This is the direction surfing is going, believe it or not. Photo: Lars Jacobsen
As an industry and as surfers, we’ve got to keep our eyes set on the horizon. When you take a macro view on the action sports you can see the sports and the brands that are on the rise, plateauing, or in a flat spin out to sea. Snow boarding right now just isn’t happening. It will come back, but right now style, compared to what’s relevant culturally is clashing. Skateboarding is on the rise again and has been for quite some time now. If some guy came to me, said he wanted to build a skate brand, and had a tight customer and category in mind I’d back it.
Surfing, on the other hand, has hit rock bottom and as a result there has been a splintered effect. There are new brands, all with new takes on the sport. It is an exciting time and as an investor, if I had to choose one of these three sports to throw money at it would be surf. It’s on it’s ass and it will come back.
So as I said before, we have to keep our eyes on the horizon. If you look a bit closer, cold water surfing is the newest “hot” niche within the community. If “surfing” went public I’d buy stock in our obsession with cold water waves. You’ve got outdoor brands Fjal Raven promoting it, you have guys like Chris Burkard and other creative minds covering it, yet there are barely any brands involved in fully committing everything they do to cold water surfing.
Brands have to see the opportunity, continue to promote the category of cold water surfing and remember customers buy categories first, brands second. For example, say you’ve just booked a ticket to a warm place and need to spruce up the light and casual footwear. So you think flip flops and then you think about the brands within it. Consumers think of flip flops first and then seek out the brands that make it up second. Category First. Brand Second.
So, keep your eyes on the horizon. Something big is going to happen and we need to be ready to drive it, back it, promote it. Cold water surfing is going to be the new black.
