"The surf watching public trusts the World Surf League to signify which beer is most 'surfy' and therefore which it should drink."
Hours ago, it was announced that the Santa Monica-based World Surf League has added yet another beer as “official beer partner” ahead of the upcoming Australian leg of the tour. Regional general manager Andrew Stark gushed about the freshly inked relationship with Coopers, “WSL is proud to be announcing this new partnership with one of Australia’s most iconic beer brands. An independent, family owned Australian company, Coopers has an authentic passion for where they’ve been and where they’re going, which aligns fantastically with the ethos of the World Surf League. We thank Coopers for their commitment to a three-year partnership with WSL and look forward to working with them.”
While the news may excite in some corners, ethicists and corporate watchdogs are extremely troubled as the League now has multiple “official beer partners.”
Coopers, and its Pacific Pale Ale, will be joining Michelob Ultra Pure Gold and 805.
The surf watching public trusts the World Surf League to signify which beer is most ‘surfy’ and therefore which it should drink,” Ralph Nader would have told BeachGrit had he been asked. “Fans hosting luaus or beach weddings will suffer horrible confusion when standing in grocery store aisles and may lose faith in institutionalized professional surfing altogether.”
Coopers’ National Marketing Manager Kate Dowd, seemingly happy to participate in plural brand marriage, responded, “We’re excited to be supporting the World Surf League over the next three years, an organisation for which we share similar values. As a proud Australian independent brewery, we have a strong appreciation for the Aussie coast and coastal lifestyle. Pacific Pale Ale’s refreshing, tropical flavour has resonated with the surfing community and we look forward to building this connection through the World Surf League.”
The situation likely to devolve.
More as the story develops.
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Another woeful product placement by WSL in the Coffin surf shack above. It really is beyond laughable the attempts they go to get their sponsors in on camera. In the commentators booth to kick things off.
Eskies full of 805, which no ever touches. Like it was contaminated. Stuffing sponsors caps on the surfers as they emerge from the soup on their exhausted way to the sponsor littered “glass”. The none stop Hydroflask punting, and didn’t they think the Corona beer sponsorship during the last couple of years of the Corona virus was a bit daft and likely to be a sales version of the Titanic. Looking forward to more sponsorship happy hours at the Meo (whatever that is) Portugal surf event.
The Margaret River drug free pro, brought to you by Coopers Pacific Pale Ale? And supported by Bandidos brand Methamphetamines.
805 is shit beer used to be called “Blonde Ale” till Firestone Walker rebranded it. Then it took off like a rocket, and now makes up for so much of FW’s business that they separated it off and it has its own operation (still under FW’s umbrella, but basically the company’s 800 lb. gorilla as it were). Wait until 805 Cerveza hits the masses. Same shit, add a twist of lime, and invert the Black/White color scheme to a White/Black one. I’m not joking. It’s already here, flooding the actual 805 area code
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Can we all agree that we need the Bud Pro Tour back in the US? Surfing and beer go together like peanut butter and sex. If the WSL gets three beer brands for the world tour I’m thinking the Bud Tour has to be coming back. And we all know we need it. May Rockin Figg rest in peace.
If you look like someone in the catalogue, congratulations champ, you’re in the top of the boardwalk “who’s hot” game. Don’t mind bothering about your surf skills.
If you think you look like one of them, but don’t surf, getting a pair won’t help but your ego. This one is probably targeting you. You should feel appreciated!
If you realize the people pictured (Buzzy included) are the typical “surfer” buzzing your session, that’s because you’re surfing the wrong spots or the wrong days. Mind that and be smart!
If you’re John, it’s about time you get an invitation for the team. How can the GOAT be so selfish not to realize that his ego is bumming his business!?
Beer is great…if you don’t like it…don’t drink it. It’s that simple.
Chas you have so nailed the BS corporatespeak the WSL and other similar entities use when announcing a new “partnership.”
Good on ya.
…what happened to corona?
No mention of how much the sponsorship is worth?
Maybe they give starky a carton each event?
I don’t imagine the Australian tax payer is going to stop paying the tab for Ziffs wife hobby anytime soon .
Does this mean Stu Kennedy gets a wildcard?
The more beer the better
Oh boo hoo. Nobody is fooled by sponsorship, its just advertising. Im a liverpool fan and i dont have preference for Carlsberg. I like that they supported my team and thats it. I guess Surf is so mainstream and sanitize now it cant have beer sponsorship?
NonJohn hates Conner Coffin, but beer is an environmentally less destructive product than surfboards, wetsuits, boardshorts, surf trips etc.
NonJohn loves beer.
Long Range forecast for Supertubos looks promising. Hawaiian Hurricane!
Fuck I love corpo drivel. I reckon it must branded onto their nipples when they take the job. From Stark: authentic, aligns, ethos, commitment. From the Coopers gal: values, resonated, connection.
Loosely translated: “we give ‘em money and hope the exposure brings us fucktonnes of beer sales and more money”
So true. Should be sanctioned for spewing out such drivel.
With an alleged WSL worldwide audience of 25k tuning into the Sunset event I think any outfit thinking of making any serious money from their association with WSL needs to do some fact checking. That, or give Dirk Ziff a ring.
One of the greatest mysteries to me on the event broadcast is the WSL’s constant ads for….the WSL. We’re already on your fucking broadcast but you cut away from live streaming heats to advertise the site we’re all already on? What the fuck’s going on there?
WSL have not one earthly clue how to advertise their product. It’s a decent product but no big company can be attracted to it when you have such a miniscule world wide client base. What is advertised, on the rare occasions they manage to hook someone in, is pap. Flotsam and jetsam with little interest to the few that are watching.
It’s worth noting that the super trendy Melbourne bars and pubs cancelled Coopers during the Marriage Equality vote in Australia. Coopers is owned by some hell Christians and their brand was used in a video where a Christian senator and a progressive had a discussion about the pros and cons of gay marriage. While the video wasn’t produced by Coopers and wasn’t really offensive to the gays, the woke mob were outraged by Coopers branding in the video and pulled them from the taps at venues across Australia.
You should really dig into that angle, Chas.
Gay are easily offended, That’s a really low bar. 😆
So Tyler and Kanoa will be taking a knee?
Thought Jordy Smith and Co would of sponsored it with their ‘Heaps Normal’ 0% beer. WSL has 0% reality.
I made some good pale ales but my best batch was 5 gallons of 11% abv honey porter, with a bit of licorice to mellow out the hops which were on the lighter side, went down so smooth there was 4 or 5 of my friends over for nintendo hockey ’94 version with the fighting and bloody ice still in it, everyone got so fuckiing hammered, good times.
Yup, it sucks socially not to partake but it’s certainly cheaper! Oh boy, booze is such a money-hole.
It’s a horrid feeling of betrayal too, when you realise that this thing which made you all warm and woozy was knifing you in the back the whole time. Not everyone is the same of course, nor in similar situations where it matters.
You stay safe too Mi Ho, and all the brothers and sisters out there.