by The Editors on May 3, 2012
Remember those Youtube special content channels that launched in January 2012 with $100 million from Google? Tony Hawk’s Ride Channel, Network_A, Alli Sports? Etc. . .
Well, now, according to a story on Yahoo News, Google is promising to spend $200 million more to market those channels in hopes of getting a little more traffic that they can sell to other advertisers.
Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content, pledged that YouTube will spend more than $200 million to market the channels across Google and its advertising network. After years of relying largely on user-created videos, YouTube has increasingly focused on partnering with premium content providers to lure audiences for longer viewings and attract advertisers with higher quality videos.
If Google is only going to promote the channels on “Google and it’s advertising network” it would appear that what Kyncl use of the word “spend” is a little disingenuous as running ads on its own network technically doesn’t cost Google anything. But it makes a great headline.
[Link: Yahoo News]
by The Editors on May 2, 2012
Holden Outerwear (and now all-season wear) has announced they are leaving Portland, Oregon and doing what many ambitious people have done before them–they are moving to Los Angeles to pursue fame and fortune.
Scheduled to open in early July 2012, the move represents a significant commitment to the brand’s long-term strategy of extending Holden from Summit to Sea with a four-season offering. . . “Having spent the past ten years in Portland making the best snow products, this move is an exciting way to extend the Holden experience outside of our focus on the winter lifestyle and into year-round goods. LA is going to be about new energy, new products and new friendships.” says Holden co-founder Mikey LeBlanc.
Of course, they say their “commitment to snow sports and its Northwest heritage will remain intact.” But we all know what LA does to people. . . For the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Marchone Eyewear, Inc. (manufacturers nearly every fashion eyewear brand you can think of: Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fendi, Jil Sander, etc. . . . ) today announced that they have purchased Dragon Alliance for an undisclosed amount.
Will Howard, founder and CEO of Dragon, started the brand in 1993 from his garage in Capo Beach and has seen it grow into an internationally recognized brand. “We are very excited about becoming part of the Marchon family,” said Howard. “With their support and shared vision for Dragon, we will become an even stronger company, while remaining true to our heritage.”
Seems to be the only way to make it in the eyewear business these days. . . For the official word follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Collective Brands, the owner of zombie brands Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, Lamar, and (sadly) Sims, has been purchased for $2 billion by a “consortium comprised of Wolverine Worldwide, Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital” according to a story on Sports One Source.
Upon closing, Wolverine Worldwide will acquire Collective Brands’ Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG), which will continue to operate out of Lexington, MA. PLG had revenue of more than $1 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012. . . Payless will be acquired by Blum Capital and Golden Gate and will continue to be headquartered in Topeka, KS and CLI in Englewood, CO. Payless and CLI had combined revenue of approximately $2.4 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012, operating over 4,300 Payless retail stores globally at year end.
Guess this means Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, and Sims, get to stay in the Payless family only now they’ll be owned by Blum and Golden Gate Capital. As one of our more astute commenters pointed out to us, this sounds like a great opportunity for Jamie Salter to jump back in and grab a couple more brands . . . again.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on April 30, 2012
Bob Smith, an orthodontist who just couldn’t stand goggles that fogged and went on to revolutionize the action eyewear industry with his double lens Smith goggles, died of complications from heart surgery on April 18, 2012 at his home in La Quinta, California, according to an obituary in the Washington Post. He was 78.
Using dental tools, foam and glue, Dr. Smith began building his first prototypes on his kitchen table. He traded his new goggles for lift tickets to ski mountains in Idaho or sold them to ski patrollers, who provided him with feedback to tweak his designs. . . As demand for his goggles spread, Dr. Smith formed his own company in Ketchum, Idaho. By the late 1970s, the company was selling 200,000 goggles a year. The firm also tinkered with goggles that included electrically heated lenses and small fans to cool the face.
Brands like Spy, Dragon, and Oakley would not exist without Dr. Smith’s game-changing product design and we will forever be grateful for the way Smith goggles allowed us to love riding on snowy days. Thanks, Bob. Our thoughts are with Smith’s family, friends, and everyone who has ever worn a pair of his goggles on a socked in white out day.
[Link: Washington Post]
by The Editors on April 27, 2012
Quiksilver today (April 27, 2012) announced that they have found the man to take the CFO job after Joe Scirocco leaves the company. His name is Richard Shields and he was formerly CFO of Oakley.
Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Quiksilver Inc., commented, “We’re really pleased to welcome Rich into the Quiksilver family. His extensive corporate financial experience and proven track record in international operations, retail and manufacturing make him an ideal fit for our growing global business. Rich is an accomplished executive who we expect will make an immediate contribution to our pursuit of substantially improved financial performance, especially through our long-term growth initiatives and globalization efforts.”
Shields, who has previously worked for Day Software, Frame-N-Lens Optical and Taco Bell, will officially start at the company on May 11, 2012. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 27, 2012
VF Corp, the parent company of Vans, The North Face, and Reef announced “record first quarter revenues and earnings thanks in part to their acquisition of Timberland and Smartwool, but also because their outdoor group (the only part of the company we really even care about) did really, really, well.
Global revenues of The North Face® brand increased 14% during the quarter, with double-digit growth in both the Americas and internationally. Momentum continued in The North Face® brand’s direct-to-consumer business, where revenues grew more than 20% in the quarter. The Vans® brand achieved another quarter of very healthy growth, with global revenues rising 25% and strong increases in both its Americas and international businesses. The Vans direct-to-consumer business demonstrated solid results, with revenues rising by 18%.
Boom. As usual, Reef did not get so much as a mention in the quarterly numbers, and only showed up in the list of companies VF owns. That must be so motivating for the people at Reef. For the official word follow the jump. If you’re interested in the hard numbers click here. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 25, 2012
Collective Brands, the owner of zombie brands Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, and (sadly) Sims is reportedly up for sale, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
The team, private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital and bootmaker Wolverine World Wide Inc., are competing in the last stretch of a months-long auction for Collective Brands, owner of Payless ShoeSource as well as brands including Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry Top-Sider, according to people familiar with the matter. . . The pair is dueling for the deal against South Korean conglomerate E-Land Group, these people said.
E-Land recently made a run at buying the LA Dogers. We’re not sure what any of this means other than maybe, just maybe, this deal will finally let the Airwalk, Vision, and Sims brands die in peace.
[Link: Wall Street Journal]
by The Editors on April 24, 2012
Transworld Media has promoted Kevin Duffel to the position of Editor of Transworld Skateboarding Magazine, according to a story on Transworld Business.
“Duffel has been a key part in the success of TransWorld SKATEboarding as we’ve most recently embarked on our 30th year in existence,” said Editor In Chief Skin Phillips. Duffel was first hired on at TransWorld SKATEboarding back in September 2010. He joined the team with an extensive skateboarding background and impressive writing skills, contributing to TransWorld SKATEboarding in addition to various national and international lifestyle publications including The Huffington Post, Color Magazine, Huck Magazine, Lifelounge, and more. Duffel’s scholastic acheivements most notably include graduating Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a BA in Philosophy.
For all the details, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on April 23, 2012
Attention skate media workers: The Swoosh would like to invite one of you to live in Portland, Oregon and “act as editor-in-chief for Nike Skateboarding’s interactive voice through digital Brand and Social channels, leading, creating, producing, editing and curating content and conversations for all online and digital experiences and engagement.”
Here’s all you need in the way of experience:
Must have at least 12 years of senior-level editorial experience in a global print and/or digital skateboarding outlet.
Must have at least 12 years of hands-on experience creating top-level written, photographic and video assets for skateboarding and culture audiences.
Must have at least 12 years experience with copy and photo/video editing.
Must have at least five years of experience producing content for digital and social communities.
Must have at least three years of experience executing content posts on social media and/or community forum sites in skateboarding.
Must demonstrate strong ties with established skateboard industry media, athletes, managers and content producers.
If you’re one of the six people in the world who can honestly answer yes to all of the above (or are a really great liar) click the link to apply.
[Editors’ Update: Things may not be as the seem. Read the comment for another angle which makes much more sense.]
[Link: Jobs At Nike]
Remember those Youtube special content channels that launched in January 2012 with $100 million from Google? Tony Hawk’s Ride Channel, Network_A, Alli Sports? Etc. . .
