Happy Rabbit Snow * Skate was running a modest, break-even skate shop, publishing a skate magazine and even sponsoring a team of talented skaters -all without any branding, much less a logo. Unheard of in an industry dominated by hungry sponsors, huge logo-brand stickers, boards, and gear.
Thousands of potential dollars were being lost as the only thing they had going for themselves was sparse name recognition in an industry whose culture revolves around logos and brands.
Several attempts had been made by the client over the years to mount a brand but nothing shred-worthy had yet emerged.
We were handed the remains of these failed attempts and told to work our magic.
We pored over piles of skate magazines and immersed ourselves in skating culture, reviewing every skate logo that had been produced since 1960. We found that most of the industry-leader logos had no soul, no character. Most were just shapes that didn’t stir any emotions.
We peppered our client with questions about the buying habits of his teenage customers and their parents.
We discovered that customers primarily purchased whichever brand was sponsoring the hottest skater of the moment. BUT, beyond that, there was no particular brand loyalty and most customers purchase whichever brands are recommended by the skate shop.
Yes, Mr. Entrepreneur, this is where you come in: Savvy business owners quikly realize that By producing and pushing your very own branded skate decks, wheels, trucks and other gear, a shop owner can really rake in the cash. And if you’re really savvy, you can double-dip by producing and pushing your own brand of skate apparel: Shoes, jeans, shirts and such.
