It was a standing room only event at the Thursday September 4, 3 pm fashion show in Hall E at this year’s ASR show. For the first time, Seventeen Magazine took the reigns and title-sponsorship spot and the name they came up with, It’s Electric!
The packed house took in 54 different looks (ready-to-wear to bikinis) from companies across the show floor.
Follow the jump for some of our favorites (click the photos to see them full size).
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We came in ready to have a little laugh at Fuel TV‘s expense about having a media panel with no media people on it, but Fuel’s John Stouffer surprised us.
Sure, Fuel TV’s General Manager CJ Olivares was on the panel (as he is every year), but also upfront were several other action sports media people: TransWorld Business Publisher Rob Campbell, The Surfer Group Publisher Rick Irons, and Vans marketing guy Doug Palladini.
The stated point of the discussion was how the Internet is changing action sports media. With the exception of Palladini, however, all the panelists were from old media companies who happen to have websites. No one from any of the emerging online action sports media businesses like loopd, Seshn, Sportnet, Go211, or Bnqt were even represented on the panel. Add to the fact that Vans spends millions of dollars with the other three panelists and it ended up like little more than a one-sided scuffle about advertising.
One of most pointed comments came from the audience when Ransu Salovaara the CEO of online ad network Sportsyndicator.com said:
The readers have already abondonded the magazines. The people are already online but the industry is supporting the magazines. The marketing directors are about two years behind the rest of the world. . . . The magazines are not supported by readers anymore, they are supported by the industry.
As might be imagined the entire panel disagreed.
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From the size of the audience it would seem that specialty retailers have sales data on lock. Only about 14 people attended ActionWatch’s Cary Allington’s seminar at 1:30 PM today. And that is strange because he is offering a completely free way to know exactly what is checking in specialty retail shops across the country. More importantly, his data can be used to compare what retailers are doing in their own stores to the aggregate.
The catch? Retailers simply supply a monthly sales report that gets aggregated, given back to the member retailers free of charge, and then sold to suppliers. Currently, Allington has approximately 180 specialty retailers signed up but he’s hoping to get to 300.
There are great reasons for retailers to share data. One of our favorites is using the data to negotiate with suppliers to get better deals. If a retailer knows that brand “X” skate shoe is selling at margins that are below average, it would be nice to share that information with the supplier as leverage.
This really is about empowering retailers. “Retailers think they have much less power than they actually have,” Allington said.
And after all, data is power. Might as well have some of it on your side. But then again, these are specialty retailers. . . good luck, huh?
[Link: Action Watch Reports]
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If listening to Quiksilver’s Bob McKnight read a statement and then answer anylists’ questions is something you find entertaining (like we do), then tune your Internet deck to www.quiksilverinc.com at 1:30 PST today September 4, 2008 and be enlightened and entertained all at the same time with Bob, Joe Scirocco, Marty Samuels, and Bruce Thomas.
[Link: MarketWatch]
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Andrew Palmer is the new general manger at Ocean Minded (makers of some of the most durable stylish flips on the planet).
Mr. Palmer joins Ocean Minded with more than 20 years of experience in the action sports market. Notably, Mr. Palmer was co-founder of Animal, the leading action sports brand in the United Kingdom. As the CEO of Animal USA, Mr. Palmer was responsible for building the U.S. infrastructure while also overseeing global sales. Following his tenure with Animal, Mr. Palmer served as the Global Sales Director for Dragon Optical, Inc.
Company founder Gary Ward is “very excited to welcome Andrew to the team.”
Andrew’s global brand experience and proven entrepreneurial background will allow us to continue with our rapid growth plan. As GM, Andrew will take responsibility for the day to day running of the business and I will work closely with him to bring the Ocean Minded ideals to domestic and international markets,” Ward said.
You’ll get no snide comments from us on the Ocean Minded front. Not one.
[click to continue…]
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For the next couple days we’re going to be at the annual fall ASR Show in San Diego. While we’re there we’ll be updating the site with stories and photos. For up-to-the-minute info check out our twitter feed. We’ll be stacking it to the ceiling with industry cordwood.
Follow us on twitter and we’ll overload you with useless info, mindless babel, and occasionally a dose of some worthwhile information. Click it to follow: http://twitter.com/boardistan.
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Here’s one more from the the “don’t try to tell us pro skaters aren’t working for their money” file: Bob Burnquist, Lincoln Ueda, Nilton Neves, and Andre Genovesi were forced to sign autographs for two hours at Macy’s department store in Pleasanton, California on August 30, 2008.
Wonder how many times they heard this: “Mom, who are those guys supposed to be?” To be fair, there were actually skateboards in two of the photos. To us it seems kind of sad that Hurley would even feature this kind of promo on their website. We know they’re Nike, but come on, this is a waste of a perfectly good skateboard team, isn’t it?
[Link: Hurley.com]
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Photographer and skater Lia Halloran has a show of 10 photographs being featured at the DCKT Contemporary gallery in New York City. According to Time Out New York she was “featured in Thrasher Magazine at age 16, and went on to get an M.F.A. from Uale University’s department of paint and printmaking.”
The ten photographs on view were taken at night in various Los Angeles locations ranging from spaces appropriated by skateboarders, such as the Los Angeles River, to skate parks and backyard ramps. . . . The works blur the boundaries of photography and become self-portraits and drawings as well as records of performances. Light is used to form the drawing line while HALLORAN skateboards at night through different venues. The resulting images are each a trajectory of the artist’s movements over time. The photographs pair urban environments with lines of light which behave as physical objects or break apart into flurries of abstraction.
Yep, that’s a pretty fancy way of saying “strap a light to your head and roll around while your camera sits on a tripod with the shutter open,” but it still looks pretty nice to us. The show closes on September 13, 2008 so you only have ten more days to check it out.
[Link: DCKT Contemporary via Time Out NY]
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Murder charges against Charles Richard Dobson, Jr. (pictured right) in the stabbing death of Folly Beach, South Carolina surfer Craig Massey were dropped today before a hearing was even held.
The case was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday to determine whether there was sufficient probable cause to bring the matter to trial. Instead, the hearing was canceled and the charges dismissed. . . . Andy Savage, one of Dobson’s lawyers, said the Solicitor’s Office made the right call, much to the relief of Dobson and his family. “We’re certainly not surprised by the action taken by the solicitor, which we think was appropriate.”
Dobson, who is from a prominent area family, claimed he acted in self defense.
Massey’s friend were not happy by the dismissal.
It’s very disappointing, and I don’t think it’s right that (Dobson) was let off with no accountability at all,” said Nancy Hussey, a friend of Massey and director of the Eastern Surfing Association. “This whole thing is just really sad. It’s such a tragedy.”
Some say the entire altercation was because of a love triangle between the two men and a 19-year-old girl named Mary Whilden Hills.
[Link: Charleston.net]
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When Grant Boxall broke his neck surfing Western Australia, it was Taj Burrow who pulled him out. Boxall, who is now a paralympic rugby player in Bejing tells the whole story in the Sydney Morning Herald.
I went straight down and heard a crunch. I managed to get a few yells of help out. I tried to move my legs but nothing was happening. All the pain was in my head. I’d smashed it open. I was going under. I was panicking, it was all happening so quick. . . . Next thing I knew, this hand grabbed the scruff of my neck, or the back of my wettie, and ripped me back up. I was gulping air. It was Taj who grabbed me. He was saying, ‘Get on my board, try to get on my board.’ I was like, ‘I can’t, I can’t.’ It was just mayhem.”
Boxtall, who thought he was dying, was taken to the hospital by Taj and the boys. He’s been in a wheelchair since, but now he’s in the paralympics. All thanks to Taj.
[Link: Sydney Morning Herald]
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