Why do manufacturers think there’s a difference between a rock climber and a surfer? - 05 Sep 2007
This is one of the most tedious questions I field every time I meet a sports manufacturer. Most of the people I talk with are in charge of Marketing & Communications and they believe that every sport enthusiast belongs to its own separate and non-related “segment”. They believe if you are a skier you belong to the skier segment. If you are a surfer, you belong to the surfer segment, and so on.
They cannot seem to understand a rock climber, a skier, a biker, and a surfer can in fact belong to one larger segment interested in the preservation of the planet so that the outdoors can be enjoyable for all of us.
I mean let’s face it, the enjoyment of outdoor sports is very intricately dependant on the health and cleanliness of the outdoors we play in and the spiritual connection it creates between us and nature. My surfer friends share with me their inspiring tales of “ballets with waves”. While my rock climbing friends speak of “entering the womb of the rock” and other stirring tales of interacting on a spiritual level with Mother Nature. And I know for a fact that all outdoor sports enthusiasts share these sensations.
Every time I sit around a table at the end of a rousing dinner with a bunch of hard-core outdoor nuts I hear the same anecdotes about who did what, when and how. I smile, knowing the folklore will inspire others in the years to come. But what I’ve remarked at every one of these gatherings is that the one thing that brings everyone into agreement is the role that nature played in the enjoyment. Whatever sport discipline was talked about, wherever in the world it was done and by whom, – the one thing that is never ever disputed is – nature.
So please, whenever you can, however you can, help me help the corporate decision makers understand that no matter what sport we love, we all love nature.
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