Energy Drink Wars
If you watch any televised snowboarding event other than the Olympics you’ll be inundated with riders shoving their energy drink sponsor in your face after they perform some double dipsy-do aerials or ballerina twirly birds. These gratuitous shots of riders whoring themselves to their sponsors are synonymous with snowboarding now. The X-Games seemingly being the proving ground for energy drink infused super athletes. But alas the X-Games is no longer just a competition it’s a multi tiered brand that covers skate, snow, bmx, making products in all those genres and you can now add to that energy drinks.
Does the world need another energy drink? Probably not, but if The X-Games are going to squeeze every red cent they can out of their marketing then this makes total sense. What better outlet to sling your wares then a televised event? Add to that their expansion to six more locales and they’re really extending their reach into new markets. You figure that every little Timmy or Suzies parents think they’re the next Shaun White or Ryan Sheckler and they’ll eat this up. I bet next year there’s a whole legion of X Games Energy groms out there frothing at the mouth and putting out crappy web edits of their awesome skills.
But there’s a slight gray area that looms in this rapid expansion into high fructose corn syrup rapid energy drinks. You watch any riders pipe run and it’s like they’ve climbed up on the Red Bull Monster and think they’re suddenly Rockstars. Will the X-Games suddenly put a squeeze on the athletes doing this so as to not hamper their sales? The smart move says they wouldn’t as the backlash from companies not paying to ship their athletes there would be huge, but alas in the corporate world and the fact the X-Games is owned by Disney says they’ll see dollars over practicality and that means strategic product placement.
Now anyone that cares enough to watch the X-Games knows it’s just a gong show and this could just add some serious fuel to the fire of why it’s becoming over commercialized. So I ask you this are you extreme enough to drink this? And who wants to mix it with booze and see if it’ll induce mental anxiety or stomach ulcers.
Popularity: 4% [?]
From the point of view of a young park rider, I think this sponsorship is great. Why? Well people get a bit of a helping hand doing the sport they love. The companies get advertising and association with cool sports. Tournaments get funded and young riders have a cool event to go and compete it. I would rather have more stickers and commercialisation of snowboarding than less tournaments where I can go and enjoy myself.
Whoring ourselves out for free stickers a box of red bull and a shot at the big time is worth it in our minds.
That’s one way to look at it… All I see is talented atlethes beeing used to push some product that has nothing to do with the sport.
It’s the same in motorcycle racing (my other passion), they get paid to wear the helmet with logo on it, and you see them walking around with a bottle off red bull (that actually has water in it) all the time.
It’s kinda sad…
“All I see is talented atlethes beeing used to push some product that has nothing to do with the sport.”
Agreed with Ivar. And then add to the fact that the product itself is not even good for you – in fact it is probably detrimental to your health (if you can’t pronounce half the ingredients, you probably shouldn’t consume it…) and that is icing on the cake. It’s *always* selling out to whore some product you don’t even believe int.
Actually if a company is helping a sport out then it has everything to do with it, by association. Do you think that the CO of santa cruz or the marketing director of forum cares more about snowboarding than the manager of monster energy? What if the guy in charge of red bull was a super keen sports enthusiast and loved giving back to the community? Maybe he isn’t, but chances are if his company are spending money and resources in a sport or lifestyle then he does care.
Even if this isn’t the case, what does it matter? A business wants to earn as much money as possible and squeeze the consumers for every penny. I work in a snowboard shop and we are encouraged to sell people as much stuff as possible, regardless if they need it or not, because thats how a business works. I tend not to do this because I value my personal integerity but I still have quotas to fullfil or my job is on the line if I don’t pursue pointless add on sales or convince people that they need a new board, even if I personally think what they already have is more suitable. don’t think that a snowboarding company genuinly cares about you any more than a drinks company does.
Now if you were sponsored would you not want to represent and promote the company that just paid for your gear and season pass?
Finally, where would we be without sponsorship? Tournaments, snowboarding films, semi pros and pro riders would have less money. Sponsorships offer a way for people to ride for a living, and it doesn’t matter what the sponsorship is, if its helping riders out then what does it matter.
People are far too idealistic about snowboarding. At the end of the day its a fun pastime that involves riding a plank of wood and fiberglass down a mountain with a smile on your face. I dont care who I affiliate myself with through sponsoring as long as it isn’t a hardcore racist group.
Sounds like you work at Zumiez actually if you’re filling quotas. Probably have to get your UPT and DPT up otherwise there goes your hours. I’ve worked in shops since the late 90′s and personally I’ve never cared to up-sell or add on anything and it seems to work more if you’re honest as hell.
Also do you know how little pro riders make? There’s probably about 10 to 20 in the world that are making enough to live and retire on the rest are working summer jobs as roofers or in shops. This energy drink isn’t bringing anything to the table but crap and I honestly hope they really do limit athletes promoting their brand after their run because I love the shit show that is the X-Games.
Oh and if you want snowboarding to be an elitist pastime that’s cool that’s your thing. I kind of like being part of a whole culture and that’s my take on it.
I don’t work in zumiez but it is the same principal.
And the reason why I’m saying that any sponsorship is good is because I know how little pro riders make. Surely anything contributing to the snowboarding economy (So to speak) is a good thing?
I dont want it to be an elitist pastime by any means, but to me the culture is the actual riding, the friends i’ve made from it and the banging nightlife in the resorts. Oh, and drinking red bull cos I’m addicted to that shit.
random thoughts:
you’ll now see X-Games Energy Drink commercials during the telecasts, and undoubtedly around the venues… will be an interesting dynamic since in the past the big three have not taken this approach to sponsorship and advertising (athlete based brand association)
will there be apparel? probably, especially given the success of the cobranded Rockstar, Red Bull, and Monster apparel in mall stores… you see people from age 8 – 40 buying into this stuff, so why wouldn’t X-Games…. they certainly arent going to scratch the market share pie chart of energy drinks thats for sure…
the ‘non taurine’ / ‘electrolyte’ heavy thing has already been done, died on the vine multiple times, ultimately its going to boil down to it being a 12-16 oz can, for under two dollars (see also: Amp, Monster) consumers are fickle, they’ll pay less for the big can and (thats what they equate with value) rather than purchasing an 8oz can of Red Bull for the same price (the apportioned serving size needed to obtain the intended effect of the drink) could you imagine 24oz of Monster in your stomach? talk about overdosing on corn syrup…
what athletes will become partners to the X-Games brand? if they’re sponsored by X-Games Energy, will they then look to lure these athletes into non compete contracts (a la Street League Skateboarding) after all, there are 6 events now right? 6 top 5 finishes given what prize money is nearing these days makes for a pretty good year on the income statement…
random musings, my two cents are always free