In case you didn’t know we’re in the middle of the Quicksilver/ Roxy Pro 2013 Gold Coast Competition.
And since I’ve been sick lately is spent the past weekend in bed, watching recap footage from the latest heats, and I started thinking about niche marketing and the effect social media has had.
There are thousands of niche markets out there and thousands of sites for each of them, but one I find myself constantly dabbling in is extreme sports. Whether it’s surfing (which I starting doing when I lived in Wales), rock climbing, diving (which I did competitively in high school), or long boarding I feel like I’m constantly watching amazing videos, or looking at techniques, or learning about gear.
What struck me here is the fact that there isn’t a single site I visit to get a majority of my news, videos, or information. I search multiple sites, or am linked form one site to another to another. The only base I visit for multiple sports is http://www.awsm.com but this only includes skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing.
This website was also created to link athletes with sponsors- and I’m not holding onto a pipe dream that I will one day become a pro anything, but climbing and surfing and cliff jumping are things I enjoy doing and I would love to do them as long as possible.
The problem is, even though all these sports are adrenaline pumping and heart pounding they don’t fall into one specific category. I also feel like there is a stigma associated with these kinds of activities. There are very dependent on geographic location and personal interest level- I live at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and can tell you some great hikes and great spots for bouldering, but if you asked me about and even though I live near the mountains if you asked me about snowboarding the most I could do is direct you to someone who might be able to answer whatever question you have. If you like extreme sports you figure it out, whatever the route. I feel like if you have to ask, you shouldn’t be there.
But with the increase in social media, especially the video platforms, extreme sports is coming into a new light.
RedBull has be at the front and center of this movement. With over 2,500 YouTube videos RedBull takes something extreme and makes it accessible.
Gear and clothing companies are also coming forward to make the sports more accessible. Using YouTube and Vimeo to feature not only their gear, but the athletes they sponsor. Showing off the best tricks supports not only their brand, but sparks interest in the sports themselves bringing with it a whole new class of newbies to learn it and love it.
We need a landing pad in league with ESPN for non ESPN Sports. (ESPN has an Action Sports section, but even then there is a whole mess of sports you’re missing.)
I want a single landing pad to find the latest information, news and gear for:
Long boarding /Skate boarding
Surfing
Rock Climbing
Cliff Diving
and those are just for me. There are a massive amount of extreme sports out there and even more content.
The trouble is getting all the information in one place and a layout that is user friendly. Whether it’s stats on an athlete, reviews on gear, or information about a competition; I would love to see it all on my newsfeed, dashboard, timeline, or whatever version of that you want to use.
A social element is also a huge get, because let’s be honest, when you’re not in a terrible mood, who wants to long board alone. Half the appeal of sports like these is being able to mess around with your friends and learn form each other and watch them climb higher then they have before, or land a trick you know they’ve been working on.
And now with the creation of Apps like
Nabit- taking frame by frame action shots with your iPhone and
SpotFinder- a geo location app to find great long boarding runs
it’s even easier to get location information and update your activity from your phone. If there is a mythical network out there that does all these things please tell me about it. I think the extreme sports base would be a fiercely loyal one, and I also think a working social network is something they deserve.
Also you have extreme sports like the ones I listed above and then you have things like this:
Wherever the adrenaline leads I know there are going to be some pretty rad videos to come and I want to see them all!
Have a great day!
Reblogged this on SykOse.