Pepsi Ads

[bc]

Seen the new Pepsi Ads with Parko, Taj & Occy?

I like em.
-Not trying to sell the image of surfing,
Just portraits of guys at the top of their game.

(If you don't surf, most likely you wont know who they are)

But - can anyone remember a time when surf culture was being more aggressively marketed? Its everywhere!

[BB]

Surf culture? Sort of like Military Intelligence isn't it? As for the ads, we need 'them like a hole ion the friggin' head. I mean is there anyone who doesn't "surf" left? When I see the steady parade of goons, freaks and fat bastards attempting to surf it makes me sick. Surfing just bent over and took it up the jaksi from big business for the benefit of a tiny minority and the eternal damnation of the rest of us.

[collnarra]

Hah! you're one bitter and twisted mofo, BB. I saw the ads and thought it was ace that people like Occy, rather than some talentless troll like Saint Delta, are getting paid by big biz to do nothing other than be themselves.

and has surfing sold out? I suggest you need to spend more time going for the early, or driving up and down the coast looking for waves, and less time at whatever over subscribed sydney beachy you call your own. Surfing's supposed to be fun, mang. If it's not fun, don't blame anyone but yourself.

[Spoon]

With a population of over 4 million and lined with beaches, Sydney is always gonna have a crowd factor but you do get times when for some reason whether conditions look poor but are actually not that bad you get an uncrowded section and your stoked. As for selling out, surfing has been marketed for years so if you a pro why not take the cash. The good thing is that they probably won't give a damn if they do get caught drinking a coke.

[BB]

Hah! you're one bitter and twisted mofo, BB. I saw the ads and thought it was ace that people like Occy, rather than some talentless troll like Saint Delta, are getting paid by big biz to do nothing other than be themselves.

and has surfing sold out? I suggest you need to spend more time going for the early, or driving up and down the coast looking for waves, and less time at whatever over subscribed sydney beachy you call your own. Surfing's supposed to be fun, mang. If it's not fun, don't blame anyone but yourself.

Maybe, but better that than some smug, shallow prat prone to mouthing platitudes. Sound like anyone you know collnarra?

[WANDERER]

Surf culture? Sort of like Military Intelligence isn't it? As for the ads, we need 'them like a hole ion the ****' head. I mean is there anyone who doesn't "surf" left? When I see the steady parade of goons, freaks and fat bastards attempting to surf it makes me sick. Surfing just bent over and took it up the jaksi from big business for the benefit of a tiny minority and the eternal damnation of the rest of us.

spot on, what we need is some bad publicity... shark attacks or something or...

bring back tha biff!

[Longygrom]

I was on the bus today, looking at the pepsi add and thinking that ive seen that face somewhere, and then it occured to me it is occy. I reckon it does nothing to sell surfing, cause the majority of the public have no idea who they are.

[HB]

Good point Maurice, but personally I'd rather have thick wetsuits, old fibreglass boards and no surf reports over the circus you see in the water these days.

No one in Morning of the Earth seemed to have a problem with their lot.

[dabomb]

Surf culture? Sort of like Military Intelligence isn't it? As for the ads, we need 'them like a hole ion the ****' head. I mean is there anyone who doesn't "surf" left? When I see the steady parade of goons, freaks and fat bastards attempting to surf it makes me sick. Surfing just bent over and took it up the jaksi from big business for the benefit of a tiny minority and the eternal damnation of the rest of us.

Hit the nail on the fuck'n head! Seeing a parade of goons, freaks and bat bastards attempting to surf makes me fuk'n sick too. I feel like gettin a sniper and shooten em all dead. I couldnt agree more... but the people who make me the most sick are summer surfers, they r the ones out there just for the image. Like fu(k...

[youngo]

are we sure it's Occy? looks a little too dressed up; more like Owen Wilson...?

Coke is better anyway.

[streetdaddy]

went for a surf down here in SA on Saturday morning, about 48 hours after the tragic attack, and considering it was the first time there'd been 3-4 foot glassy offshore saturday morning conditions in about 2 weeks I was surprised that there were so few out for the dawny... the popular spot in question, Parsons, is about 100km from where the attack took place, easily within the range of a pointer, so maybe that played on the minds of people a bit? It's a spooky and fishy spot most days so you can't blame me for being a bit spooked myself!

Fair to say though, a shark attack certainly seems to keeps the crowds down a bit, but not completely...

[buzzy]

Surfing's formed a part of advertising for as long as I can remember, particularly with Coke. Geez, even Ampo were sponsors of the World Champs in 1964, BHP sponsored a pro event in the 80's and Beaurepeaires, the tyre people ffs, sponsored a pro event then too.

Surfing is about the best "image" an advertiser can borrow. Show a surfer and it subliminally says a lot. That aint all bad. It's just our sport/lifetyle rocks. And there's nothing we can do to change that.

[BB]

buzzy, I think you're a bit naiive on that point. There was always a little bit of sponsorship in surfing but the present situation had its beginnings in the efforts of a relatively small group of surfers/businessmen/administrators in the mid-seventies. Believe me those people went out there bums up to anyone who they thought would invest. Their efforts changed surfing profoundly, for the worst in the opinion of most of us who lived through that era. It started this idea that surfing is accesible and fun for everyone, which is a load of crap, and attracted people into the sport who basically don't belong. You see them walking down the beach and think "............why bother, you're not a surfer and never will be!"

[buzzy]

I've been surfing since the late 70's. I remember surfing featuring just as much in lifestyle advertising then as it does now.

Sure, the surf clothing manufacturers are huge nowadays but I don't reckon use of surfing in advertising is changed noticeably from 1978 to 2004. That's my experience.

[buzzy]

I'd agree with you though the demographics have changed. Oh, have they changed! Lots more tea bags, chicks and middle aged blokes on mals. I don't know if the total number sin the water have gone up that much though. And I'm happy to see all those chicks in the water.