Target sponsoring surfers is like Anheuser-Busch sponsoring a mormon choir practice. It just feels wrong, always has. Few other corporations represent ugly American consumerism like Target, which is the utter antithesis of supporting your local surf shop.
But then again, they probably pay their athletes super well. How else do you think Shaun White rubs elbows with A-Listers like Richard Branson?
Kolohe Andino and Carissa Moore made the move to ride for Target, even though they both held onto their original main sponsor, Hurley. And in a new initiative directed towards building their name in the action sports industry, Target has started a #teamtarget campaign, which showcases their athletes’ talents and shows the world that they’re just like any other core surf brand, not a corporate machine focused solely on making a buck. Because nothing says core surf company like discount priced Fruit of the Loom undies.
The latest Target clip for Kolohe has dropped and it surprisingly has a core surf brand feel to it. It’s pretty hard to deny when Brother comes screaming out of that double barrel. Maybe the common “corpo sell-out” rhetoric, which you’ll find plenty of in his Insta comments, is unfounded. Maybe Target is cool. And plus, Kolohe can probably get unlimited frozen pizzas and video games. Can’t complain with that.
