Mick and Julian's post shark attack news conference called out in Australia's news.
I think, for most writers, taking the path into marketing is a tempting proposition. It’s really not much more than lying with a straight face, and that’s easy. Especially if you’re more or less morally bankrupt and approach most strangers with some small species of contempt.I think the only thing that spared me the indignity of professional employment of rhetorical devices in order to flog a garbage product is my total inability to cooperate with others.
The thing with marketing, it’s like sucking cock. There’s nothing wrong with it, some people really enjoy it. But to do it for a living…Go ahead, but keep it private. Maybe think twice about flouting how good you are at it.
Today’s Sydney Morning Herald (tomorrow’s, from my perspective, thanks to my location on the other side of the international dateline) included an article by Andrew Hughes “a lecturer in marketing in the Australia National University’s Research School of Management, where he acts as the Director of the MBA.” Titled, Shark attack: Mick Fanning’s sponsors fail by being noticed. It examines the product placement at hand during a press conference Julian and Mick held in the wake of the recent shark attack.
Hughes pays lip service to the notion of authenticity, the idea that good marketing is indistinguishable as such. Ideally we’re sold to subliminally, “If the consumer notices the marketing your campaign goes from natural to manufactured very quickly and loses its impact and effectiveness.”
He goes on, “Similarly if a consumer doesn’t notice the difference, then it’s hello to viral distribution and huge impact and engagement.”
At issue is the prominent product placement enjoyed by both Red Bull and Rip Curl during the press conference, “It was a brand message too far. A bite into the credibility of the very brands themselves. Using the media to carry the message like this went past PR and into advertising.”
Red Bull holds a strange place in my heart. On one hand it’s really just an addictive concoction of sugar and caffeine that’s marketed, very successfully, to stupid children. On the other hand, the company pumps an obscene amount of money into really cool projects, and I don’t like children anyway. If the newest crop of internet addicted crotch fruit ripens into an entire generation of attention deficit slobs I’ll be a happy camper. Less competition for work in the coming decades.
Rip Curl sells tide watches. In 2015. Because you desperately need a tide watch. It’s not like we have some sort of magical square in our pocket that tells us the time, gives us surf reports, and can deliver up copious amounts of pornography at the wave of a hand.
Either way, there’s not a whole lot of actual authentic “authenticity” to be had. Not unless you really believe that ADS and Mick and Julian and Jordy want nothing more than a lukewarm energy the moment they finish a heat.
Manufactured authenticity, though, what a concept. Are people so foolish as to be blind to the manipulation?Probably, I guess. Like George Carlin said, “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
I know that when I was an empty headed pubescent grommet I couldn’t wait to piss away my money on whatever hot brand my fave surfer was wearing. Andy’s rocking MCD? Gotta grab a pair of shin length boardies! Taylor Steele is riding for No Fear? Is No Fear cool again? Okay, sign me up.
We do grow up, though, and Hughes may be overestimating the efficacy of his profession when he says, “Athlete endorsements help brands leverage into that natural and authentic space easily. They help develop a personality for the brand that is used to develop a relationship with customers that can last for decades.” Little lasts for decades, and in the easy come and easy go surf world you need to cash in while you can. Just because surfing is cool now there’s no indication it’ll still be so in a year. The skate industry has understood that since the 60’s, catering to the whims of childish affectation is a feast or famine livelihood.
Hughes leads into his wrap up with the statement, “And the more natural you are as an athlete the better. Just ask Shane Warne or Greg Norman, both of whom have successful product ranges and personal brand portfolios.”
All I can say to that is, who the fuck are Shane Warne and Greg Norman?
*inserts shane warne meme*
Rory, sorry to say, but the truth is that your head is just too far up your own ass to ever be a successful marketer.
“the company pumps an obscene amount of money into really cool projects, and I don’t like children anyway.”
If a company adopted this as their official slogan, I’d purchase everything out of their catalog that very day.
“I think the only thing that spared me the indignity of professional employment of rhetorical devices in order to flog a garbage product is my total inability to cooperate with others.”
Never again will I read a sentence that so brilliantly illustrates how you and I fundamentally differ.
That, and you’ve got a significantly girthier dong… unless it has shrunken since high school water polo
I’ve gained a lot of weight, it definitely looks smaller.
I actually dream of a time when companies will finally be able to automate most of their marketing activities through technical tools and technology, leaving all of them self-righteous marketing circlejerkers jobless, suddenly realizing that none of their bullshit generating skills are actually valuable to both job market and society… Do you guys realize how meta and/or fucked up you got to be to find it acceptable to come up, all smiles, with concepts such as “manufactured authenticity”, (AKA “studied spontaneity”, “engineered nonchalance”, “deactivated brand-activation”) or, still my favorite: “You have to listen to your audience” (that from some marketing guy at Stance Socks… Chas, what was his name again?)?
Was waiting for this article to see who would pick up on it!!. Fair enough only interview for boys for bit of product placement but fuckin over Redbull handing everyone a can as they walk out anywhere. Did the same with Sally. Way to contrived ……..
this whole thing has now officially become the biggest media circle jerk in history.
btw, 5 metre white spotted cruising the lineup at Lenny Point yesterday, yes we got on the fucking sled and reset.
The circle jerk just grew 3 inches.
farking hell, could the Grit squeeze out any more tawdry fucking stories out of this episode? I mean now you are writing about the reaction to the presser. Give it a fuking rest bloke.
…as soon as the clicks stop I’ll stop milking the story’s formidable teats… and, a 15-footer at Lennox?
Plenty of clicks left in this here mouse. I’d even go read the Freeride Voice’s take (if it ever fucking wrote anything)
plenty of cats quit or cut right back around here, used to be thought the sunny days after dawn or before dark were safety time but the big whites seem to like the chomp mid/late morning on those days when dying for surfing doesn’t seem quite right. When you’d get out of the surf with Simple Ben in your heart feeling like diamonds.
Like your QS boy noted though, the best and maybe only effective crowd control in this year of our Lord 2015.
Ballina Mayor David Wright is a very cool cat who looks like a cross between Julius Sumner Miller(remember a glass and a half of full cream dairy in every 200 gram block) and Johnny Cash. Reckons he’s got some ideas in the Pipeline.
Talk to him?
philosophically speaking, how is the evil of chasing clicks that different than the evil of effective marketing?
You shouldn’t be surprised mate… they have been commenting every shark related headline on earth for months and months now. At least they are consistent with their shark fetish storyline and didn’t jump on the shark terror bandwagon post Jbay, like many did. Actually, you should reach out to Derek, with all the details about your recent 5 meter encounter, chances are you’d be the next Beachgrit sensation the very next day.
I saw the article on SMH and thought it was a little over the top, more of an effort to milk the story. The boys having the cans in hand was probably not needed but only 2 surfboards as a back drop was pretty understated compared to what you see at any other sporting press conferences.
If they really wanted to they could have done an exclusive deal with one of the Oz TV channels that would have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to them individually in cash and massive exposure for their sponsors. They resisted that and did a one off press conference for no cash (as far as I know) and then pissed off home to get away from the media.
So…what’s your point exactly? Pro athlete wearing / showcasing their sponsor during an interview? It that news? It that specific to surfing? Specific to Rip Curl? Redbull?
What’s the tide watch hate all about? Sounds like you’re full of anger or something. Or maybe simply showcasing the fact that you can spew couple words on the interweb after reading a column in a newspaper.
I think the passage that you should take the most from, was this one…
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
I had the exact same thought. Never heard that quote before but it’s spot on.
My feed is littered with messages telling me these two are greater role models than tennis players, yet here they are smashing back dirty Red Bulls in front of a world wide audience. Aren’t the caps and boards enough?
Agreed, although it’s probably actually water in those cans. There was an article about it awhile back, maybe on Stab, about how that’s what most of em drink on camera. You can see the “Water” label on the side if you look closely enough. I doubt someone as concerned with training as Mick would actually drink that garbage. But market it? Sure.
agree with andrew. well stated…..