Information over load and this is a a rumors website but there are a few facts here. Nike over the last month or two have been hand picking Hurley’s top employers and business men and recruiting them to the Nike head quarters in Oregon. Nike used Hurley and 6.0 to break into the surf industry and now that they have there foot securely in there they are just pushing Nike. The U.S open this year has nothing to do with Hurley except for a small model search event and the lowers event is the Nike Lowers Pro. Don’t you think if Nike wasn’t planning to sell Nike they would involve them a lot more in surfing to biggest events in the U.S?
Now if they are planning on selling Hurley who is buying? Which other mega brand has a monopoly in surfing and is trying to take over? Billabong. So it would make sense for them to buy one of the other top three brands and dominate the industry once and for all. Bong looked into buying Quiksilver when they hit rock bottom and Bob Hurley did work for Billabong before he started Hurley. So we will have to wait and see.
Okay onto Mick Fanning. I had heard this rumor a while back but didn’t put anything up because i knew his contract still had while to go. Now that Hurley didn’t get Dane and Mick’s contract is coming up it seems like the perfect timing to do the old switcheroo for Mick because all that budget set aside for Dane has to be used somewhere. Of course RipCurl are going to throw a enormous amount of money at him to stay but it will come down to if he wants to leave and from what DoomasRumors has heard Eugene is pretty down to change things up.
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muy interesante,
Nike bashed their heads against the wall trying to get in for years. The hurley acquisition proved to be a smart move as they are now considered legit in the surf world. It was also smart of them to sponsor the groms early on and build through the youth rather than just buy the highest profile athletes. Nike is now recognized a legitimate surf brand…go figure.
Just do it
you’re right. its truly amazing how quickly nike 6.0 has become an accepted surf/sk8/snow/bmx brand and a major player in the action sports market. their strategy is a textbook study in how to quickly and convincingly grab substantial market share while at the same time building consumer confidence and brand loyalty.
i’m not a fan of big corpo, i own and design 5 small surf/sk8 niche brands, but i like to study the psychology and techniques that the bigs use because when you’re a small fish swimming in a big sea your survival depends on always knowing what the sharks are doing.
just do me.
I believe all of it. The Moose nuckle is never wrong.
i think that your instincts and insight are right on. both billabong and quiksilver seem to be getting very active in buying up the mid-range brands that are diluting their market. all of this is, of course, very illegal and a violation of u.s. anti-trust laws.
but that’s not the only way the big action sports brands are trying to shut out the small brands to better control the market. did you know that the big brands actually rent space in retail stores ostensibly to ensure placement and display of their product lines while effectively blocking out smaller brands from displaying their collections because they cannot afford to pay to rent space in retail stores. a good friend of mine who is the sales rep for a mid-range brand told me that his brand is effectively shut out from competing in the retail market in his area. he’s even had to get a second job because of the sales commissions he’s lost. if this practice is not illegal it is at the very least unethical because it restrains fair market competition within the industry.
i own and design 5 small, surf/skate niche brands. part of my business strategy is to stay very small and focus on marketing my sales directly to my niche markets so that i will never represent a potential threat to the big brands.
Interesting post. I agree with you.
Why did Mick Fanning attend the press conference of the Australia Open of Surfing? I mean, he’s not under contract with Hurley nor Billabong -contrary to Occy who attended the press conference as well-, and he’s not a Manly local.
I think Billabong will buy out Hurley from Nike -the relations between Billabong and Bob Hurley are tight-, and that Mick could be the top surfer of the Hurley team.
Greetings from France!
I would add that Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore are the “Kelly Slater and Lisa Andersen” of the 2000s: they have been World Champions, and they had the same sponsor (Rip Curl for Mick and Steph, Quik/Roxy for Kelly and Lisa). The only difference is that Mick and Steph have moved/would move to another sponsor. Cause times have changed, for the companies and their riders: the bigger the business is, the bigger the stakes of the game are.
True except Kelly still ripped in the 2000s! I don’t want to take anything from Mick, he’s a fantastic surfer, and an idol for sure. But I wouldn’t say he was all 2000. Kelly’s History clearly dominates Mick’s this past decade, so I wouldn’t say that just yet. We will just have to see how the 2010′s turn out!
From a fiscal standpoint Hurley isnt even listed on Nike’s primary financial’s. They are a blip. Yet a hugely growing blip. I dont work for Hurley but within the mix of their retail and they are growing substantially, that said their retail foot print and product dwarf’s what Nike has to market and in brick and mortar stores. ‘We’ know Nike in surfing but none of us have bought or I even bet would. From that place the average consumer even less so. I will say that the avg consumer would acknowledge Nike surf pretty easily as they do all their other categories, but I still think its early days for Nike surf. I mean how many of you have seen anyone actually wearing 6.0? Think about it
I dont feel Nike would sell Hurley, and I certainly dont think Billabong is in a position to absorb Hobie, I mean Hurley into their portfolio. They are having enough problems with some of their umbrella brands declining, or most being flat. That said growth is seen in aquisition and shareholders want growth.
I think all the Nike debranding of 6.0 and Nike marketing push is them seeding for 10 years from now IMO
Keep up the good work Dooma
dd
I don’t know where are you from but in Europe Nike 6.0 is pretty well famous. More and more i see people wearing their clothes, true story. And they are making contents all around the globe. Unless Quiksilver does something, Nike will be the major surf brand in the World. Think about it… Since Nike appeared in the surf scene, the sport became more and more professional and with bigger prize-money’s. And i think that Billabong and Rip Curl are losing power.. Talking about contracts. How the hell Rip Curl loses Steph to Quiksilver ( And this rumor of Mick heading down to Hurley). For most of you Tiago Pires doesn’t look like a top surfer but in Europe he is a giant and very lucrative to a brand ( His personal facebook fan page is in second spot, behind Andy Irons, with the most fans…More than Kelly Slater himself. And Billabong lost him to Quiksilver..
Adidas will sign the biggest surf contract ever by next dec. Mick Fanning is indeed going to Hurley because last Aug Rip Curl would not release him when he wanted to sign with Hurley. Nike will sell Hurley and all the bitches that left Billabong will go back to suck dick to keep their jobs.Hurley wanted Julian and Kai Barger, but Nike got both, how does that work?? like this Hurley is the ugly stepchild and Nike has the money.simple.
There is also fierce competition and hatred between Hurley and Nike employees.
Nike is cooler than Hurley.Even a current top 10 WCT surfer is frothing to rather have the swoosh on the nose of his board than his current lame surfbrand sticker(fact).
What else can i tell you?
JUST DON’T… I can’t believe we are going to have to see this Basketball companies banners up at the US Open of Surfing… I just opened the new surfing to see a Nike swish and “Just Do it” on a two page spread with Julian Wilson… Time to start a over from the ground up with the new industry…
I agree with your posting. I never really thought about it like that, but now that you mentioned Nike dropping the 6.0 and picking up the weathered tag-line ‘just do it’, it’ll put a new face in the surfing world; one that may not necessarily be welcomed by all. I hope Nike keeps a separate branch of their franchise for surfing (like 6.0) and doesn’t just throw surfing into the ‘Other Sports’ category like the rest of the non-basketball/football/baseball sports. It’ll be a huge detriment to the sport to have big names such as Julian Wilson, Kolohe Andino, and Michel Bourez to be thrown under the bus in the sponsor world with less than adequate attention from such a high corporation. Hope everything works out for the better of the surfing world.
Just say no to Nike. Call me old and cranky, but I’d much rather have SURFERS taking my money. It pains me to see Julien and Kolohe and all the Brazos (all ripping) riding for Nike.
Quicksilver has not yet hit rock bottom.
Soon come
Dougal has relationship with Hurley – Maybe PPR??
Billabong more likely…
Maybe it would be a good entry to the US market for Rip Curl who can’t figure that out to save their lives…
Hurley forced their way into the market and a lot of their revenue may break down during tough diligence…
you are all retards and have no clue whats going on!
DON’T WANT TO SEE NIKE IN OUR WORLD…DON’T DO IT.
You got that right UAR… I am a retard. You can tell I am because I wear dunks!!!
FF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfugVoh9hKI&feature=channel_video_title
If Billabong buys Hurley,which they since they’re buying everything, will than I think Fanning will go to RVCA or Hurley since Billanbong owns RVCA too. Who agrees?
Mark my words…..Mick Fanning will go to Billabong.
you know what..let nike spend billions on surfing…let it happen and shut the fuck up about it…all its going to do is pull everyone in the industry up a rung or 2..shit will be really really strong for a few years,smaller companies should ride this wave too and be smart as balls about it-and build a strong foundation,and team,and business,so when nike gets bored,as history proves they will,and after they’d swallowed all the cum they think surfing has to offer,they will move on and guess who is left?…a bunch of strong,core companies,fuckloads more surfers and events,and spots,and tits and fun for everyone true to the game…
Lets all Welcome these bloodsuckers right now with open motherfucking arms,and lets all build off of the free press,and attention they are giving to all of our lives and wallets…We can use these cockmunchers juuuuust as much as they used everyone reading this.
never forget : REAL recognizes REAL.
Lets make shit happen!!
SPOT ON!
Don’t be a douche in a swoosh!
Kid’s must realize they are being brainwashed…
Why would anyone want to buy Hurley? They bought their way into stores and without the bank of Nike who can keep up paying for space? Talking to retailers, their product is not selling well and many just return it for new product. When other brands sell well why would a retailer keep them if they no longer can afford to swap out what doesn’t sell?
Nike was smart. They bought a brand on the brink of death. Used their money to revive it and get all the contacts and legitimacy they could take. Now it is time to take it back to the vet and put it down.
I had a dream to begin my own commerce, nevertheless I did not have enough amount of cash to do it. Thank goodness my close mate recommended to use the personal loans. Hence I used the short term loan and made real my dream.