Campaigns that excite and inspire me.
Campaigns that excite and inspire me.
Photos by Paris Gore, courtesy of Dakine
Campaign Review:
Campaign Review:
“Whatever Dude!” is a great film. That’s not what makes it a great campaign.
“Whatever Dude!” is a great film. That’s not what makes it a great campaign.
For many of us who’ve followed freeride mountain biking for any length of time, Graham Agassiz, or as we call him “Aggy,” needs no introduction. He’s been one of the most dedicated and hard charging athletes in the sport for years, blending raw power with a style that’s entirely his own. I had the pleasure of working directly with Aggy during my time at Smith, and I can tell you firsthand that what you see is exactly what you get. In a time where “authentic” is questioned daily, Aggy remains true to exactly who he is, and it comes through in his riding and on-screen, “give’r” personality.
I’ve never met Eric “Lornny” Lawrenuk, but watching him in this film you immediately understand why he was the right partner for this adventure. He’s not just a filmer along for the ride, he’s a great mountain biker in his own right, and showcases this by ripping a huge line while wearing a legit camera bag. The decision to make him part of the story rather than just behind the camera shows a level of friendship and adds some real personality to the piece.
The film itself is genuinely fun. A tight crew of buds heading into some epic big mountain terrain, chasing lines, laughing, pushing each other, and sharing the kind of experience that can be relatable regardless of your skill level. There’s a camaraderie in “Whatever Dude!” that you can’t manufacture and you feel it between Aggy, Lornny and the rest of the crew. Aggy best describes his “Whatever Dude” mindset as “a reminder not to take things too seriously and to just have fun.” That spirit runs through every frame of the film.
For many of us who’ve followed freeride mountain biking for any length of time, Graham Agassiz, or as we call him “Aggy,” needs no introduction. He’s been one of the most dedicated and hard charging athletes in the sport for years, blending raw power with a style that’s entirely his own. I had the pleasure of working directly with Aggy during my time at Smith, and I can tell you firsthand that what you see is exactly what you get. In a time where “authentic” is questioned daily, Aggy remains true to exactly who he is, and it comes through in his riding and on-screen, “give’r” personality.
I’ve never met Eric “Lornny” Lawrenuk, but watching him in this film you immediately understand why he was the right partner for this adventure. He’s not just a filmer along for the ride, he’s a great mountain biker in his own right, and showcases this by ripping a huge line while wearing a legit camera bag. The decision to make him part of the story rather than just behind the camera shows a level of friendship and adds some real personality to the piece.
The film itself is genuinely fun. A tight crew of buds heading into some epic big mountain terrain, chasing lines, laughing, pushing each other, and sharing the kind of experience that can be relatable regardless of your skill level. There’s a camaraderie in “Whatever Dude!” that you can’t manufacture and you feel it between Aggy, Lornny and the rest of the crew. Aggy best describes his “Whatever Dude” mindset as “a reminder not to take things too seriously and to just have fun.” That spirit runs through every frame of the film.
There’s a world where this campaign never gets made. The one where the folks at Dakine send Aggy and Lornny into the mountains with a photographer and simply capture some imagery for the launch of the Aggy Signature Series. The launch goes well, the ecomm and sales teams hit their numbers and everyone is happy. That version would have been just fine. This version does something more.
There’s a world where this campaign never gets made. The one where the folks at Dakine send Aggy and Lornny into the mountains with a photographer and simply capture some imagery for the launch of the Aggy Signature Series. The launch goes well, the ecomm and sales teams hit their numbers and everyone is happy. That version would have been just fine. This version does something more.
Video courtesy of Dakine
Filmed and edited by Graeme Meiklejohn and Eric Lawrenuk
Photos by Paris Gore
Every time a brand sends athletes and photographers into the field to capture product marketing assets, the hero shots, the lifestyle imagery, the action sequences, it’s an adventure. And with each adventure there is a story, and each story is a potential brand moment. Not sharing these brand moments is a missed opportunity to share the personality and human elements of your brand. Most brands focus only on the product shoot, which I understand. These assets are critical for sell-in and sell-through needs. And it’s not because they don’t care about brand building, but because in the moment the justification is easier. “A brand video will cost more to make.” “The ROI on product imagery is measurable.” “Building brand takes time we don’t have.” I understand every version of this conversation, and can see the logic... but I also know what gets left on the table.
Opportunities most brands miss out on.
Opportunities most brands miss out on.
Every time a brand sends athletes and photographers into the field to capture product marketing assets, the hero shots, the lifestyle imagery, the action sequences, it’s an adventure. And with each adventure there is a story, and each story is a potential brand moment. Not sharing these brand moments is a missed opportunity to share the personality and human elements of your brand. Most brands focus only on the product shoot, which I understand. These assets are critical for sell-in and sell-through needs. And it’s not because they don’t care about brand building, but because in the moment the justification is easier. “A brand video will cost more to make.” “The ROI on product imagery is measurable.” “Building brand takes time we don’t have.” I understand every version of this conversation, and can see the logic... but I also know what gets left on the table.
Not sharing these brand moments is a missed opportunity to share the personality and human elements of your brand.
Not sharing these brand moments is a missed opportunity to share the personality and human elements of your brand.
What Dakine did with “Whatever Dude!” is take an asset capture moment and turn it into something the community actually wants to watch. A 12-minute film that tells a real story about an athlete and his crew doing something genuinely extraordinary. A byproduct of this film is that they’re able to showcase products from other categories of the Dakine collection. If you look closely you see Aggy setting up his Dakine tent, loading bikes on a Dakine tailgate pad, and zipping up his Dakine rain shell. It also creates opportunities to give some love to some of Aggy’s other sponsors like Monster Energy, SRAM, Forbidden Bikes and Giro, who might be more inclined to share this project through their own channels. All of this product and promotion is present, but it never feels like the point. The experience and the friendship are the point.
What Dakine did with “Whatever Dude!” is take an asset capture moment and turn it into something the community actually wants to watch. A 12-minute film that tells a real story about an athlete and his crew doing something genuinely extraordinary. A byproduct of this film is that they’re able to showcase products from other categories of the Dakine collection. If you look closely you see Aggy setting up his Dakine tent, loading bikes on a Dakine tailgate pad, and zipping up his Dakine rain shell. It also creates opportunities to give some love to some of Aggy’s other sponsors like Monster Energy, SRAM, Forbidden Bikes and Giro, who might be more inclined to share this project through their own channels. All of this product and promotion is present, but it never feels like the point. The experience and the friendship are the point.
Photos by Paris Gore, courtesy of Dakine
What Dakine does next is also not rocket science, but very effective. They take assets from the film and re-edit them into a focused, product-driven Aggy Signature Series campaign. The collection, featuring the Aggy Long Sleeve Jersey, Cross-X 2.0 Gloves, Drafter 14L Backpack and Hot Laps Hip Pack, is showcased in a standalone piece, but it now lives within a network of connected visuals, creating a multi-activation funnel that the community is already invested in.
A rider who watches "Whatever Dude!" is inspired and has an interest in the brand. When they later encounter the standalone Aggy Signature Series campaign, that product content lands differently than it would have cold. They're not being sold to twice, they're being reminded of something they already care about. That's not marketing fatigue, that's brand momentum.
Brands should also be including endemic media as part of their activation strategy. With that in mind, media outlets are significantly more likely to pick up and amplify a campaign that features a prominent athlete doing something genuinely compelling. While a product capsule launch might not get much traction on its own, Aggy riding big mountain lines with his crew most likely will.
But what about the product?
But what about the product?
What Dakine does next is also not rocket science, but very effective. They take assets from the film and re-edit them into a focused, product-driven Aggy Signature Series campaign. The collection, featuring the Aggy Long Sleeve Jersey, Cross-X 2.0 Gloves, Drafter 14L Backpack and Hot Laps Hip Pack, is showcased in a standalone piece, but it now lives within a network of connected visuals, creating a multi-activation funnel that the community is already invested in.
A rider who watches "Whatever Dude!" is inspired and has an interest in the brand. When they later encounter the standalone Aggy Signature Series campaign, that product content lands differently than it would have cold. They're not being sold to twice, they're being reminded of something they already care about. That's not marketing fatigue, that's brand momentum.
Brands should also be including endemic media as part of their activation strategy. With that in mind, media outlets are significantly more likely to pick up and amplify a campaign that features a prominent athlete doing something genuinely compelling. While a product capsule launch might not get much traction on its own, Aggy riding big mountain lines with his crew most likely will.
Video courtesy of Dakine
Images courtesy of Dakine
The impact of this kind of brand building is almost impossible to calculate in the short term. There’s no direct path from “I was inspired watching Whatever Dude!” to “I bought Aggy’s Team Drafter pack.” But over time, that feeling is absorbed. That’s the type of return on investment that’s hard to quantify on a quarterly report, but will almost always show up in a decade of brand loyalty. It becomes the reason someone searches for Dakine products over another brand. It becomes the reason a stoked, young rider saves up for the jersey with the skeleton shaka on it.
The impact of this kind of brand building is almost impossible to calculate in the short term. There’s no direct path from “I was inspired watching Whatever Dude!” to “I bought Aggy’s Team Drafter pack.” But over time, that feeling is absorbed. That’s the type of return on investment that’s hard to quantify on a quarterly report, but will almost always show up in a decade of brand loyalty. It becomes the reason someone searches for Dakine products over another brand. It becomes the reason a stoked, young rider saves up for the jersey with the skeleton shaka on it.
A closing thought
A closing thought
Next time you’re planning an asset capture trip, ask yourself these questions: what’s the story worth telling here and would our audience be stoked to experience it with us? If you can answer those before you wrap your brief and book the flights, you might just end up creating something special. And if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason... “Whatever Dude!”
Next time you’re planning an asset capture trip, ask yourself these questions: what’s the story worth telling here and would our audience be stoked to experience it with us? If you can answer those before you wrap your brief and book the flights, you might just end up creating something special. And if it doesn’t work out for whatever reason... “Whatever Dude!”
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Stay close to the conversation.
Stay close to the conversation.
This isn't a portfolio. It's a point of view.
Campaigns, gear and community worth paying attention to. No cadence. No spam. Just when it's good.
Campaigns, gear and community worth paying attention to. No cadence. No spam. Just when it's good.