8 seemingly easy questions to test your knowledge about Tim Durtschi
Aug 1 2014 7:03PM
Aug 2 2014 5:56AM
Aug 2 2014 11:35AM
Have you guys not yet figured out that this is a marketing ploy and absolutely nothing else? Every single person gets "stalker" so that they feel good about themselves, whether or not it is merited. This is then paired with a discount code, a further "feel good" incentive. This is basic marketing, nothing more.
Aug 2 2014 1:43PM
iFlipHave you guys not yet figured out that this is a marketing ploy and absolutely nothing else? Every single person gets "stalker" so that they feel good about themselves, whether or not it is merited. This is then paired with a discount code, a further "feel good" incentive. This is basic marketing, nothing more.
not everyone does. And everything a brand does is marketing.
Aug 2 2014 4:03PM
iFlipHave you guys not yet figured out that this is a marketing ploy and absolutely nothing else? Every single person gets "stalker" so that they feel good about themselves, whether or not it is merited. This is then paired with a discount code, a further "feel good" incentive. This is basic marketing, nothing more.
You're wrong because I got pityful.
"I'm surprised you even know me"
NEEEEXT
Aug 2 2014 4:07PM
Why does everyone care so much about how saga promotes their brand? Shit like this doesn't affect you. You're not getting ripped off, you're not forced into taking these kinda of surveys, you're not being forced into buying their products, etc. I can think of a few threads that turned into discussions of saga's marketing strategies and people hating on it. Personally, I think it's getting a bit ridiculous.
Aug 2 2014 4:11PM
MinggWhy does everyone care so much about how saga promotes their brand? Shit like this doesn't affect you. You're not getting ripped off, you're not forced into taking these kinda of surveys, you're not being forced into buying their products, etc. I can think of a few threads that turned into discussions of saga's marketing strategies and people hating on it. Personally, I think it's getting a bit ridiculous.
Exactly.
Saga wouldn't be here if they weren't good at marketing. You don't need to even open this thread. Go back to fapping or whatever you were doing.
Aug 2 2014 4:32PM
MinggWhy does everyone care so much about how saga promotes their brand? Shit like this doesn't affect you. You're not getting ripped off, you're not forced into taking these kinda of surveys, you're not being forced into buying their products, etc. I can think of a few threads that turned into discussions of saga's marketing strategies and people hating on it. Personally, I think it's getting a bit ridiculous.
Saga is core as fuck, and clearly they've helped out this site and skiing just as much as this site/skiing has helped Saga. They make super sick outerwear, and I don't have anything against what they do for skiing, nor the projects and media that they can help come to fruition. But, in my eyes, their marketing tactics are replicating the scummiest shit on the internet. Stupid ass buzzfeed style quizzes and Instagram picture repost spamming for prizes have no spirit or purpose. I've talked about this exact thing in other threads, but everything Saga does promotionally has been shit for the last few years. Two, three years ago, they were all about inspiring a community to do cool shit and have fun. They had a contest called Partners in Crime in 2011 where you basically created any kind of media documenting your adventures; there were edits from a crew's season sending big jumps into deep powder, photo blogs about summer cliff jumping trips, and a ton of other really interesting adventures from all kinds of different people. That kind of stuff motivates a community to go out and do cool things and it makes a brand look awesome because they're making a positive impact on their consumers. There was real spirit to their promotion and strategy then. Now all they're incentivizing is that kids sit in front of a computer or phone screen and make a silly outerwear collage in the fast food app or to guess at wholly irrelevant questions on Facebook, spamming feeds with pointless fluff. That kind of shit deteriorates a brand because it doesn't have any heart to it, and I would have expected that Saga would have been the last to buy into that nonsense because they were doubtlessly one of the coolest brands a few years ago.
Saga.It's lonely at the top.
Really? Have some fucking humility.
Aug 2 2014 4:38PM
Just look at how cool this shit sounds. They took down the actual website that it was posted on, so you can't see any of the entries anymore, but they were awesome.
Aug 2 2014 4:52PM
gavinrudySaga is core as fuck, and clearly they've helped out this site and skiing just as much as this site/skiing has helped Saga. They make super sick outerwear, and I don't have anything against what they do for skiing, nor the projects and media that they can help come to fruition. But, in my eyes, their marketing tactics are replicating the scummiest shit on the internet. Stupid ass buzzfeed style quizzes and Instagram picture repost spamming for prizes have no spirit or purpose. I've talked about this exact thing in other threads, but everything Saga does promotionally has been shit for the last few years.
Hit the nail on the head
Aug 2 2014 6:41PM
gavinrudySaga is core as fuck, and clearly they've helped out this site and skiing just as much as this site/skiing has helped Saga. They make super sick outerwear, and I don't have anything against what they do for skiing, nor the projects and media that they can help come to fruition. But, in my eyes, their marketing tactics are replicating the scummiest shit on the internet. Stupid ass buzzfeed style quizzes and Instagram picture repost spamming for prizes have no spirit or purpose. I've talked about this exact thing in other threads, but everything Saga does promotionally has been shit for the last few years. Two, three years ago, they were all about inspiring a community to do cool shit and have fun. They had a contest called Partners in Crime in 2011 where you basically created any kind of media documenting your adventures; there were edits from a crew's season sending big jumps into deep powder, photo blogs about summer cliff jumping trips, and a ton of other really interesting adventures from all kinds of different people. That kind of stuff motivates a community to go out and do cool things and it makes a brand look awesome because they're making a positive impact on their consumers. There was real spirit to their promotion and strategy then. Now all they're incentivizing is that kids sit in front of a computer or phone screen and make a silly outerwear collage in the fast food app or to guess at wholly irrelevant questions on Facebook, spamming feeds with pointless fluff. That kind of shit deteriorates a brand because it doesn't have any heart to it, and I would have expected that Saga would have been the last to buy into that nonsense because they were doubtlessly one of the coolest brands a few years ago.Really? Have some fucking humility.
If partners in crime were successful we would still be doing it. You may not agree with some of the marketing we do and thats ok. Before this most recent post we put on the Adam Delorme Re-Edit contest. Thats not spamming and inspires the community to use their skills to create something sick.
We have no problem with people disagreeing with our marketing. Some things work, some things don't. But trying new things and staying ahead of the curve is what we always strive for.
So hate on the things we do but please at least take into consideration everything we do before judging our entire brand on one small part.
Aug 2 2014 7:36PM
i think that it depends on what you define as "successful" and "ahead of the curve". I too thought Partners in Crime was a super cool idea and would say was it successful because it did motivate, inspire, and dare i say it almost had some emotion behind it. the marketing today seems to be void of that but im guessing looks better on paper? with all the numbers and statistics it makes by having people click on things? i can see how that is successful, in a way. this might be a terrible analogy but i have felt saga has been doing the history channel thing... it started out having to do about history but to stay successful and ahead of the curve they went all swamp monsters, aliens, and pawn shops. i guess being successful will inevitably make you branch out from your roots, but dont grow so tall that you lose sight of where you came from. it might be lonely for you at the top but that is because you are shedding the leaves that made you grow to that height (my opinion, i doubt you share). i am turned off, my dick is limp.
burfurt.
Aug 2 2014 8:50PM
Calb3rti think that it depends on what you define as "successful" and "ahead of the curve". I too thought Partners in Crime was a super cool idea and would say was it successful because it did motivate, inspire, and dare i say it almost had some emotion behind it. the marketing today seems to be void of that but im guessing looks better on paper? with all the numbers and statistics it makes by having people click on things? i can see how that is successful, in a way. this might be a terrible analogy but i have felt saga has been doing the history channel thing... it started out having to do about history but to stay successful and ahead of the curve they went all swamp monsters, aliens, and pawn shops. i guess being successful will inevitably make you branch out from your roots, but dont grow so tall that you lose sight of where you came from. it might be lonely for you at the top but that is because you are shedding the leaves that made you grow to that height (my opinion, i doubt you share). i am turned off, my dick is limp.burfurt.
So you think saga sold old?
Aug 2 2014 10:22PM
Calb3rti think that it depends on what you define as "successful" and "ahead of the curve". I too thought Partners in Crime was a super cool idea and would say was it successful because it did motivate, inspire, and dare i say it almost had some emotion behind it. the marketing today seems to be void of that but im guessing looks better on paper? with all the numbers and statistics it makes by having people click on things? i can see how that is successful, in a way. this might be a terrible analogy but i have felt saga has been doing the history channel thing... it started out having to do about history but to stay successful and ahead of the curve they went all swamp monsters, aliens, and pawn shops. i guess being successful will inevitably make you branch out from your roots, but dont grow so tall that you lose sight of where you came from. it might be lonely for you at the top but that is because you are shedding the leaves that made you grow to that height (my opinion, i doubt you share). i am turned off, my dick is limp.burfurt.
I can see how you could think that. The way we see it is that not everything we do is going to be right. But you have to keep trying new and different things or else you will fade into mediocrity. With any new promotion we run we're trying to get our fans involved and to feel like they are a part of our brand. Because ultimately you all are. There are things we do every year that people don't agree with. We listen to that and use it to shape our future.
Aug 2 2014 10:59PM
Saga.It's lonely at the top.
shuuuut the fuuuck up.
you arnt helping your case by saying stuff like this. You sound like fucking HOFFM@N when people used to shit on him for being such a shitty person. "Hop off my dick bro, stop ridin my dick."
like youre making buzzfeed quizzes... i guess thats your marketing ploy to sell out to all the 12 year olds and the generation that is addicted to technology, but i mean hey if you want a bunch of pre-teens running around the mountain in your product then go for it. I guess thats cool if thats how you want your brand to be portrayed.
Face it, youre selling out. And dont give me the "sorry for trying to make money" bull shit, because there is a fine line.
Aug 2 2014 11:06PM
Aug 2 2014 11:14PM
MinggWhy does everyone care so much about how saga promotes their brand? Shit like this doesn't affect you. You're not getting ripped off, you're not forced into taking these kinda of surveys, you're not being forced into buying their products, etc. I can think of a few threads that turned into discussions of saga's marketing strategies and people hating on it. Personally, I think it's getting a bit ridiculous.
I think its more so that they people that were on the train from their earlier years just dont like how they are changing and what the company is becoming. And thats how people are with everything. People dont like change generally. I miss the old saga from like 08... IMO, their outwear designs and even clothing (sweatshirts, tees, etc.) started going down hill in like '11. And in all honesty I can say I have bought few, if any items from them sense. This new ridiculous marketing just sort of sent everything over the edge for me and caused me to want to do shit like what is below...
Olimarshuuuut the fuuuck up.you arnt helping your case by saying stuff like this. You sound like fucking HOFFM@N when people used to shit on him for being such a shitty person. "Hop off my dick bro, stop ridin my dick."
like youre making buzzfeed quizzes... i guess thats your marketing ploy to sell out to all the 12 year olds and the generation that is addicted to technology, but i mean hey if you want a bunch of pre-teens running around the mountain in your product then go for it. I guess thats cool if thats how you want your brand to be portrayed.
Face it, youre selling out. And dont give me the "sorry for trying to make money" bull shit, because there is a fine line.
I apologize for losing my cool... but i mean this is pretty much how I feel about the brand as of now. I dont now if you have completely sold out yet, but In all honesty I dont think you're far from it.
Yeah like gavin (or what ever purple name that was) said, you guys are still core as fuck and you give back to skiing so much and its awesome, but i mean all I can really say is I miss what the company used to be.
Aug 2 2014 11:37PM
I think some of you are thinking too far into this. It's similar to how people will dislike one item we make and judge the entire line by it. At the end of the day all we're really trying to do is get people involved with our brand and riders. The Durtschi quiz, the Delorme re edit contest, it's all there to promote the team because they are our strongest assets and put their lives on the line for us. We owe it to them to do anything we can to help further their careers and dreams.
Aug 2 2014 11:43PM
cydwhitGavin and I have had this discussion before and I 100% agree. Saga, I like your brand, I wore a full saga suit all last year but honestly I think most of your marketing sucks. I want to like you but all your marketing is pushing me away
Same. I've skied with Saga pants for two years now, I think Saga makes some of the best product on the scene. I'll continue to support the brand.
So, Saga, I've far from judged the entire brand just on the basis that I think you're steering the wrong way promotionally. That said, just like I've learned from making videos, you only improve if you're told that you're doing it wrong. That's not to discount the fact that you guys have been running Saga for a while now and know what you're doing, plus I'm far from any expert, but I think it's always beneficial to hear what your consumers think.
I also don't disagree with you guys trying to find a new way to reach a customer base, but I think that you need to be unique and creative to do that well, and copying mainstream media trends is not at all going to do that for you.
At the end of the day, you have to do whatever will keep the ship afloat, and it royally sucks to hear that Partners in Crime wasn't a successful promotional strategy. But stuff like that, with good spirit and incentive, will always build a solid brand reputation. I don't want to see you guys tear that down with these mindless promotions.
Also, I might add that the Delorme Re-Edit contest is a much more creative way to inspire kids to show all their own perspectives on skiing, but I think that making it a social media contest takes so much away from it. Vote-based contests are the worst contests because they become so much less about the content than the popularity of an entrant. It engages an audience, surely, but it doesn't always result in quality winners. You say that it's not spamming, but it just turns into a bunch of desperate kids PM'ing everyone in their FB friend list for votes, posting it on their news feeds every day, etc. The contest is just inviting the participants to do the spamming for you.
Aug 3 2014 12:07AM
gavinrudySame. I've skied with Saga pants for two years now, I think Saga makes some of the best product on the scene. I'll continue to support the brand.So, Saga, I've far from judged the entire brand just on the basis that I think you're steering the wrong way promotionally. That said, just like I've learned from making videos, you only improve if you're told that you're doing it wrong. That's not to discount the fact that you guys have been running Saga for a while now and know what you're doing, plus I'm far from any expert, but I think it's always beneficial to hear what your consumers think.
I also don't disagree with you guys trying to find a new way to reach a customer base, but I think that you need to be unique and creative to do that well, and copying mainstream media trends is not at all going to do that for you.
At the end of the day, you have to do whatever will keep the ship afloat, and it royally sucks to hear that Partners in Crime wasn't a successful promotional strategy. But stuff like that, with good spirit and incentive, will always build a solid brand reputation. I don't want to see you guys tear that down with these mindless promotions.
Also, I might add that the Delorme Re-Edit contest is a much more creative way to inspire kids to show all their own perspectives on skiing, but I think that making it a social media contest takes so much away from it. Vote-based contests are the worst contests because they become so much less about the content than the popularity of an entrant. It engages an audience, surely, but it doesn't always result in quality winners. You say that it's not spamming, but it just turns into a bunch of desperate kids PM'ing everyone in their FB friend list for votes, posting it on their news feeds every day, etc. The contest is just inviting the participants to do the spamming for you.
These are the kinds of responses and discussions we can appreciate. Well said and thought out.
In response to the dislike of facebook voting contest, our philosophy on that is what do you gain by keeping information from people? True it is annoying when people spam their friends for votes but at the heart of it we're just trying to show people stuff they might be interested in. There is soooo much content on line these days that you can miss something you might like very easily. If there were a better way to reach our fans we would gladly look into it.
Aug 3 2014 12:10AM
Olimarshuuuut the fuuuck up.you arnt helping your case by saying stuff like this. You sound like fucking HOFFM@N when people used to shit on him for being such a shitty person. "Hop off my dick bro, stop ridin my dick."
like youre making buzzfeed quizzes... i guess thats your marketing ploy to sell out to all the 12 year olds and the generation that is addicted to technology, but i mean hey if you want a bunch of pre-teens running around the mountain in your product then go for it. I guess thats cool if thats how you want your brand to be portrayed.
Face it, youre selling out. And dont give me the "sorry for trying to make money" bull shit, because there is a fine line.
How the fuck are they selling out? They're still catering to a small percentage of skiing and still makes sick gear.
Aug 3 2014 12:30AM
I realize from a company standpoint social media based contests are way easier and simpler so I sympathize on that, I guess I just have too high of standards for marketing. I am desperate for the ski community to produce rad content, be that through marketing, contests, or sponsorships, and more and more I feel like we are settling for what is funny, cute, or easy.
I want to buy brands that are confident enough to realize that they can't appeal to everyone, I want to buy brands that care more about the quality of their customers than the quantity. I realize this is not realistic for every brand but I really like Saga, and want to like their marketing.
Aug 3 2014 3:03AM
MinggSo you think saga sold old?
not at all. i agree with cydwhit and gavin and it think they both do a better job of articulating the point i was also trying to make... this pretty much sums it up beautifully.
cydwhitI realize from a company standpoint social media based contests are way easier and simpler so I sympathize on that, I guess I just have too high of standards for marketing. I am desperate for the ski community to produce rad content, be that through marketing, contests, or sponsorships, and more and more I feel like we are settling for what is funny, cute, or easy.I want to buy brands that are confident enough to realize that they can't appeal to everyone, I want to buy brands that care more about the quality of their customers than the quantity. I realize this is not realistic for every brand but I really like Saga, and want to like their marketing.
im not judging the entirety of the brand solely on the marketing department in any way. i have much respect for the company for just having the consistent presence on ns that they do, a direct line from "the top" to the masses. its great because people can express their opinions directly whether it is agreeable to them or not. though sometimes i feel like they contradict themselves or say things that really make me scratch my head.
Aug 3 2014 4:44PM
iFlipHave you guys not yet figured out that this is a marketing ploy and absolutely nothing else? Every single person gets "stalker" so that they feel good about themselves, whether or not it is merited. This is then paired with a discount code, a further "feel good" incentive. This is basic marketing, nothing more.
Shots fired!
also saga shit looks cool but its too expensive for my taste.
Aug 3 2014 9:11PM
Saga.I'm curious to hear what sort of marketing promotions you think are better.
I miss worded that, I have no problem with social media based marketing. The stuff I don't like is these popularity pseudo contests. Like someone already mentioned, crowd voting based contests are much easier to run but they lead to really lame content winning sometimes. It becomes a popularity contest, not a contest of who has the best content.
I love contests that drive the contestants to be creative. Gopro has done some where you tell them what you would do with the camera and they reward the most creative idea. Blister Gear review does some where you tell them what you would do with the prize and they pick their favorite. The full tilt show us your boots contest was the same kind of thing.
Saga, if you told me to post a shot of me in saga gear in the most ridiculous place possible, or if you asked me to post the most unlikely person wearing saga (cop, grandma, teacher, etc) or if you asked me to write you the best limerick about skiing, or tell you my favorite skiing recipe (fast food related) or if you asked me to do the most radical, non skiing thing possible in saga, or if you wanted me to draw the best skiing related picture I would be interested. (These are just a start, I am full of bad ideas)
I am not interested in answering a crappy survey about how much of a pro-hoe I am. I am not interested in decorating my dream outfit in an app. I am not interested in spamming my instagram followers by reposting some crappy picture of yours.
Anyway, sorry if that came off as a bitter rant. I could be totally wrong, I just want to like you all, I want to see a legit company succeed without resorting to lame, immature, lazy marketing.