COPY & CONCEPT
I think copy and concept often go hand-in-hand, particularly when giving context to anything, so I add that to the title. You’ll see what I mean …
evo - KEEPING IT REAL
Worked with evo (not a typo) when they were opening their new hotel in Tahoe. Jeremy Jones (big mountain) was involved with the vibe of the place as a collab situation. I wasn’t brought in for a storied career in hospitality marketing. It was snowboarding, a brand-name pro was involved, and they wanted to keep it real, and not disrespect the locals. Respect, without sounding like a fanboy:
JEREMY JONES – AS DEEP AS LOCAL GETS
We’re not sure if we asked Jeremy Jones to open a hotel with us, or if he invited us in – they way he shares his passion, it’s hard to tell. And that’s the exact energy we hoped for when opening evo Hotel Tahoe City together.
BURTON NUG - SONG
The Burton Snowboards Nug was a short board designed to ride bigger. It did. The board’s graphic was a glass blown pipe. Different times. To introduce it, we made a commercial. My job, was to write a song. Since then, I’ve had a handful of other parody songs, but this one remains champion, and the most double entendres I’ve ever strung together. Alex Adrian directed the shoot and production, and Evan Rose was the Creative Director. The 1980s Juicy Fruit commercials were the inspo. Nailed that .
Lyrics:
The sun is up, and the sky is blue; your buds are hyped with a Nug for you.
The mountain’s hot, and the snow is cool; with your fresh Nug packed, you’re ready to rule.
Light up the bowl, then hit the pipe; burn up the woods, bro, the joint is tight.
All you need’s a pinch cuz the Nug is kind, dropping inches all over, it will blow your mind.
Chorus:
One hit, one hit is all it took.
One hit, and you’re totally hooked.
DARN TOUGH VERMONT – SOCK CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Writing and creative direction. DTV called itself the Sock Capital of the World (quality over quantity) before I got there, but I had some fun with the idea of what it meant to be the sock capital of the world, and loved getting others to offer up their Wonka-vision of the town and mill (waxed wood sidewalks we could slide everywhere on). Theme park and diner placemat maps came to mind as a way to create a visual. This was used in a dealer catalog intro before all kinds of life elsewhere. The copy is as such:
NORTHFIELD, VT
SOCK CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Let’s square up on something, we don’t claim owning Northfield. We didn’t make this town.
The town, however, made us.
There are more than a few daughters, sons, mothers, and fathers that call Northfield, and our Mill, their home. It’s easy to see why. It’s beautiful here. But the living’s not easy—it’s a bit out of the way, seems to get colder than normal, and the cell service is questionable at best.
And maybe that’s why this community knits what people consider the best sock they’ve ever worn. Singular focus, no distractions, in a gorgeous but tough environment. Sounds about right. Regardless, we’ve earned it and you don’t have to take our word. Ask a fan. There’s a few around.
Northfield, VT—Sock Capital of the World. Thank you.
—
NOT TAKEN LIGHTLY
31. That’s the number of prototypes we tested before updating one of the most popular styles in the line—The Light Hiker [SEE WOMEN’S PAGE 9, MEN’S PAGE 33]. NEW mesh panels maximize breathability, and reinforced cushioning extends above the Achilles for a new level of comfort. But check out the smooth, narrow ribbing that—yes, feels nice—but will hang tough for...well...ever.
WE’RE OUT THERE
Function on the way up determines performance on the way down. The NEW Outer Limits Vertical sock [SEE WOMEN’S PAGE 13, MEN’S PAGE 38] was designed to improve both. Articulated mesh wrapping up the back of the calf keeps everything cool on the ascent and streamlined padding and cushion ensures you’re lit on the way down. You don’t have to get deep to wear this, but you’ll be hyped you did. Wearing it, and getting deep.
BURTON SNOWBOARDS - HAIKU
I don’t think I’d written a Haiku since grade school, but that was the request for the ad creative. Japanese snowboarder and Burton rider Kazuhiro Kokubo had just ended a great season with a halfpipe win at the 2010 US Open - a Burton event. He’d won before taking his final run, and chose to straight line it in celebration. While many would have loved to see him just get rad without scoring stress, he chose his own path. As Kazu does. The Haiku:
Open is now closed
Run to victory at hand
My line is mine now.
DARN TOUGH - WHILE TRENDING …
Personally do not find these easy to do, or at least do well - like there’s alway one you’re trying force. Not this one. And in the end there was one inclusion that finally tied it up - WOOKS & HIPPIES. DTV could post this for the next century and get likes. Those numbers for them were top tier at the time.
MORE BURTON - THE TERJE AD
The Burton Team was everything to Jake Burton Carpenter. The man loved riding, and the riders - we marketed them more than we did most of the tech designed. At the time, Terje Haakonsen was already an elder statesman in the snowboarding world. He had nothing to prove on the mountain anymore, but still did, and his boycott of the the FIS’s (skiers) involvement in the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games was a pretty core snowboard move, off the mountain. He was/is a legend, and a bit of an enigma. He got cancelled for saying some stupid shit later in life, so you’ll have to trust me on this one.
The ask was: Describe Terje in two words.
Did this one in under 5 minutes because it hit me pretty quick, and I only submitted the one (kinda Terje-like to be real). I was right. The two words:
Snowboarding’s Conscience