Recently, the long-awaited Quiksilver Festival kicked off its second edition, filled with surfing, skating, music, and much more. As a marketer and surf fan, I find it both exciting and interesting to see how brands not only promote these events but also how they best capitalise on content opportunities. Below, I have shared some of my favourite social posts so far.
Previewing the surfers
After much speculation from fans, Quiksilver finally revealed its main competitors through an Instagram post. The post featured several attention-grabbing, on-brand tiles previewing the key names set to attend this year’s festival. The lineup included a diverse group of surfers, from 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater to local up-and-comer Kyllian Guerin, catering to a wide audience of surf fans. I like that Quiksilver Festival consistently tags its sponsors and partners in each post, giving them visibility and encouraging resharing and greater engagement.
Lay-day highlight reels
Despite lacklustre surf to begin the waiting period, the Quiksilver Festival team has kept their finger on the pulse, sharing a highlight reel showcasing the surfers’ testing boards and enjoying the smaller conditions. This is the perfect way to keep fans engaged with light-hearted, authentic content while the competition isn’t running. The “stay tuned” call to action and content itself helps build anticipation, along with mention that waves are on the way later in the week. The video content also showcases the beautiful region where this competition is taking place. In fact, the Quicksilver Festival account tagged the local Seignosse Tourism account, which has been actively resharing this form of ‘user-generated content.’
Baugette TV video series
Another great form of video content the team has been sharing is ‘Baguette TV’, which follows the surfers in entertaining segments, showcasing their personalities and humour. These videos have typically received more than 2x more engagements than any other posts as they deliver content in an entertaining and creative way. Whether it’s surf clips, interviews, or lifestyle segments, the clips help Quiksilver engage its audience more intimately and reflect the brand’s roots with its laid-back, surf-centric style. The brand also uses popular figures within the surfing community, such as Hughie Vaughan, to boost their reach and tap into the desired audience. Given the nature of this content, the brand has been able to repurpose these videos on other channels, such as YouTube.
Overall, it is clear that the Quiksilver Festival team have a comprehensive social strategy in place, spanning pre, during and post-competition. This encompasses a diverse range of content, ensuring followers remain engaged and excited for what’s to come. Despite living on the other side of the world, I can’t help but stay engaged and keep a close eye on the competition. I can’t wait to see how the competition progresses!