Has social media hurt or helped skateboarding?
In Chapter Two of ‘Pushing Forward,’ a skate documentary from Red Bull, they discuss the impact of social media on pro skateboarders and how the modern pro can utilise social media to manage their own brand.
In the video they consider the question from different ends of the spectrum. Joey Brezinski is quite active on social and aims to make funny content surrounding his skateboarding; as is Alex Midler, who at the age of 16 was born into the social media era and doesn't know anything different - so sees it as a game of likes and followers with his friends giving his audience daily content to interact with. And then there's Wes Kremer, who has a different approach entirely to the medium, suggesting how he has been drawn away from the social platforms just on the basis of how consumed everyone gets - he feels it is sucking people away from actually picking up there skateboarding and going out.
Brezinski explains how his mindset on social media changed, “when I picked up a skate mag when I was a kid, seeing Rick Howard nollie backside flip on the burrow banks, I liked the hell out of it, but there was no way to express how much I liked it other than putting it on my wall. Now, a kid can talk to P Rod, he can talk to all of these dudes instantly on their Facebook, their Instagram and they’ll respond.”
Legends Jamie Thomas, Mike Vallely, and Steve Berra weigh in on the subject with some strong opinions that provide interesting context to how the game has changed.
___________________
Times have since changed with the advent of social media, which is now the preferred method for brands and skaters to effectively target a global fan base.
Before social skaters would have to rely on the attention and buzz they created organically to propel themselves onto the front cover of magazines and films to grow their fan base. Upon the arrival of Facebook and Twitter many professional skateboarders were unaware of how these social platforms could be a vehicle towards improving their brand image and maximise their ROI.
Due to skateboarders relying heavily on video and photo content to engage their audience, the big shift towards social within the sport began when YouTube and Instagram emerged because brands and skateboarders were able to promote themselves directly to target and engage their audiences, giving fans an exclusive insight into their lives.
- “Social media has given each skateboarder their own voice in order to create their own brand” said professional skateboarder Jamie Thomas earlier this month.
On the other hand not everyone within the professional skateboard community has yet been won over to the benefits of using social media. Tokyo-born skater Wes Kremer has a different approach and takes pride in the fact that he has resisted, in his eyes, the pressure by sponsors and his fellow skaters to join the digital revolution.
- “Your net worth is now based on the amount of followers you have, taking you away from life because people are so consumed within their cyber-world”. Wes Kremer professional skateboarder
More and more skateboarders now see the importance social media can have on connecting their fans with their brand. Manny Santiago is another example of a skater who promotes himself the right way by keeping all of his social channels linked meaning he can target different fans throughout a wide variety of platforms. Manny also realises he is a role model and the influence he has on many of his followers to provide his fans with positive and engaging content.
https://kingpinmag.com/features/articles/instagram-famous-instagram-changing-skateboarding.html
No comments:
Post a Comment