First, a blatant plug.  BBPR is once again working with group Y on the Action Sports Conference.  We’ll be helping them with copy as well as reaching out to media (shred, non-endemic, social, the works) on what’s going to take place and the value it has to marketers who attend.

Do you go to networking events?  I do when I can, which is rare because I’m <<insert excuse here>>.  However, I’ve heard some people don’t like them, for various reasons….. some justified, some not so much.  Since I’m a man who has made millions a few mistakes in my incredibly fulfilling enviable varied career, here’s some advice if you’re new to the networking scene or are thinking of giving the group Y Action Sports Conference a shot.

1. Show early.  It’ll be easier to get settled, mingle, etc.  Seriously.  It’s not cool to stagger in late anymore.  Actually, it was never cool.

2. Act like you give a shit. Smile.  No one is going to want to talk to you if you look like your boss made you go.

3. Sit next to people you don’t already know.  I love bro’ing down… wait, no I don’t.  You may though.  Regardless, try to meet someone new.  Unless you work at another PR agency… then please don’t bother attending.  This event is closed to all other PR agencies.

4. Listen. Put the Blackberry and iPad down.

5. Be open minded about the people you meet.  That guy you met from the Faber Castle pencil company may not seem like a great connection now… but later you’ll find out his brother-in-law is launching a new energy drink and looking for brands to throw sponsorship dollars at.  Or maybe he’s got an interesting marketing story to share… one of the biggest values we bring to our clients in action sports is that we’ve worked with a lot of brands outside the arena.  Lots of key learnings regarding battery and vacuum marketing that actually do translate to the action sports world.

That’s it.  Basic stuff, but they’re good things to keep in mind.  Unless you work for another PR agency… in which case, you’re not invited to the party.

According to the International Olympic Committee’s rule 41, competitors who participate in the Olympics can’t have their person/likeness be used for advertising purposes during the Olympics.

Wow.  Thanks IOC for letting snowboarding scratch your back but not the other way around.

True, snowboarding in the Olympics gives it a presences on television that no other event does.  But without their sponsors, ranging from energy drink brands to actual snowboard companies, these guys wouldn’t be where they are today.

That private half-pipe built for gold medalist Shaun White, paid for by Red Bull, helped Shaun train and compete at the level he did at the games.  Other brands’ support of their team riders is equally important, not only to the riders success, but the activity of snowboarding itself.  These brands support the media that support snowboarding and with that, the culture.  Heck, those brands that support snowboarding or other super gnarly extreme uber-radical action sports support BBPR, and we’re incredibly thankful for that.

While I’m not personally entrenched or knowledgeable in activities such as bobsledding or skiing aerials, I’d argue that there’s less of a global community and media presence surrounding those two sports… at least here in the US.  Is that because the activities are harder to become a part of?  Possibly… there aren’t very many bobsled tracks compared to ski resorts.

So what’s your take?  Should the IOC let the brands that have helped snowboarding promote their efforts during the Olympics?  Maybe the IOC should start paying royalties to the athletes, then we could eliminate the sponsors altogether?

BTW – if you’re looking for a neat take on action sports in general, check out our friends at South of the North.  Tell’em BBPR sent you and you’ll get a 15 percent mark-up tacked onto on their new t-shirts. Oh, the earlier image came from the fine folks @ Boardistan, which is also a good read, but lacks a presence in the t-shirt market.

Don’t let this picture deceive you.  People aren’t underutilizing social media because of my poorly Photoshopped image of the Twitter bird as Flavor Flav (original pic courtesy of Radio Grenouille).  No, they’re underutilizing social media because of TIME and MONEY (sorry, didn’t have a cool picture of money and I’ve heard defacing American currency is somewhat against the law).

More than a few media outlets have picked up on the fact that many CEOs aren’t using Twitter or other social media channels, and each week, I seem to get bombarded by a new marketing group of experts who wants me to pay to come to one of their conferences to learn how to use social media effectively.

Rant: I’m not sure how all of these people have become experts so fast or why I’m not considered one too.  After all, we’ve handled social media and digital PR strategy for brands ranging from lux auto manufacturers to furniture brands to snowboards and footwear.  Anyway….

In our experience, which I’ll say is pretty solid, the top reasons people are underutilizing social media in their marketing campaigns are time and money.

On the time front, a good campaign (and not everyone needs a good campaign… lots of people do ok with less than mediocre ones) takes effort to plan.  You can either choose to blast out Tweets and send me a Facebook update every single day about how you posted a new colorway for your Fall 2010 sock collection, or you can take the effort to put some strategy behind your program and hit the right people, at the right time, the right amount of the time.  And if you’re not a social media expert (like I am), you’re also going to need to take some time to learn about the ins and outs of these channels… factor in about a week if you’re a quick study.

The other main factor we see in brands underutilizing social media is money – human capital, finances needed to secure an outside firm to help, etc.  Although there doesn’t necessarily have to be a hard-cost media buy with social media (we’ll post later about those “pay to play” digital PR programs) execution still requires some sort of resources that you pay for in one way or another.

Your social media execution should not be left to an intern or junior colleague who is knowledgeable about what Farmville is, but won’t know how to handle negative posts, develop a strategy, see around corners, etc.  Likewise, if you have a mid-level employee manage your program, that’s adding onto their workload or taking away from another area.  There’s also the option of having a small consultancy such as BBPR or a larger firm, such as our friends at New Media Strategies back on the east coast, but regardless of who you use, expect to pay something for help executing in this “free” space.

To sum it up, yes, many brands are underutilizing social media (and probably aware of it).  At the same time, many are most likely also underutilizing advertising, press release blasting media relations, guerrilla events and their own website.  While these “experts” are well meaning, they should also take a step back and realize that utilizing social media isn’t as easy or “free” as we’d all like to think.  Heck, I haven’t updated my “free” column here on Malakye Experts & Insiders in more than a month.

A Side Note About CEO’s and Twitter

There are lots of high-level execs on Twitter.  Tony Hsieh from Zappos is a popular one and marketing guru Guy Kawasaki is another (btw – did you know he has a team of people Tweeting for him?  True story).

Does Bob McKnight have a Twitter account?  I’m not sure… nor am I sure he really needs one.  I don’t think Josh Reid from Rome SDS has one either, but those guys seem to do ok (disclosure:  I’ve worked with Rome for many years on various projects).

Brands can choose to communicate through a myriad of channels and much like with traditional advertising, what works for one brand may not feel right for another.

The strategy of consumer brands becoming media isn’t anything new, but it is something that many brands could do better.  Sony had (has?) their Sony Style Magazine, Lexus has their own magazine and L Studio video channel, NHS has been doing Strange Notes since I was a kid, Rome has made it easy-ish for shreds to interview their riders via Twitter, Mike West has his column on Malakye… heck so do I (and I could do a much better job of writing for it too).  And the list goes on.  Depending on the initiative, some of these are more commercial than others, but they all serve a similar purpose:  to generate additional exposure for their brand outside of ad buys, events and PR opportunities.

Anyway, while cruising Rad Collector today, I saw New Era is in the brand as media game too.  They’ve launched a new magazine and on the cover is former Vernon Valley shredder Danny Kass (one of many in a long line of industry-tied former Vernon Valley shredders, including myself, Rob Campbell and I think Tim Swart too).

What this magazine about?  I have no idea, I haven’t read it yet.  But, if it’s anything like the other efforts I mentioned above, it probably has some content that touches on New Era (new designs, how to fix dented hats, debates on if you should leave your size sticker on, etc.) and a lot of content focusing on what the folks @ Lexus would call “the Lexus Lifestyle” which Justin and Braden probably call something else (survival of the fitted?).

Kudos to New Era on expanding your marketing mix in this direction.

If you want to check out a digital edition, click here.  If you want advice on fixing dented hats, I read online that holding them over a steaming tea kettle will work.

Disclosure:  Anyone that’s a Facebook friend of mine (or a real friend for that matter), knows that I hate when PR agency types sneak in little promos for their clients under the “hey, look at this cool thing I saw online” wall updates.  With that in mind, I’ll let you know that in the past 12 years or so, I’ve worked with Sony, Rome SDS and Lexus in one capacity or another.  I wasn’t trying to plug them as much as it’s simply easier for me to reference brands I’ve worked with on marketing projects vs. researching those I haven’t, but regardless, it’s still a plug.

Some of know me already, but for those who don’t, I’ll give you a quick 101 on this blog, myself and the background on the banner.  Sit tight, it’s a very compelling story.

The Banner

I cobbled together something from old photos on my hard drive that shows a little about who I am and people I’ve worked with since launching BBPR in 2006 (of course, this isn’t ALL the people I’ve worked with… I’d need a much bigger banner!).

Going from left to right, the first photo was taken of me in the offices of Vapor Studio during an editorial project I was working on. Ricardo Camargo and the Vapor team have helped build (literally) or launch products that many of us have worn on our feet, put on our backs or sat in over the years.

The next photo is of a piece Banksy did that I saw Mike Paddock of the Rome SDS post online somewhere.  I’ve always found this particular one amusing.

The griptape on my skateboard is courtesy of Tim Swart, the man behind UNIV in Encinitas, as well as a bunch of other brands you’ve heard of during the last 15 years.  Tim also happened to connect me with the fine folks at IPATH.

The last picture was taken at Mt. High during last year’s Industry Day, which was equal parts fog and fun.  On the left is group Y’s founder, Liz Randall who has been a great friend and collaborator the last three years.  Next to her is Ty Smith, from Propaganda HQ, the brand consultancy behind project BLUE, among other creative initiatives both in and out of the action sports industry.   The guy on the end in the helmet is me.  Some people have told me the cool kids don’t wear helmets or run stomp pads, but I heard helmets were the new black, so I’m all about them.  BTW – Mt. High has a pretty sweet deal on season passes going on right now.  If you like fun, snowboarding and Southern California, you should consider getting one.

The BB

In 1997, I began my career in the wonderful world of public relations.  My first job was with an agency in NYC (big thanks to Ann P!) working on, among other things, the Burton Snowboards account, helping them gain media exposure beyond the endemic media outlets.  In addition to Burton, my NYC days had me working with a range of brands that included Duracell, LG Electronics, Old Spice, Hoover and Intel.  Occasionally I had to order lunch for brainstorms, get coffee and send Fed-Ex packages for higher-ups.  That sucked was incredibly rewarding, but and it’s often part of paying  your dues at a larger agency.  Working with brands outside of action sports has really helped me develop some creative ideas for my action sports clients as they look to broaden their exposure.  Learning how to send Fed-Ex packages has come in handy too.

I relocated to San Diego in late 2005 and after my dot-com job failed to generate the millions of dollars I was told very passionately that it would, I started BBPR.  Since launching BBPR, we’ve helped quite a few lifestyle brands grow their public awareness beyond their endemic media through traditional and new/social media initiatives.  We also help non shred-focused brands with their media relations and social media strategy, including big players in the automotive, adult beverage, entertainment and health care spaces.

The Blog

The plan for this blog is to discuss marketing, more specifically, public/media relations and social media, since that’s where my professional background is.  Similar to the BBPR corporate blog, this one is going to focus on what I see out there in the greater marketing world, not just action sports or lifestyle brands (I expect there to be some overlap between the two as well).  Compared to the BBPR blog, this one will be a little less about BBPR client successes or how great of a PR consultancy I run (if you are interested in that, please feel free to visit the other blog or just send me an email for my unbiased opinion on the value BBPR brings).

I’ll probably use spell check on this blog too, if I can remember.

Pic courtesy of Becky McMichael

Big thanks to Chad for giving me this forum to spout propaganda on.

Your check is in the mail!