Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
When will the Facebook nonsense end? I'm tellin' ya they're leading the bubble!
$85 B ????
Really ????
Monday, March 21, 2011
Answer to Christian Fletcher's Question : What's your definition of a sell out?
Saw a post a bit ago on Christian Fletcher's wall, and had some initial thoughts. Then just got an email from this small surf apparel brand here in OC announcing that they opened Urban Outfitters and it triggered some more thoughts. Lastly, it all tied back to what I saw this year at Winter X.... so here it goes:
Quick broad definition : I think anytime a person or company exploits themselves, another person, a situation, a scene, or a sport for the sole purpose of "enriching" themselves, you could consider them a sell out.
Long definition : It's not that cut and dry. Have guys like Tony Hawk or to a lesser degree Corey Duffel or Gareth Stehr sold skating out? One could probably argue that Tony has a little more than Corey or Gareth. How 'bout this.... has every single competitor is last year's Maloof Money Cup sold out (even just a little) to the Maloof brothers?
Hell.... while we're at it (don't want to call you to the carpet here but......) haven't you and your old man sold out to surfing just a little? I remember reading something you said a few years ago regarding apparel sponsors : "I don't give a f*%k what I wear... as long as the company is paying me to wear it" Couldn't that be considered "selling out"?
I'm not trying to be an ass... just trying to raise a point. If at some point along your journey, you'd prefer a rib eye over a bean burrito, a first class seat over coach, a 5 bedroom home over an apartment, you're driven to sell out (at least a little) right?
Let's take one of your hero's and mine: Duane Peters as an example. You know the guy personally.... I only know him from being a fan. His wife/girlfriend Corey Parks sells some really high-end hand made women's apparel and accessories. If Nordstrom called her tomorrow and said "Corey, we'll offer you a 5 year exclusive licensing agreement worth $5 Million dollars" You think she'd do it? I don't know her personally, but my gut tells me she'd at least consider it. And who could blame her? We all would!
We're looking to better our existence and the existence (in some cases) of those we love. Does Bob McKnight sell out every time Quik makes a "Costco" only t-shirt so that some dude in South Dakota (apologies to those who live there) who hasn't see a body of water other than at his local YMCA gets to rock the KS10 logo?
I dunno man... I think to a certain degree we all have our price. You, me, ESPN.... hell, snowboarding for that matter. The Navy was the X Games main sponsor this year? The Navy? Really? How many groms and shred heads were those commercials targeting ? Did ESPN sell out? Did snowboarding sell out?
As a good friend once told me when we were trying to revive MCD : Core is poor. By no means am I saying that poor is bad. To be honest, I think poor builds character.
Look at Von Dutch, one of the greatest sell out examples of all time! The daughters ruined everything Kenny Howard stood for. That cool cat lived in a bus for christ sakes not giving an "f" about what society thought or said. But it takes a rare person to want to live like Mr. Howard.
I'm not Mr. Howard and I don't think you are either, we all want a better life.... and it's difficult to stay "core" and not sell out at least a little to help grow your brand, your sales or your image.
Here's to selling out..... and living a good life, if not a super awesome one!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
This made me LOL !!!
Classic!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
