Dane Reynolds Doesn’t Want Another Sponsor, Tahiti Is Not OK And More

Due to Stab’s unique position in the surfing world, we’re often the recipient of rumours regarding certain brands, organizations, professionals of our sport, etc.

We do our best to validate these claims before they go to print, and most of the time, they’re eventually proven to be true.

Some recent examples include: John Florence’s knee injury, Joel Parkinson’s retirement announcement, and the WSL’s every solitary move (give or take).

These rumour reveals can be incredibly fun – for both us and, we hope, the readers – but they’ve also been known to get Stab into financial and relationship turmoil, with both brands and individuals, even if they’re true.

Nay, especially if they’re true.

Think of it like this: The Failing New York Times is a news agency that constantly unveils the most recent political dramas or pee-pee tapes. The Times is able to do that because their staff are skilled, well-connected, and most importantly not friends with or funded by the very institutions who it is their job to investigate.

There is no inherent conflict of interest.

The metaphorical Church and State flip each other off from across the proverbial pond.

But the surf industry is more like the Vatican.

The Church (brands) and State (publications) work hand-in-hand to deliver thinly veiled propaganda to the masses, telling them that they must do this and no that, love him and not her, and give all glory to God (Kelly).

Never would the State turn its back on the Church, because without the Church’s blessings ($$$), the State would rot in hell (bankruptcy)! This gives the Church the ultimate bargaining chip, until, of course, the State goes rogue and decides that revealing the Church’s chronic paedophilia ring (Brand X and Y litigate over a scandal with Boy Z!) is well worth an eternity in fire (again, bankruptcy).

Stab is not quite there yet (thankfully), but we do have a few semi-juicy brand-related rumours to share.  

Welcome back to Gossip Girl: The Sponsorship Edition!

Is “The Search” Losing Dillon Perillo?

Following Dillon Perillo’s Dear Suburbia breakthrough in 2012, wherein he and John John Florence shared a generational session at a gaping rivermouth in Japan, Dillon negotiated a healthy six-figure deal with his marquee sponsor Rip Curl.

Since that time Dill has produced several video projects, including his ode to transcontinental (semi-)platonic relationships, The Dill and Beeg Project, and more recently the self-promotional Dill 100 (above), which we’ve since learned served as a mating call for potential sponsors.

His five-year gig with Rip Curl is up, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be re-signing, many pointing to the overlap in marketability and geographical presence between Perillo and Conner Coffin, from the brand’s perspective, as the cause of dismissal.

Keeping in mind the top-shelf quality of Dill 100, though, we wouldn’t be surprised if Dill was picked up by another in the near future, with rumbling that the Mountain and Wave might be interested in making Rip Curl wish they’d snipped a different polished, brunette, Californian regularfoot. However, in the 2018 economy, it’s likely Perillo’s contract won’t go six figures…

Dane Reynolds does not want another sponsor.

Now, here’s the best story you’ve heard today. Dane Reynolds has been wearing Xcel neoprene for the majority of 2018, presumably because he likes it. Brand integrity is a Dane Reynolds’ staple. Remember he walked away from a quarter-million-dollar-plus energy drink deal? Or the time he wore Vans shoes to Quiksilver events (who own DC shoes) before he rode for Vans? This ultimately led to Dane inking a deal with Vans that will likely never expire.  

Anyways, Dane is being flowed Xcel suits and is wearing them, although not exclusively (he also wears Buell). Xcel are obviously psyched seeing their suits on such a high profile surfer. It makes sense for Dane’s management to start talks with Xcel, because all parties involved believe it’s a potent and seamless coupling.

‘Cept Dane, that is. 

He doesn’t want another sponsor. He already has two. Vans and Channel Islands. And, his own brand Former technically isn’t a sponsor. God bless this man.

Outerknown considered becoming the Tahiti CT event’s presenting sponsor, but pulled out due to an unforeseen conflict of interest.

As we know, the WSL has struggled to find presenting sponsors for CT events. That’s why they gave up Trestles (Hurley pulled out) and Cloudbreak (the Fijian government pulled out) in 2018 – without a presenting sponsor, it’s damn expensive for the WSL to put on a CT event.

At the beginning of this year, there were two events without a presenting sponsor: Tahiti and Lemoore (now presented by Hurley).

Lemoore makes the least sense. This event should – considering its novelty-factor, its geographical presence in the WSL’s homeland of North America, revenue capabilities, and mass appeal – theoretically be the most sellable surf competition to both endemic and non-endemic brands.

But that’s a story for another day. And, besides, like Bells Beach, the WSL have an earning capacity from the door charge.

As far as Tahiti goes, it almost had a buyer in the form of organic outerwear brand Outerknown. Slater’s company was once an investor in the Fiji comp, but after that flopped, they turned their ship southeast and landed on the shores of French Polynesia, where another great, albeit very different, lefthand tube resides.

After negotiating with the WSL, Outerknown was primed to sign on as Tahiti’s presenting sponsor…until they learned of a semi-secret dealing beneath the surface.

Remember how Hurley pulled out of Lowers? Well, that doesn’t mean they pulled out of the WSL entirely. Rather than being a presenting sponsor of one event, Hurley set up a deal where they would be a background sponsor for four events throughout the season, including Brazil, Keramas, Margarets/Ulus, Tahiti and the presenting sponsor of Lemoore. 

Once Outerknown realised that Hurley would be selling their gear, either on-location in Tahiti or on the WSL site during the event window, they revoked their massive advertising deal. With the rumoured sponsorship cost of an event being between $300 and $500k, one can imagine how much their retraction hurt the WSL’s bottom line.

xoxo, 

GG