We are a small company and therefore new to the world of sponsorship. When we learned that alkaline ionized water didn't take off in Japan until some Japanese celebrities endorsed it, we wondered what and how we might get into the field of sponsorship.
Personally, I've always had a problem with the obvious endorsements I see on TV. I know, we know, and everyone else knows that the endorsee is just saying what he or she has been told to say for money.
Personally, I've always had a problem with the obvious endorsements I see on TV. I know, we know, and everyone else knows that the endorsee is just saying what he or she has been told to say for money.
Enter Dan Ross. Dan is a surfer. The real thing. He lives to surf. He's in the top 50 ASP surfers in the world. He lives at Yamba a small mid-North coast surf town, and has teamed up with Stu Bowen, his best mate and 'manager'. That's how we learned about Dan and Stu. Stu bought an AlkaWay water ionizer and loves it, recommending it to anyone within shouting range, including past world champ Mick Fanning. Dan drinks alkaline water during his rigorous daily training, and right now he's competing in the QuickSilver Pro on the Gold Coast - his first contest for over a year after severe damage to a shoulder in a surf accident. He's been doing endurance work, weight work, breath work and drinking the water.. every day.
So far I could be talking about any young pro surfer.. but Dan (and Stu) are different. They approached us because they have chosen to only be involved with people with whom their values agree. They are both serious conservationists. Stu runs Fresh Mullet, a great surfblog that's rated in the top 500 blogs in the world by Alexa. They are both into organic food, healthy lifestyle and - how can I say it without sounding trite - they really do live their values. Their other major sponsor is Patagonia, the outdoor wear and equipment people. Patagonia also live their values, including buying 2 million acres in Patagonia for the simple purpose of preservation of natural habitat.
We spent some time between heats with Dan and Stu yesterday, and its what I'll call 'alkaline' energy that impresses. They aren't laidback in terms of lazy. They are intent, they are open, but they both have time for you, time to listen, time to share space. Knowing they'll probably read this I don't want to carry on too much, but I'm inspired. Not just by the 'vibe', but by these two young men choosing against the way the surf industry has gone - get as many sponsors as I can while I can for as much as I can'. They are actively pursuing a future in line with their values of healthy lifestyle, of environmental awareness, of low impact lifestyle, and of giving back. Take a look at Dan and you may see what I see in him; the future citizen of our fragile world.
Stu, Ian and Dan
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