As many of you have realized over the years, one of the freedoms in running your own business is the freedom to try new things. Looking back, I seem to have hit a few stumbling blocks…ideas that just didn’t gel. That’s ok. Thankfully, we ended our experiment with CW Editions quite some time ago. On the brighter side, we have a real opportunity to have some fun with this iPhone Application.

My hope is that by using the best features of the iPhone, I will be able to showcase some really talented people.

The truth is that just migrating images and text and stories from the magazine onto an iPhone is really not useful. For one thing, it’s damn hard to read anything on an iPhone. Email is great..and using it for facebook or twitter might work…but reading is tough on such a small screen.

The iPhone (and iTouch) shine when it comes to photos, graphics and video. This is precisely what we will showcase! Very cool skate photos and art.

We also want to ensure that people benefit from the application. To this end, we’ll be creating special discounts from retailers. My sincere hope is that your investment of 99 cents will be paid back a thousand fold….in both enjoyment and savings.

I have been persuing some sort of iPhone application for a while now.
I came so close with the folks in Sweden at TouchGrind. I think they’ve probably hit over a million downloads…that would have been a very cool platform to sell advertising on!

Yesterday, I signed up for a iPhone template. It’s pretty simple and within 24 hours I got approved from Apple. So now that I have this new app to play with, what do I plan to do?

IMAGES!

When it comes to art and photography, we can’t duplicate the same experience on an iPhone that we can in a magazine. That’s why I LOVE print….BIG GLOSSY PRINTED PAGES!

The fact remains however, that iPhones and other types of social media are great exposure. So rather than try and compete with mags who are sending all their material to the web and iPhones, we’ll create something that helps get exposure for skate photographers and artists.

It’s all about images…text will have to wait for the apple tablet

We plan to feature as many artists and photographers as we can.

If you are interested, email me…mbrooke@interlog.com

So, there it sits - a massive double pager for longboards. Wow…what took em so long?

It’s cost? Not really sure. $8,000 or $10,000 or $15,000? Who knows but one thing is for sure, it won’t be the last longboard ad in there. This is a massive statement from Billabong/Element. Things like a longboard ad in what is traditionally seen as a “traditional” (aka - only SHORTboard) skate mag are indeed huge statments. There are some who will probably discount this blog and feel I am over exaggerating. I don’t see this as being the case at all. Here are some brief thoughts about this ad and the future of longboarding advertising/editorial within Transworld.

1. notice that no one is actually RIDING the boards? the ad is actually taken from a famous Hobie ad - I’ll try and find the 1975 or 76 copy of SkateBoarder Mag that the ad appeared in. The caption from the Hobie ad was clever: Step on it - it’s alive! (or something of that nature!)

2. The text of the ad is NOT about the boards…it’s about an alternative transportation device. I think this is a reasonably cool angle for Element to take. They are not going after the hard core longboard market - they want the huge number of skaters who perceive longboarding as not worthy. What better way to spin this than to say hey, “these boards are great for transportation.”

3. Color plays a significant role in the ad. You’ll note there is a feeling of warmth, almost nostalgia. Again, this is all done to cultivate an earthy feel. This plays nicely into what Element stands for.

4. The others will soon follow. Santa Cruz has made quite a good deal of headway into the market with their point of purchase racks featuring a number of low-cost (entry level) cruisers. Look for their print ads to being shortly. Habitat, Real, World, Speed Demons and pretty well every other mainstream street skating brand will start directing funds into print/online advertising. As the fortunes of the street companies have dwindled over these past few years, many now view this as an opportunity to take market share from Sector 9.

5. what does this mean for companies who aren’t part of the skate oligarchy? You know, companies like Gravity, Randal, Earthwing, Landyatchz, Abec 11, Loaded, Original, Seismic and Neversummer. I could name a ton more, but you get the idea. What happens when a huge multinational like Element puts the hammer down and starts to market longboards to an audience that has never been marketed to before? Well, here’s what I think will happen:

a. some skaters will dismiss longboard ads..it will be like water off a ducks back.
b. some skaters will be intrigued
c. some skaters will actually go out and purchase one of these decks. They will enjoy it and tell their friends…who will also go out and purchase one. This process will repeat and repeat.

Eventually, skaters will begin to learn more about what else is out there and realize that performance skate equipment truly makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

I see a new era…and I ain’t talking about those overpriced hats. I think that the opportunity for folks to truly enjoy all types of skateboarding without restrictions or contempt from other skaters is approaching. The market is absolutely enormous for cruising…probably 5 times the market for shortboards. Now that Element has thrown down the gauntlet, it will be intriguing to see what happens.

As for Concrete Wave. Our motto remains the same: 100% skateboarding and stoking the hell out of skaters everywhere. We will support the companies who supported us. I will do everything in my power to make sure the world knows about how truly great their products are.

2010 is going to be a helluva year!

I am seriously ramping things up for the Warped Tour for 2010…but I need help.
We are planning on having a booth the ENTIRE tour.

Why?

To help out the not-for-profits and charities that are part of the tour.

Should your company join us?

visit here and take the survey to find out…

http://bit.ly/fZaPm

That one is easy to answer.

If this mag came out every month, I don’t think I could handle it.

Seriously.

Timing is everything and in between issues…well, let’s just say, I need time to get my head straight. I find that like a wave, creating the mag builds up like a mag. When the magazine is released (subscribers will soon be getting their copies)it’s the culmination of 2 months worth of effort. Then, slowly, we build up things and work towards the next one.

That’s the pace of my life…

cheers
Michael