Finally summer seems to have arrived in parts of the UK (at least those that aren't cloudy or still bailing out their houses from the recent floods). And this has coincided with the 2007 Ripcurl Boardmaster championships in Newquay, Cornwall. Why is this interesting for marketers?
Because it is a great example of providing an experience to people who want to be part of something, in this case the surfer lifestyle without being hardcore dudes. As my friend Martin would say it provides the opportunity for customers to be delighted.
What the clever people at Ripcurl have done is to package up a manufactured impression of surfing to the masses, allowing them to interact for a couple of days with the sport and at the same time promote the hell out of the Ripcurl brand.
They've done this by packaging up a competition, with a small music festival and partying on a beach. They've sewn up the social networking side by having live feeds from the competition and also plugging their own MySpace presence through the marketing collateral for the competition.
They are attracting people who wouldn't have shelled out to travel to Baha or Bondi to see a competition but who won't mind shelling out for a Ripcurl tee or hoodie in Newquay. By investing in Newquay they are also building up a connection (or implicit permission) to market to the existing hardcore surfers and retailers who service them in the area.
What this means for those who go along is that they are allowed to (temporarily) think of themselves as part of the movement, but without the hassle and expense of really chasing the wave. People can sit on a beach, watch the surfing, listen to music, party afterwards at clubs, network and connect with each other and buy Ripcurl products.
Of course there is nothing new about this - brands are alway trying to tap into youth movements through associations or sponsorships. But what is clever here is the packaging up of the sport, lifestyle and music aspects into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. And the result will be that for a while at least, Ripcurl will differentiate itself from Quiksilver or Mambo etc in the minds of UK youth. An equivalent (and perhaps the inspiration for the Ripcurl) event is the BugFest at Santa Pod, where VW enthusiasts gather for similar activities - but that event although big is a niche market, whereas the marketers at Ripcurl will be looking to this event to stretch their brand into other products and services - Ripcurl branded surf music, travel packages, accommodation anyone?
Wish I was there....