The more I delve into this shit - did the Berrics do their thing first?
Or did they copy Revive/Braille?
19 videos a week?
FUCK.
Also - the video above is awful but the most important takeaway, at least in terms of how these YT brands became so successful, is summed up by beardy guy saying that he started off as a tutorial channel for new skaters.
That’s why they are so big because there is not much in mainstream skate media for beginners I guess. Especially now that the ability levels are so high across the board.
When I started skating, I could pick a magazine up and relate to it as a grom because it had a rock and roll on the cover - these days it must be insane to have just learned to push then look at Thrasher and see a guy in a jogging suit doing a trick down a 20 stair rail.
God that was awful. And they’ve got a gaming channel as well??
Braille is not for me, that’s just confirmed it. I can sort of see why it’s attractive for young teenagers, it’s got a ‘this isn’t normal church, this is cool teen hangout church’ vibe about it - exciting without being edgy, nerdy without being complicated. Lame in general
Getting all their fingers in to all the pies, they are making a strong push into markets in other countries like Russia as well. That is not just some skate nerds messing around in a skate park as they’d have you believe and ‘Gosh we don’t know how it all happened, it’s all just been luck.’
OT: Crazy I had a thought about ‘could gaming be in the Olympics one day’ while out for a walk earlier? As it getting so big and will only get bigger and there is skill involved. I mean as more VR comes into play (no pun).
Berrics were definitely first, and ahead of the curve in 2008 (probably until 2015ish) but they’ve been left behind since the move away from own website content and towards solely YouTube hosted content. You don’t go to individual website anymore, you go to insta/YouTube/fb and you can see this in the Berrics desperate 18 reposts a day on Instagram.
Seems Braille started in 2005 (certainly as far as advertising on Youtube), prior to that Aaron Kyro had been flowed by Real, Girl and Habitat (or so Slap says).
Not surprising that a successful 15 year old brand is savvy enough to be branching out into other developing markets.
Still to reliant on YT. It’s going to be an issue one day. They even admit that their views took a hit when they got the park. I don’t know how well kooky Americans will go down in Russia or that. They can branch out it doesn’t mean it’ll be a success. They are really looking for views more than customers, again that comes back to needing YT.
The example to my point is that a brand did well in a previous era helped, quite substantially, by the advent of a particular type of technology. I apologise that you inferred I was suggesting a wholesale comparison.
Would Braille be screwed? Quite possibly, their model is a “media company” and though I don’t know much about it, appears to generate revenue primarily through views. Revive however? Well, they’re currently one of the largest hardware brands in the world. Sure they’ll inevitably fall out of fashion in their demographic like every brand before them has but they probably have a level of sustainability outside of Youtube.
Just looked at their website, I assume kids must be pay import on them from the states (it has a UK/EU and a USA/Rest of the world option now, the UK/EU bit being brand new apparently).
Back when Subvert (park the Forum meet up was held at) was open you’d often see kids with their boards and the only place I know of that was selling them was Skatehut. I know it’s completely different but my sister’s kids were into some stupid Youtube cartoon thing last year and wanted particular costumes/toys/whatever for Christmas. To get them she had to order them from the US and pay import (meaning she overpaid for some utter shite to keep 'em happy) - assuming the same thing is happening to a larger degree with Revive.
But, to be fair, there are six and a half million skaters in the US. A reasonable chunk of the kid market (when you own the distro and everything) is gonna be pretty profitable.
That’s America, a lot of companies don’t need to sell to the rest of the world as they have enough custom there. I think thats how someone got rich here off BMXs in the 80s and someone else off Scooters, by bringing them into the country as the American companies just didn’t bother at first.
I know who you mean I’m think (great style/switch backsmiths) and I’m happier living in ignorance of why you brought it up, in case he’s turned out to be a peado or a trump supporter
Kyro is a founder and professional team rider of Braille. Much like those hectic companies of yesteryear their team page is under the term ‘Army’ which is currently under construction lol.
