If you haven’t heard of nvohk pronounced “invoke” it is a new “community managed Eco-friendly brand” that is starting to get some press. It is going against the grain and creating a Surf brand that is driven by the community. They are looking for 20,000 members to pay $50 dollars a year, these members will be given control over logo design, product design, and marketing etc… 35% of the proceeds will be given to the community via what they are calling reward points. These points will be redeemed through various means including nvohk merchandise.

It is also an Eco-Friendly brand that will create products from 100% sustainable materials as well as donate 10% of the proceeds to Eco-Friendly charities. Here is an excerpt from their site:

• + build a responsible clothing company that truly puts consumers and the environment in the forefront
• + make high-quality products from 100% sustainable materials
• + provide an ongoing fund raising and support engine for environmental organizations

Overall I think it is a really cool idea, I like different business models, I think this generation is more apt to communities and all of that. I do think that even though the Surf/Action Sports/Environmental industries are extremely large, it may be somewhat hard to get 20k users. Not because the message or idea won’t be accepted but more because a lot of the individuals that make up these demographics are young, poor, and lazy.

I signed up, I was number 96, I think you should as well if nothing but for the birth of a really cool and unique idea. When I signed up I couldn’t help but think of some ideas to help spread the word a little quicker.

Email Address Importing: One of the things they do after you sign up is have a handful of boxes for you to paste in your friends email accounts to share the site with. I only pasted in 3 of my friends cause these were emails I had memorized, and I am too busy/lazy to go to my email and browse through my address book and copy and paste names in. If I did take the time to do that I could of comfortably invited 100 plus people that would of more than likely signed up. What they should do instead is add in an app that is common in social news sites that lets you import from your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail address books so you can add a lot of emails in a matter of seconds.

Badges: Also they should create badges that show the member count that gets updated every time a member signs up. These badges will link back to the site and be used for people to copy and pase onto their sites, blogs, and social networking profiles like Myspace and Facebook. If you are proud to be a member you will show it and help spread the word.

Tracking: It looks like they have Google analytics enabled on the site, I hope they have conversion tracking set up so that every time someone signs up they can track that to the referring url. This way they can see what brings in multiple sign ups and look for ways to increase that.

Marketing: The did a press release that was covered on Transworld, and about 6 other outlets I could find. They should also look at setting up Social Networking profiles at Myspace and Facebook and network with all users that have surfing and action sports interests.

StumbleUpon Ads is also a great way to target your exact demographics, you can buy traffic for .05 a click. You can set your demographics to those that only say they like sites related to surfing/extreme sports, etc.. you can also set it to age groups and gender. You can set your campaign to get 1000’s of visitors a day.

Also they could go to Google Blogsearch, Technorati, and Ice Rocket to search for blogs that talk about Surfing and action sports and email them asking them if they like the site and if so would they be willing to do a write up.

Those some quick basic Ideas I came up with I think it is a great idea I would love to see it get to the 20,000 member mark just to see how well a community could run and operate a brand.

*If any of you use stumbleupon go to http://www.projectnvohk.com and thumb it up with your tool bar, I submitted it the other day, and a couple thumbs up will give them some sweet traffic for free.

There was a post on the ASR Blog about Alpine Stars firing their sales reps and going the ever so trendy route of the boutique street wear promotion method. I’m not saying Alpine Stars is dead but they are obviously trying to re brand themselves through new store fronts and audiences. This post from ASR along with recent ads I have seen in Surfing Mags for Maui and Sons, got me thinking. Can an action sports brand resurrect itself? Could AIRWALK pick itself up and leave the shelves of the Payless toddlers section and get prime play in a Zumiez or local boutique?

I think it depends on your definition of dead, and where your threshold is for core, some people would say Fox Racing is too mainstream and that it has lost it’s core, while others are just finding out about them (if they are just finding out about them they were probably wearing a No Fear shirt at the time :). Can Maui & Sons, No Fear, AIRWALK and others make a true comeback? Im not talking bottom line, because most of these companies lost their core because they were too concerned about their bottom line and pushed assembly line products through mainstream outlets like, Mervyns, Millers Outpost and pretty much any other place that sells Stussy (I have been dying for an excuse to mention Stussy in a blog post).

I think once you are dead you are dead in action sports. The demo is way too opinionated and treats their brands as a way of life. RCVA got hot because anyone outside of a core consumer thought it was a sub brand for RCA Records with really strange designs of chicks in neck braces and guys in owl suits. The action sports demo thrives off of this, they don’t want people to know what they are wearing, and they certainly don’t want people to buy it. I don’t wear RVCA half as much as I used to because I see it all over the place now, I just wear my old designs that no one else has, I don’t really buy new ones. But I digress.

Can a dead company make it back? I am talking dead as in no more sales, lost riders, shops dropping them, etc… If they did, it would take a lot of money, some seriously good riders, and a memory erasing machine. The recent success of Nike SB could be somewhat of a sign for the good. Nike was obviously nowhere close to being dead as an overall company, but I don’t think anyone including them could have expected the tremendous success of the Skate crossover. They honestly tore that up, they marketed it correctly, they got really good riders, and they are killing the designs on those shoes. They came in and took over. Could AIRWALK do the same thing? No Fear, Maui & Sons and AIRWALK are all hitting ads in the mags, but I am not seeing anything innovative as far as design, products, and riders.

What do you think it would take for a Dead company to make a come back in action sports?

Ski filmmaker, Rage Films, has signed a deal with The Ski Channel to distribute both exclusive and non-exclusive content through Time Warner Cable’s Video on Demand service. In addition, the deal includes an investment from The Ski Channel into Rage Films with the option to buy the company outright at a future date. They will also be a major sponsor on the yearly Rage Film Tour.

Congrats to Rage Films. While they’re aren’t quite on the same level as say Poorboyz or MSP, they’ve consistently produced some of the sickest ski films year in and year out and deserve the success they’re having. This gives them a great opportunity to expand outside their usual audience onto the biggest media platform imaginable, the TV.

It will be great for the sport of skiing as well; aside from Fuel TV most channels only show oldschool skiing that is quite frankly very lame and makes the sport look ridiculous. Now when you tell someone you’re a skier maybe, just maybe they won’t have that stereotypical racer in neon spandex cruising down the groomers pictured in their mind. Skiing has come a long way in the last 10 years and no longer deserves the gaper stereotype.

I can only hope this turns into the a nice liquidity event for them later down the road and I’m expecting big things out of Rage with the new capital infusion. I have included the trailer from their latest flick, Enjoy, for your viewing pleasure… Enjoy.

The Artec Project, once a sub-series of Elan Snowboards, is now being announced as an independent snowboard company simply called Artec Snowboards. Originally conceived in 2004, The Artec Project has picked up several awards in recognition of innovative triumphs including the patented Omega Sidecut and Artec Blueprint.

The ‘08 collection will be available this fall featuring 8 different models for freestyle riders. There will be two pro model series for Artec riders Gabe Taylor and Laura Hadar. The rest of the Artec pro team consists of Nima Jalali, Jake Devine, Gus Engle and Johnny Miller. Not exactly the all-start team found in companies like Burton but not a horrible team either. I should mention that we’d never expect an all-star team from a startup though. Not only do they not have funds to support it but often times the top-notch riders don’t want their names associated with an unproven brand.

Elan has never really achieved a high level of success with either snowboarding or skiing. Their products have always been sub-par and often times associated with the ‘barney’ image. It will be interesting to see if Artec can breakaway from those stereotypes and become a core brand. The company currently has no website but says one will be available in September at http://www.artecsnowboards.com.

Artec Snowboards

The fate of Rusty apparel has been in question since April when R.. & Everything Else Inc, the parent company of Rusty Surfboards and Apparel, canceled their 40 year licensing agreement with C&C Companies. The separation was actually a fairly nasty one and it didn’t seem that C&C wanted to let go. Well, there’s no longer any question as to Rusty’s fate now that the La Jolla Group has acquired the North American license for Rusty apparel and accessories.

The La Jolla Group also holds the licensing rights for other major brands in the industry such as O’Neill, Lost, and Metal Mulisha. They have done a pretty solid job with these other brands and Rusty fits right into their culture as a brand with deep roots in surfing from legendary shaper Rusty Preisendorfer. Rusty also supports some of the top surfers in the world, Jamie O’Brien and Josh Kerr.

Charlie Setzler, VP of Sales for O’Neill, will take over as President of Rusty North America. Charlie had this to add…

“Rusty is a tremendous brand with a rich heritage in surfing. Rusty has all of the components of a successful surf brand; strong retail support, some of the most well known surfers on the planet in Jamie O’Brien and Josh Kerr, one of the most recognizable logos in the industry, and most importantly, the connection to world renowned shaper Rusty Preisendorfer. I plan to assemble a team and deliver product that reflects the creativity and forward thinking of our world class athletes and Rusty, himself.”

“I leave O’Neill with a heavy heart knowing that, after ten years, I will not be a part of a brand that will continue to sky rocket to the top of the surf industry. However, I am stoked to begin a new chapter and build a team that will take Rusty in to an exciting new direction and keep the rest of the industry on their toes.”

It will be interesting to see the direction Rusty heads over the next few years under the direction of seasoned executive Setzler. Rusty has always struck me as a brand that’s kind of been on-again-off-again throughout the years. I remember some years their apparel was sold in just about every shop in the country and some years they were nowhere to be found.

Rusty
La Jolla Group

I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors and speculations lately that Quiksilver is looking to dump Rossignol, the ski company they purchased in March of ‘05 for just over $300 million. That doesn’t really come as much surprise seeing that Rossignol posted their first loss in 15 years under Quiksilver’s management. Not to mention that Rossignol doesn’t fit into the Quiksilver culture either.

In my opinion, this purchase was never going to be a good fit. Like I just mentioned, Rossignol just isn’t a company that fits into the lifestyle culture of Quiksilver. While they actually make some of the best skis out there, the company’s roots are just too deeply tied into ski racing. If Quiksilver wants to get into the ski game they should acquire a smaller company that’s core in the freestyle sector, someone like Line Skis would be perfect.

Although a much smaller company, Line fits perfectly right in with the action sports lifestyle. The company is breed on freestyle and has been a major factor in the innovation of skiing’s comback since the mid ’90s. They’ve been at the forefront with freestyle ski technology and have consistently sponsored and supported some of the sickest athletes in the industry. And although some years their products weren’t exactly the best constructed, that’s something Quiksilver could bring to the table which would help Line to the next level.

It’s obvious Quiksilver didn’t really understand the industry they were getting into. One doesn’t need to look any further for proof than the $4.8 million loss they posted in comparison to $3.7 million in profit the year before. The ski community would’ve responded better to Quiksilver’s entrance into the sport through a core company like Line and Quiksilver’s culture should never include ski racing.

Sources close in the company are saying that three different offers are on the table for Rossignol. They are also independent rumors that they’ll just dump a few of the companies under Rossignol such as Dynastar, Look and Lange. So what do you think? Should Quiksilver dump Rossignol?

Quiksilver
Rossignol

Lets stop talking about “going green” for a minute and focus on “going Blue.” Project Blue is a campaign to protect our coastlines and oceans. It is ran by Propaganda in order to raise money for the Surfrider Foundation. I found out about it from ads in the Magazines and went online to find more info. It is a unique approach that at first I didn’t quite get, it seemed like there wasn’t enough being done for something as important as protecting our Oceans. So I sent an email to Propaganda and got some good responses that help shed some light on the project.

5ones: Is it ran by Surfrider Foundation or Propaganda HQ?

Propaganda: Project BLUE is run by Propaganda, this is a commercial initiative and we are using product to raise money for Surfrider Foundation. To make this effort work for everyone involved we set it up as a campaign driven by our brand partners.

5ones: Are you actively seeking partnerships with companies or letting them come to you?
Propaganda: We are seeking partnerships but only in select catogories. O’Neill has just signed on and they will be another great partner to help drive this effort to raise funds for Surfrider Foundation.

5ones: Do you have more companies being announced soon? if so you don’t need to tell us which ones, it just seems like there isn’t a lot of 3rd party company participation when the cause is such a noble one and so close to home.

Propaganda: O’Neill is the newest company to join our group and we may have one more to announce before the end of the year. That quite possibly be the last one at least for a couple of years. All our partners are experiencing positive response and support from retailers and consumers. I think we’ll expand the product offerings within the partnership group before we bring on more partners.

5ones: What is the percent of proceeds donated to protecting the ocean from each sale?

Propaganda: Rather than go with a percentage of sales, we opted for a hard figure of $2 per item. This number, while may seem small, is easily absorbed in the retail price and still keeps the product desirable by consumers and retailers. Plus, the real bang is that the brands have identified volume based products to generate money. For example, the Reef Fanning is the top selling sandal for Reef. Rather than create a new sandal, they felt it better to make a project BLUE Fanning to really make an impact with this effort. And the consumer is sending a message, project BLUE Fanning was the #1 sandal on Swell.com for the month of July. This is a good sign that consumers are looking for ways to get involved with Surfrider Foundation and helping to protect our oceans. Project BLUE is pulling together manufacturers, retailers and consumers to help our environment.

5ones:Anything else you feel we should cover please let us know?

Propaganda:Project BLUE is not about consumerism, its about responsible consumerism. As consumers we have the power to make changes, every little thing helps. Changing light bulbs, recycling and buying products that are environmentally friendly and/or that contribute to helping the environment are part of that change. We can buy a better future.

All in all I am stoked on the idea and I now that I understand their goals I can totally see their game plan. The Fanning sandal has literally become an Icon. Billabong had the best selling boardshort of last year, and Electric, Nixon, Dakine and O’Neill are all perfect partners. I think it is a great idea to create proceeds off of volume and off of already top selling brands and products

The only thing I could find that maybe could be done better is if these partners all had prominent banners with links to info about Project Blue linking users to the site. Billabong, Nixon and all the partners are getting an unbelievable amount of traffic to their sites and it would be cool if they directed some of that to the cause.

See Current Product Line at Be True to Blue or at Swell

And here is more info to where you can get involved

Propaganda
Surfrider Foundation
O’Neill

Arbor Sports has teamed up with Kelly Slater to release a signature series of skateboards called the “Slater Series”. This marks two firsts for Arbor: One, this is the first ever signature skate series from Arbor. Two, this is also Arbor’s first ever composite design, which uses a unique blend of environmentally friendly materials, surf heritage, and performance oriented construction.

Graphics for the boards are heavily influenced by Slater’s passions for surfing, music, travel, and friends. There are also design features that hint towards Kelly’s eight world championship titles. The boards are 38″ long and 8.75″ wide, a shape that’s loosely based on the mini-guns that Slater surfs at Pipe.

Although longboard skateboarding and surfing have some similar traits and this collaboration is likely to be a good one because of that, I don’t think it’s necessarily a great move when athletes cross promote into sports they aren’t heavily involved in. That would be like Tiger Woods releasing a signature series of tennis rackets. So what’s next; a series of Kelly Slater snowboards or wakesurfing boards?

Arbor says that these boards were recently released but I was unable to find any information about the skates on their website. Why I am not surprised?

Arborkelly slater

RVCA is joining the likes of many other action sports apparel companies by opening branded retail shops across the globe. The first of what will eventually become a major chain, RVCA Retail is opening their flagship store in San Francisco. The 4300sq ft store will open in the arts district on the corner of Haight and Ashbury.

RVCA Retail will combine art, music, and fashion in an opportunity for the brand to highlight their individual style within the industry. Along side the latest and greatest RVCA products, select other brands, books, art and music will also make up the store’s products and selections. Now what is really cool is that RVCA team members will play a large role in purchasing products for the store, for example Ed Templeton action as the book buyer. This will give a unique flavor to traditional cookie cutter retail shops that often carry many of the same products.

The store will be two levels and downstairs will be an art gallery that displays new exhibits every 3 months, this will result in 4 major shows every year. In addition the art gallery it will also serve as a place to promote musicians and RVCA athletes.

RVCA

Today Oakley announced the release of HOLESHOT, a Swiss-made watch the blends Oakley’s original style with Swiss precision. The HOLESHOT is inspired by Oakley athletes for the active lifestyle of action sports athletes.

There are two editions of the HOLESHOT that will be available. One includes a six-hand analog display with a chronograph that offers the ability to measure cumulative time, intermediate time and split time to a tenth of a second. The second is a reduced-scale version with a three-hand analog display. Both versions of HOLESHOT are made with a durable stainless steel case and a rubber band. A dual-seal crown protects the case against water pressure equivalent to 330 feet (100 meters) beneath the surface.

Oakley continues to innovate and roll out solid new products in both eyewear and other accessories including apparel. Unfortunately they’re an example of a huge company that hasn’t managed to stay ‘core’. That’s what happens when a company goes public and has shareholders to please and can’t help themselves from selling out. To Oakley’s credit, their sales were up 29% in q2, thanks in part to all the ‘barneys’ wearing their shades.

Oakley