Until you realize this, you will be forced to churn customers. 85% of your customers leave skateboarding. That’s an awful lot of customers to lose - for no reason. Yes, I just said that. YOU ARE LOSING CUSTOMERS (and not gaining potential customers) for no reason. It’s YOUR choice to market the way you do. As you’ve been focusing on one type of skater (males, under the age of 18 who ride street), a whole new part of skateboarding has mushroomed. You’ve kept ignoring it and the mainstream skate media keeps ignoring it. Oddly enough, despite being ignored, it keeps growing and growing. In fact, I believe this is just the beginning. That’s not just my feeling - a number of folks feel that way and they are busy. Yes, you could say they are extremely busy in the dream factory!
Skateboarding, at one time was embraced by older riders and women. It had variety. It had a specialness that people tapped into. It still has this magic, but it’s being increasingly sold back to skaters by people who might not have skateboarding’s best interests at heart. That’s the truth. It’s like that old adage: be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. Sure, the sponsorships and exposure have been incredible….but where are your companies right now, in the spring of 2008? It’s great that you’ve achieved so much, but what are you doing for the future? As things change, what will you do to meet the challenges?
I am not a motorcycle rider, but my neighbor is a weekend warrior and it’s awe-inspiring to see his bike. Such is the power of Harley-Davidson. It’s an icon - a brand that stands for so much. That’s what a great skateboard company should be like. It must stand for something - or not. There is room for generic commodities in skateboarding - but you can’t be both. You cannot be everywhere and have your brand mean something. There is a magic in controlled distribution and keeping things tightly controlled. Don’t believe me? Just look what happened to Airwalk. In 1993 they had sales of $13 million. Three years later they hit $175 million. Then, as a result of going mass market they found themselves out of business. It wasn’t a pretty sight. A few years ago, an investment firm bought the company in hopes of turning it around. You can now find Airwalk at Payless.
I keep telling anyone who will listen that skateboarding needs to shed it’s myopia. There is pushback (lord, how I loathe that word) from those who feel that by exposing or marketing other types of skateboards or skaters, we’ll somehow lose the core. You won’t. You won’t simply for the fact that you’ll begin the process of building brands that appeal to different types of skaters. This means that company XXX that markets street boards will not make XXX longboards or slalom decks. No, an entirely new company will have to be formed, with entirely new marketing. And oh yeah, there must be a solid reason for this division to be made. There must be a genuine benefit to the customer. If you’re only in it for the money or to take market share from someone, chances are you might find it a very difficult road.
Where does this leave me? I have chosen my path. I see it all and cover it all. The old guys, the young guys and women. I cover slalom, rebels (and faux rebels), the cruisers, the weekend warriors, the newbies, the pool skaters, the vert/tranny folks and yes, even the street skaters. Is it perfect? Of course not - it’s simply my take on skateboarding. It’s what gets me out of bed every day and blogging crazy ravings like this. I am inspired by skateboarding. Concrete Wave IS a dream factory for me. I can only pray that it’s the same for you guys. If not, it’s just a job selling a plank of wood, two trucks and four wheels.
