · 10-24-2006, 01:59 AM

Ah, I missed the sarcasm.

rawls · 10-24-2006, 06:05 AM

sometimes the "boat" has nothing to do with the actual activity, but rather with what people perceive as the cool thing to do to keep up to speed with trends/fads/peers. this is when the "look" becomes the critical thing. then you see the focus on softgoods.

davekeane_36 · 10-24-2006, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop The Madness

When something is done by "everyone", you can be sure that it doesn't rock the boat anymore. It is the boat.

My point was that I can't see any reason to consider the increasing ad visibility of longboarding a good thing.

I totally agree. Not to be anti-social, but I like the fact that longboarding isn't mainstream. Not that it matters much, but I prefer to be seen as an individual, not a follower. I know a lot of the folks jumping on the longboard bandwagon will eventually jump off while the diehards will stick with it. I just wish the trendys (individuals and corporations) would find a new activity and leave longboarding alone.

phidauex · 10-24-2006, 10:03 AM

Don't worry, kids! You are just going through the same pangs of confusion felt by EVERY subculture when it finds out that it has been "discovered" by the great marketing machine. I blame the internet. It makes it easy for anyone with a marketing degree to find a subculture they think is cool, and then make ads around it. And it might even be semi-legit, as far as they are concerned. Maybe the guy making the Nissan ad actually HAS a longboard? Hard to believe? We've got doctors, laywers, etc. on this site, why not longboarding 29 year old marketing directors?

EVERY subculture now has representation in marketing, because it is so easy to do. Instead of making one ad campaign and running it everywhere (aka, the Least Objectionable method of the past), we now build custom ad campaigns for every market. Computer aided design and graphics and quick communication between printing companies, internet ad firms, magazines, tv, radio, etc. make it very easy to run multiple campaigns.

I remember when the fixie (fixed gear bikes) crowd was freaking out about this. "OMG<< I JUST SAW AN AD WITH A FIXIE!! AND HE WASWEARING A MESSENGER BAG!!" they thought the world was coming to an end. Surprise, someone had noticed the "messenger" culture in urban areas, and tossed it into an ad. It didn't destroy the community like everyone thought it would. A few extra people bought fixed gear bikes, rode them for a bit, then gave up because they weren't passionate about it. The people who really cared just kept on doing their thing, through the wave, and back out the other side.

I build freak bikes, and imagine my surprise, and disgust, when I saw tall bike jousting on a Coke commercial! But hey, it's not like the streets are full of them now. So a few more people have heard of a tall bike. Whatever. Big deal. If anything, it maybe inspired a couple of people to build their own, and more people chopping up bikes and welding them back together in their back yard can only be a good thing.

I also do stencil art, and was moderately involved in some 'public art' projects a number of years ago. Then I saw a mountain dew ad, stenciled onto the side of a building, in a distinct "graffito-stencil look." BFD. Its annoying, but its inevitable, and it doesn't change the respect people have for the real thing. Copycats just prove how good the real thing is.

So no worries! Skateboarding has been around for a LONG time, and it comes and goes from advertising. Just keep doing what you do, ignore the ads, and be happy. If you drive yourself nuts worrying about the day when everyone will own a longboard, and the streets will be clogged with them, you won't enjoy the very reason you are concerned, longboarding.

Have fun, and don't worry! You are a target market!

Peace,
sam

king edward · 10-24-2006, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WalkTogether

This will gain popularity until everyone starts doing it just because it's cool and most will probably end up not getting stoked on it.

Meaning a boatload of reduced priced barely used second hand gear for us when the trends out. Hopefully.

skategeezer · 10-24-2006, 10:54 AM

it's creeping slowly forward....and as I always say, "I don't care how big skateboarding gets, or how small it gets, I will always skate."

this is why you'll note that our CW covers don't scream BUY ME NOW...there is just a cool shot with some ideas as to what is inside

this flies in the face of every magazine marketing guru out there...

The truth is that the foundations in this renaissance are strong.

Mile_High_Mark · 10-24-2006, 11:03 AM

Madonna has built a career out of co-opting pop(ular)-culture. Whatcha wanna bet that Madge starts riding a longboard real-soon-now?

mangels · 10-24-2006, 02:16 PM

It's stupid. Your particular sub-culture gets the media spotlight for a while and becomes fashionable. Suddenly you are no longer a "fringe" guy but just one of the masses. Then the trendy people give it up to chase after the next trend. You still keep on doing what you've always done ... but now people are looking at you like, "Dude. That's so last year." That lasts for a while. Eventually people forget all about it and you are fringe again.