Bad news for Supra?

[chrisk]

Just saw on Facebook that Liquid Force signed a long term marketing contract with Axis Boats.

[KG's Supra24]

Link?

That does suck.

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[Swamplandkarl]

Just saw on Facebook that Liquid Force signed a long term marketing contract with Axis Boats.

Axis must be giving them a butt load of cash, my buddy bought one of these last year and its not all that for sure.....

[chrisk]

Couldn't link the FB photo from my phone, there's a promo for it right on LF's site:

http://www.liquidforce.com/index-us.html

[thescott]

I wonder if having that relationship with LF really did anything to boost Skier's Choice sales? I have nothing to base this on, but I have a feeling that the LF branded Supra/Moombas weren't flying off the shelf. This kind of stuff happens all the time and I don't think it's an indicator of a company's stability. I'm sure they had some sort of contract in place that's run it's course and they probably couldn't come to terms going forward. Plus, Axis has worked hard to quickly make a name and to improve on their reputation. I'd think they'd probably be going after deals like this pretty aggressively. Now if Supra starts dropping a bunch of their riders, I'd start to wonder what was up. I don't make much of this though other than the standard nature of business/marketing relationships.

[chrisk]

I understand what you're saying about the LF branded boats, but these kind of marketing relationships lead to the kind of exposure that is priceless to a boat company. Exhibit A would be when the Supra 242 was the flagship for Brostock. That undoubtedly led to a boost in sales. I just think its sad SC lost a relationship with one of the more historic, strong wake brands.

[Swamplandkarl]

I understand what you're saying about the LF branded boats, but these kind of marketing relationships lead to the kind of exposure that is priceless to a boat company. Exhibit A would be when the Supra 242 was the flagship for Brostock. That undoubtedly led to a boost in sales. I just think its sad SC lost a relationship with one of the more historic, strong wake brands.

Sad that its all about the money these days..the pro riders and companys will endorse with who will cough up the most money....I can't blame some of the companys cutting back on endorsement dollars in this economy....

[ifinallygota21v]

I think this relationship all "cheapin" the of brand. You can't compare supra to axis or even moomba at that. Axis has to be one of the cheapest made and looking boat I've ever seen

[cadunkle]

I think thescott is on to something. Personally I own a Supra (obviously) and ride a LF board with LF bindings... Yet I had no idea Skiers Choice and LF had any sort of relationship. Even if I knew it would have had no bearing on my choice to buy a Supra or my choice to buy a LF board.

Of course me buying a 20 year old boat doesn't get Skiers Choice anything. I think those who are not in the market for a new boat every few years probably think differently about their purchases. The latest fad or whim doesn't matter as it's a long term decision, whether you're like me and buying an older boat for a long time or have a little stashed away and are buying a new boat you intend to keep for a long time. By a long time I mean decades, not years.

[chrisk]

I'm not really following what you're saying, currently 2 of the 10 available models you can select on Supra's web site have the Liquid Force logo on them. Plus Supra has been pulling Liquid Force's Brostock event. The two brands have been pretty publicly intertwined for the last three years.

I think with any marketing relationship like that each brand isn't trying to get people to say, "Liquid Force is partnered with Supra? I love Supra so I'm going to buy Liquid Force boards." I think what's going on is that they're using each other for exposure. The Liquid Force logo and products get displayed at Supra events and the Supra boats get put on display at Liquid Force events. They're trying to push their products in front of customers that they wouldn't otherwise get the attention of.

Over on the Moomba forum, Rick Tinker explained that Supra's contract came to its 3 year end and they chose not to renew it. Whether it was that or Axis just offered more money or incentives or whatever is beyond me. That aside, I'm worried about SC not really being associated with any outside organizations. Every other major brand seems to have their hand in something, whether it be wakesurf championships, pro tours, 3-event certified boats, etc, and SC doesn't anymore.

[wspeedin]

Chris, I agree with you. SC seems to do a lousy job of marketing their product and i have only seen it get worse and worse. In september I went to the surf expo in orlando and every boat maunfacturer was there with a couple of boats and a big exhibit. Guess who had the smallest? There was one Supra/moomba in the whole place. it was the worlds edition 242.
But maybe they just feel they have a superior product that speaks for itself....

[Mobius22]

That aside, I'm worried about SC not really being associated with any outside organizations. Every other major brand seems to have their hand in something, whether it be wakesurf championships, pro tours, 3-event certified boats, etc, and SC doesn't anymore.

Supra pulls the World Championships of Wakeboarding, the largest event of the year. I would say that's having your hand in something.

[chrisk]

You're right, I thought that was a Nautique event for some reason. Well props to them for putting that on, still need to do more though, IMO.

[Mobius22]

They JUST ended the contract with LF so I'm sure they will partner with someone else soon and get another event to go with Worlds. Pulling both Worlds and Brostock, the sport's two largest single events, is more than most of the other brands.

[haugy]

Meh, the new Supra's just don't appeal to me anymore. No marketing, no pizzazz, seemingly poor quality, etc.

I won't buy a Supra unless it's pre-1998.

[wakerider107]

I'm surprised LF teamed up with such a cheaply made boat. If they went with Nautique or MC that would make sense. I'm looking into new boats now and when I stopped by Axis, I felt like I could build a better boat. Not to mention they use the same hulls as Malibu, yuck. Also SC really needs to step up their marketing.

[doofus]

A successful marketing strategy and campaign can really make or break a company. I dont know what it is like in the States, but here in Australia, you really dont see or hear much about Supra's whatsoever....They are very low key compared to other major name brand boats such as malibu, Mastercraft and Nautique.

[Diggs]

Doofus
I would have thought Supra was a lot more visible in Australia with Josh Sanders being there. I think they even produce some boats over there????

Back to the whole Liquid Force relationship. I am not sure it will help or hurt Supra at all. I can only think of one or two LF boats that I have seen. I am sure there are more, but I am sure in the end it costs SC more money for the relationship than it brings. I am a big LF supporter, but I know it would not change my purchase decision at all.

[doofus]

Diggs, correct, Supra Australia has a manufacturing operation at Nowra New South Wales headed by Josh Sanders who is a great rep for the product, but they are still very low key compared to other brand names.

There are very very few Supra on the water here in Western Australia (you have no idea how few) where I live, so my boat attracts a fair bit of attention when I take it out. In fact we dont even have a Supra dealer or showroom here in Western Australia.

Malibu Wakesetters on the other hand are as common over here as dog turds....They are in plague proportions Australia wide.

Just to give you are comparative idea, a quick search on line on www.boatpoint.com.au revealed only 41 Supras currently listed for sale Australia wide, whilst at the same time there are 190 Malibus for sale.