Entries tagged with ‘brands’
Nike’s 10K “Human Race” is drawing closer; race day is 31.08.2008 and it looks like there’s going to be millions of us out there that day!!
Besides being a great way to get people outdoors, together and having fun, this is a perfect example of how “some” companies are harnessing the web by “creating content” and not just looking for a quick dollar, euro or whatever. Event-Based Advertising is “better” than popups (when is it all going to stop or at least become intelligent) because it gives people something “before” asking for their patronage.
Most of the Laneo team is going out to participate on August 31st, maybe we’ll see you there?!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: races, brands, events
Apparently TYR Sport has filed a federal lawsuit against Speedo (both are makers of great swimwear), on the grounds that their new record-breaking “LZR Racer” suit has created chaos amongst top athletes engagements with it’s competitors and might stifle competition on the eve of the Olympic Summer Games.
Since February when the LZR Racer’s was launched, swimmers wearing the suit have set 37 world records and this has launched a fierce debate on the role this new technology has in competitive swimming. Additionally, many of the worlds swimming governing bodies have been plagued with attacks on the legality of Speedo’s design. These new suits claim to improve performance by 2 percent, which is a phenomenal boost in a sport where 1st and 2nd place are often decided by hundredths of a second.
This isn’t the first time that technology has provoked uproar but once again it’s the poor athletes that are in the pools for 3-6 hours everyday that are getting the “heat”.
But then again, didn’t Mark Spitz win all those Gold Medals in baggy swim trunks ?!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: technology, brands, sports
Climate Counts, a collaborative non-profit organization based in the USA, has just published its new Annual Scorecard that represents how serious companies are about stopping climate change – and how they compare to their sector competitors.
This annually updated scorecard reflects the self-reported efforts of companies to address climate change – or avoid it altogether.
This year in the “Apparel / Accessories” category, NIKE placed 1st with an overall score of 82/100. You can read more about their results (and even download the full report) here. What’s more important, you should raise your voice by sending a message to those companies that participate, via the online form that Climate Counts provides.
Nice to see citizen-based initiatives such as Climate Counts build greater awareness that when consumers take action and raise their voices on issues that matter to them, businesses pay attention.
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, environment
I just read some sad news; NAU is closing shop.
For those that don’t know the brand, NAU was a specialty retailer of extraordinary outdoor clothes with an exceptional community backdrop.
They’re description of themselves was “We are a small group of people, committed to the power of business as a force for change. We’re not just looking to make some new clothes. We’re aiming to redefine what it means to be successful.”
From their launch, which was about the same time as LANEO, I felt we had a great deal in common and I was moved to read their farewell note (which you can and should read on their homepage here); you can’t be more sincere and transparent than they have.
If you want to show you’re support, do as I did and purchase something quickly; you’ll be getting a great a product from a courageous company and on top of that, it’ll be a collectors item.
I hope to see these guys comeback very soon.
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands
At Laneo we love simple, fun and thought provoking websites especially those that grasp the potential of the web and what some call Web 2.0 (from Wikipedia: ” Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users.”).
One of our favorite brands is PATAGONIA and we try and follow every initiative they launch and we especially liked last year’s launch of their so-called “FOOTPRINT CHRONICLES” which they describe as,
“The Footprint Chronicles is an interactive mini-site that allows you to track the impact of ten specific Patagonia products from design through delivery.”
What was deemed as “just a gimmick” from their detractors and competitors was shortsighted; this is a perfect example of how an easy to use tool that provides total visibility into a company’s’ sourcing and production can have a positive impact on not only the manufacturer itself but also, educate the consumer on their clothing and other purchases.
Patagonia went even farther and provided a feedback form that linked directly to their blog and provided them with the input to add, just recently, 5 new products from their spring 2008 lineup!
The point is, using the web to display meaningful metrics on a macro level and promoting user input can produce some big changes in corporate decision making and help steer us all to a cleaner future.
5 stars from us at Laneo!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: websites, brands, environment
According to the latest news from SIA, Snow Sports sales were up 10.4% in this past and reach $2.97 B for the 2007-08 season. The same source cited Equipment sales “relatively flat” in specialty shops and retail outlets, however the online market increased by more than $40 million, which is no surprise to us at Laneo. Apparel sales seemed untouched and they increased by more than $100 million especially in the Snowboard market.
After a terrible 2006-07 season, looks like things are back on track for the Snow Industry which must be reassuring to most of the people we know working at these companies. We hope that this resurge will also bring about greater focus and investments in environmental products and marketing; rest assured, Laneo will be following it for you!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, partners
The ISPO Winter 08 Tradeshow was yet another great show, constantly growing and improving over previous editions. At the core of this event was the 7th Volvo Sports Design Forum, which this year was centered on Eco-Design and dedicated to the topic of sustainability in the field of industry and sports design. Eco-Design criteria included classic product development elements such as economy, safety, dependability, ergonomics, technical solutions and aesthetics added to this year’s ecological objectives of integrating a systematic ecological process into the early stages of product planning, development and design. Laneo was especially proud to see some of our Partners on stage; Dr.Georg Bauer, Director R&D at Atomic GmbH was a keynote speaker and did a marvelous job at making everyone understand the extremely complex design and production process and present Atomic’s very inspiring ground breaking work on environmental issues. Another partner, Salomon Snowboards won the Board Equipment category with their Bamboo Fiber based Snowboard, the Sickstick.
Overall, we’re starting to see an increasing number of Eco-Initiatives (I counted 38 during my 4 day tour) but Laneo is still concentrated on supporting companies that make measurable headway in reducing CO2 output and use less toxins and more sustainable materials (the leaders) and not just Carbon Offsetting and other Marketing tools (the followers).
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, shows
We’ve been thinking about putting together a recycle program with some of our corporate partners and we’d like to know if you’d like to participate?
The idea is to promote sustainability when purchasing new equipment by exchanging your old equipment at time of purchase. Most textiles can be re-used in some form and shoes can be partially recycled, and there also other ways of putting your used wares to good use. We have partners that have programs underway to put things like bicycles to better use, heart monitors that can be refurbished and backpacks dismantled to extract and re-use certain materials.
We’re discussing plans to partner with worldwide carriers (Fedex, DHL, UPS etc.) that have the capability to carry out sophisticated logistics linked with our web based membership, which will optimize the carbon footprint of such an operation.
If you’re interested, please respond to this post with a “yes” and feel free to add any comments and we’ll keep you updated on our progress.
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, society
A Laneo member just sent me a great lead to a small US company that makes, 100% wooden surfboards! GRAIN SURFBOARDS looks like a fabulous little company and when I make it over to the US next year, I hope to be able to check them out. Their whole story is that inspiring.
GRAIN SURFBOARDS are designed by people who surf every time there are waves, from wind-slop to groundswell. As they say on their website “We’re not pros, we just love surfing. When we’re not skipping work to surf, we’re probably watching “Sprout” just one more time, getting stoked. Our wooden surfboards are designed for people like us who love and live to surf.”
On the point of sustainability, GRAIN SURFBOARDS has done, in my opinion, a terrific job about being not only very clear about their work but more so, extremely educational. They have taken the time to put together a very extensive series of informational white papers that you can download from their website (FAQ section) and I have not seen this quality of work in a lot of much larger companies I’m in touch with. Bravo guys!
When visiting their website, take a minute to watch the slide show (Gallery tab). I’ve spent thousands of hours on the web in the past 2 years researching for Laneo and I haven’t come across such a nice refreshing set of photos like these. Superb!
I especially like their mindset where they treat each board as a “personal project”. A company that writes “we’ll always remember where we came from, and why”, shows me that there are a number of people out there today that are living the values the great outdoors and sports have given us.
Great job Mike, Greg, John, Brad & Randy!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands
I don’t know about you, but I get a big rush when I meet really fun, genuine, eco minded, experienced, outdoor sports enthusiasts. What’s even better is when you meet people like that who are running a big outdoor sports business and attending a trade show, where everyone else seems so obsessed with sales figures that they forget to be polite. Well, the people I met at BIONICON are truly different. The whole booth staff was amazingly friendly and just plain, cool.
BIONICON is a small German bicycle company that specializes in MTB and “MetroCycling” which they just introduced, because their innovation obsessed development team wanted to ride to work on urban bikes and contribute to low emission city transport.
Nestled in the pristine Bavarian hills, this neat company also has a small lineup of eco-minded clothes. Yes that’s right. You read it right – a bike manufacturer that makes easy going eco-bikewear!!
While talking with Daniel Kohl (CEO) & Mic de Min (Director Sales & Marketing USA), both of whom are really experienced mountain bikers, they nodded approvingly at all of Laneo’s community values and even added some more. It was like they were already Laneo members! Their philosophy is as inspiring as it is simple – enjoying the great outdoors with friends. It doesn’t matter how much suspension travel you have or who has the lightest bike. It’s all about sharing a moment whichever way each person chooses to share it.
BIONICON’s bike technology came about from a simple “natural” observation the founders made while riding their mountain bikes (this is a true story) and observed that mountain goats change their position when climbing or descending. They thought to themselves – why can’t we do the same? They then spent the next few years tinkering on designs until they finally got a design that enables you to adjust travel, frame and suspension while on the move. For example, on a standard bike, when you go uphill your center of gravity naturally shifts forward but as this happens, you lose traction on the rear wheel and you end up bent in an uncomfortable position to try and maintain control because your bike geometry is fixed and its features aren’t adapted to that terrain. On a BIONICON, you can adjust your suspension fork travel without the bottom bracket sinking and the height adjustment of the rear shock also changes the chain line in relation to the swing arm, this reduces suspension bob and increasing traction. The result is that your position becomes more upright for better breathing, the front wheel remains firmly on the ground and overall control is enhanced.
Nature also shaped BIONICON’s vision of bike wear. As Daniel Kohl said, “the connecting link between rider, bike and nature, clothing should be as simple and technically functional, whilst offering a natural and environmentally responsible solution to the needs of our sport”. He continued by offering this rousing statement, “It’s well known that nature provides the best designs, so once again we successfully found our inspiration here. Our colors are inspired by natural berries, forests and seasons which let the rider blend in with the environment.”
I think the people at BIONICON have really done a great job of putting everything in the right order, and their slogan puts it perfectly; “Wrap yourself in nature!”
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, sports
One of my favorite moments at the EUROBIKE show came when I ran into the LIKE A BIKE company. This little gem of a business has everything that makes for great and stimulating story. Children + Natural Products + Education + Craftsmanship + Sports + History = one heck of a model company. LIKE A BIKE makes a range of wooden bikes WITHOUT PEDALS for very young children and some fun accessories to make it even safer and more enjoyable. It all started 10 years ago when a German couple witnessed, as all parents do, their son having a terrible time mastering the art of riding a bicycle. Being creative and a skilled handyman, founder Rolf Merten went into his garage and proceeded to remove the training wheels, the pedals and even chopped a bit of the seat stem off in order to lower it. What happened a few minutes later changed his son’s life and eventually his own.
Since then LIKE A BIKE has continued to design new and better versions of his invention, using wood and other natural materials to make the bikers safer to use, easier to repair and easily accessible even to toddlers.
As I stood their talking with Delphine Mordenti, who distributes these bikes throughout Europe, I witnessed countless little kids whipping around on their “Mountain” models, deftly avoiding all the “big people” who were mesmerized by all the bikes on display and who wouldn’t have seen them anyway. What surprised me the most was how very small children, some who barley walked well, “rode” their bikes, by pushing themselves around with their two legs, like Venetian Gondola drivers with their canes. It also struck me that these children were highly independent and at the same time, very responsible, since they held their “presence” (in space & time) in their own hands.
The bikes themselves are of exceptionally quality (the wood is beautiful) and come in a variety of sizes and colors and are surprisingly transportable (with a simple Allen Key, anyone can pack it up in under 2 minutes). LIKE A BIKE is an ingenious product that teaches children the fun of living an active lifestyle, the importance of valuing time, and most importantly the connection that nature provides in terms of resources and settings.
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: family, brands, society
As I announced July 9th in this blog, the first concrete action ever undertaken by a Laneo partner on behalf of Laneo, is the LOOK KEO LANEO road pedal officially unveiled at this year’s EUROBIKE tradeshow. Not only was this an incredible statement of Look’s support of a clean planet, but it was also the ONLY statement I found at the whole show! With Look’s support, we’re all going to be able to do something to clean up our giant blue marble of a home.
I want to introduce you to the “father” of the Look Keo Laneo pedal; Christophe Jouffret. It took quite a lot of persuasion to get him into the photo with me (he’s very discreet) and even more to be able to post something on him (he’s extremely humble). These qualities are common in elite athletes and you’ll better understand Christophe’s engagement with Laneo and the environment when you learn that he is also an extremely accomplished triathlete. If I remember correctly, he’s been to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii – 5 or more times and has racked up countless titles in biking and running. Simply put, he is an authentic outdoor enthusiast just like the rest of us and that’s why I wanted you to meet him. Christophe has the same desire to see the state of the planet improved. He has experienced the same magical “earth-connection” moments as we all have and that hasn’t changed one iota just because he works for one of the world’s most famous premium bike brands.
Without Christophe, we’d obviously never had a pedal, let alone a partnership with Look Cycles. And without his company’s support, we’d never be here talking about it – so I’d also like to recognize the rest of the senior management, sales & marketing teams, notably Celine Sarriau who designed the marvelous catalogue presentation and dealer books. Without all these people, all their energy and all their support Laneo will not accomplish a lot – so on behalf of everyone at Laneo…
Bravo Christophe and the Look Cycles team – and “MERCI”!!
Posted by: andrew |
Tags: brands, partners
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