Websites, such as, Snowboard.com arrived well before Twitter, and certainly before the supreme rise of the all-powerful Facebook. The desire to connect, share content, and generally just hang out amongst their ‘tribe’ was evident to snowboarders long ago. Today Snowboard.com certainly doesn’t have the pizazz it used to have, but it still claims to have 600,000 members. Not bad, but there’s a new group of content creators ripping it up online, say hello to This Video Sucks.
Highly Competitive Social Media Landscape
Generally, the Snowboarding Industry makes great use of social media. For one example, Snowboarding magazine online sites carry hundreds of different videos, containing free snowboarding content. Some professional, some amateur, ‘Monday Mallet’, ‘Trick Tip Tuesdays’, ‘Teaser Tuesdays’, and all sorts of fun stuff vying for viewers attention, and keeping them entertained. Endless blogs, podcasts, Vimeo videos, etc. Many video production companies release their rider’s video parts throughout this time of the year to get attention directed towards their upcoming releases. It’s actually a highly competitive social media landscape.
Raising the T-Bar
From a social media perspective, it should not have been a surprise, when Stepchild Snowboards released This Video Sucks, in its’ entirety, for free.
But I was surprised.
For one, it is easily a movie that could justifiably be sold in shred shops everywhere. It contains more than one highly marketable sequence; particularly one which involves a Snowboard Industry first, an all-switch video part by a high level snowboarding pro, making this a landmark video. However, it is more the cost of making such a snowboard video that would seem like the biggest barrier to making it free.
Obvious Value
It all seems so obvious though. Despite Stepchild Snowboard’s claim of ‘Bigger Hearts Than Brains’, I think they have hit a social media home run with this movie. They started by making a quality Team-only video. Secondly, they built up expectation by releasing video parts one by one, over a precise period of time. Third, they allow anyone to watch, share, embed and upload their video for free, through countless websites.
Viewers are thankful for the ability to watch a quality video for free. If it wasn’t already, Stepchild Snowboards just became a mid-size brand they would more than likely hype, at the very least through the passing on of the video links. Views are the invaluable currency of social web; and, in reality, for sponsors, the whole point of making a snowboard video in the first place, to better promote their brand(s).
Stuck in the Model
After just a short time participating in social media, it doesn’t cease to amaze me how stuck people are to their old models; and their inability to see the opportunity social media offers them. Will This Video Sucks be the ‘Video of the Year’? Perhaps, but I seriously doubt it will dethrone the rest of the major snowboard movies. The point is, it is a ‘major’ video, for free.
Will it receive more views this route than any other? Yes. Stepchild Snowboards steps out from the crowd with a focused, quality, free offering. And, while the rest wait to get snowboard videos for Christmas, Stepchild is already being watched at the exact time of year when new snowboards are being bought, communicating their brand mantra far and wide.
Simply put, this is textbook social media marketing strategy. They have something to say. They’re saying it. They’re making it easy to get noticed. They’re getting noticed.
Off to watch This Video Sucks, again. You can too at numerous locations, and even download it to your iPhone! Enjoy.
More Snowboarding >>
Editors Note: : I think Chris identifies a growing trend in the video production industry, one where the majority of funding will come from Corporations who see value in attention. Their ability to turn eyeballs into brand equity and product sales will surely result in more projects like This Video Sucks.
Photo Credit: VancityAllie
About the Author: After a well-rounded backround in multi-unit Retail and Ski Area Management, Chris is currently the Director of Knityard Design Group Inc., including DrinkToque.com. Passionate about all things entrepreneur, business, winter sports, tacos, and cake. Full of ideas, insight, questions, tangents, and humour. Follow him on Twitter
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