skate videos – the best kind of branded content?
week seven
Supreme are an American clothing brand that predominantly focus on streetwear, skateboarding, hip-hop culture, as well as youth culture more generally. Like many other sought-after streetwear brands, Supreme releases limited edition collections – and almost never restocks. This means that over time, the value of these items increase significantly; it’s not uncommon to see people reselling items for double, triple, even quadruple the retail price depending on how in demand the item is.
STALLION (2021)
A slightly less obvious – or perhaps a more unusual example of branded content, is the skateboarding video “Stallion” by William Strobeck, made for the brand Supreme. Released in May 2021, Strobeck’s 26-minute long skate video features over thirty sponsored skateboarders, including Thrasher’s 2018 Skater of the Year Tyshawn Jones, and the Supreme skate team. Sponsored skateboarders will typically receive the brand’s clothes and merchandise to showcase in skate videos, as well as social media.
I spoke to London and New York based skateboarder Ellis about his thoughts on branded skate videos.
“I watch skate videos to see the tricks and to get inspiration. I think that non-skaters are watching skate videos and maybe focusing more on the creative aspects, or the hype around the brand and the video.”
“I think most skaters acknowledge that it is a form of branded content, but don’t necessarily care. It’s not obvious advertisement and feels easier to watch because of that. Brands fund and shape the content in a good way. They have a set budget they can give to the skaters and filmmakers, to organise trips to different places, and to invest money into skating to get the best possible content for the company. It makes the videos more enjoyable.”
In ‘The Advertising Handbook‘, scholars observe the significant shift from traditional advertising formats to the abundance of new opportunities for branded content. ‘Stallion’ is an example of Supreme’s own media content, but what’s distinct about this example in particular is that it creates its own ‘blending’ of advertising and editorial. From Ellis’ perspective, the concentrated focus on the sport itself, alongside the shift away from traditional advertising methods makes ‘Stallion’ a successful piece of branded content because it serves different purposes for different audiences.
The release of ‘Stallion was intended to coincide with the opening of Milan’s new Supreme store, and was – you guessed it, filmed in Milan. This was a clear marketing strategy to gain extra traction to the new store, connecting some of the world’s most popular skateboarders to the brand through sponsorships. Whilst the skaters are kitted out in Supreme clothing and gear, a balance is maintained between advertising the brand, and showcasing the skating. This is what Ellis describes as the formula to a great skate video. Sponsorship and funding from brands enhance the content, helping to invest money in what is still deemed as an “unconventional” sport.
“Brands may be both clients in traditional guise for media companies at the same time as they become media companies and marketing agencies themselves.”
Jonathan Hardy (2018) – Branded Content: The Fateful Merging of Media and Marketing
Technological developments have allowed marketing to develop into a “new phase” of brands being incorporated into media content. As visual communication is one of the more saturated markets, brands need to constantly evolve and adapt to changing environments in order to disrupt competition. As long as skateboarding brand sponsorships continue to champion and celebrate the sport, they will continue to attract the initial audiences that are invested.