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Brink, I tend to always agree with you on most issues, but I think it's a cop out to say you're not for or against Nike/Adidas. I don't think you can be nuetral on the issue. For someone like Lakai to put time, effort and money into getting someone like Karsten on, have them film a killer video part and then Nike just swoops in and offers them a lot more money than Lakai can match is the worst. How can you not think that mentality as a whole is ok for the skateboarding world? Sure you can blame it on capitalism or whatever, but I know you're a skate rat too and I think the whole MJ topic has been one more dagger in the heart for people who grew up in a preNike world and see what it's become. And to compare Vans to Nike is nowhere near the same. As you said, it's not as important to me how they started, but how they are responding to the skate world at the moment, and Nike is a coming in like a fucking storm trying to dominate the industry. Shit sucks.
Welcome to real life, shit like this has been happening before nike and adidas came on the scene. Aside from any personal beef, lakai has been stale for years. They're keeping a formula that worked 5 years ago and not keeping up with what the consumer wants. What is lakai's image? They make skate shoes? They're for normal people? Thats not gonna fly in 2016. People are eating up nike and adidas because they make a good product and keep improving theyre product and image, thats why there successful, there keeping up with the market. Not because their goal is to dominate skateboarding.
If you think Nike is popular because of the quality of their product and their image and not unlimited capitol, you're delusional. And I disagree with you about Lakai. I think they've added some of their most unique riders in the last several years.
people are often oblivious to the marketing angle...
tons of money goes into making a brand just come across as relatable... i wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that Nike's marketing budget, alone, overshadows Lakai's net worth.
the deeper a company's pockets, the better they can create, hone and communicate that message from nothing in order to manipulate their target market's perception of their brand.
I wouldn't be surprised either. But even if you have unlimited money to throw at marketing, you still have to market a good idea for it to be successful. It doesn't cost money to come up with good ideas and strategies. I think the first person on nike was Prod if im not mistaken, right before his prime, that was a good choice to portray how nike would be accepted. By kids who would have worn nike but didnt think they could because other skateboarders would make fun of you, then it blew up from there. Adidas on the other hand took a more underground and skate based approach, which is why most people like adidas, even if they hate nike. Bottom line, ideas dont cost money.
1.) Numerous companies and studies have proven that marketing/branding can and will override ideas/products.
2.) Good ideas and strategies often do cost a lot of money. That's why there are consulting firms worth so much. Even if you don't spend money on new ideas/strategies, executing them effectively, developing and testing new technology, and a myriad of other things do cost money. And the more money you have, the better you are able to do all of those things, which often then means you'll get much more in return.
3.) PRod was definitely NOT the first person on Nike. They had an established team well before they signed him. And all of those guys were underground and respected skaters. Gip has talked about how this plan and strategy was super deliberate to allow them to get into skating and get respected before launching a big campaign. If anything, signing PRod was their first "power move." And they actually signed him like right at the start of his prime: he had just released his Yeah, Right! part, was the talk of skating, was about to get a pro model on eS, so him signing to Nike was a big deal. Partly because he stood out as their first non-underground signing.
this is exactly it.
underestimating, or flippantly ignoring the marketing angle is stupid as fuck.
it's a huge factor, a huge expense, because it works.
nikesb's marketing team has been analyzing skateboarders since their first failed attempt to penetrate this market, with nothing more than the objective of making you all feel like it's finally
okay to rep their products.
adidas is in the same boat in that they also employ an army of strategists with the very same objective.
essentially, built into the overhead of that shoe, beyond shareholder profit margins, are salaries of people who do nothing but scheme on ways of manipulating your perceptions, and also scheme on other brands that don't mesh with the vibe that THEY want skateboarding to become.
i get it. they make a nice shoe. sure. but if you're really sold on the idea that their shoes are
far superior to other brands [brands that don't fuck around like this] you've been wilfully drinking their ejaculate, and you've convinced yourself that it's actually a freshly pulled pint.
Topic: Mike Carroll on the future of Crailtap (Read 401281 times)