Great thoughts here bro. Agree on all of it. I think there’s just a lot of cognitive dissonance going on. From the brands to the attendees. And what it feels like is the viewers saw through it very quickly.
If I didn’t write this on a plane, I imagine we probably would have jammed out on it all over a coffee at the convent. I agree - some big inconsistencies on all fronts.
It feels like it just mirrors the perception blunders of Nike's ACG art installation/trail run thing earlier this year. Also comes across as fully vibecoded - something that appears to be a 'thing' but it's not really designed with consideration or to hold up to deeper examination. Is this the enshittification of trail running brought by the infusion of capital that demands massive, fast returns? Who knows. Would I have accepted an invite? Probably, looked like fun in a weird way. Would I wear the Adidas mothtec shirt? Hell no.
Thank you for this Josh. Precisely summarized. I dont like the bananas neither yet they made it very intentionally as we saw it in every single conversation about TCP.
Good perspective on funding / need for grow. I think they couldnt do this "in Chamonix" as they need to grow in US rapidly?
Anyway I found it very bizzare too, to run in the tshirts with 'offroad' sign on tarmac pump track in carbon plated shoes.
Thanks for contributing these well articulated points to dialogue. My unoriginal but passionate two cents as a hardcore girlie- I cannot abide a luxury brand x multinational corp co-opting the aesthetic of a genre without acknowledging the spirit and history of its context. Among the many things that hardcore is, it’s a reaction (against affluence!), it’s independent, it’s DIY. Wanting the look and feel without the guts makes the whole charade soulless, and screams normie.
Thanks for calling out the waste these marketing events generate. I’m worried about how over the top it’s getting. Precision’s activations at Cocodona have me the same feeling (and I’m a fan of that brand)
I could not agree more from a marketer perspective - they are absolutely getting their air time and content has been being sent / shared / saved so rapidly. “Bad press is good press” ?
Great thoughts here bro. Agree on all of it. I think there’s just a lot of cognitive dissonance going on. From the brands to the attendees. And what it feels like is the viewers saw through it very quickly.
If I didn’t write this on a plane, I imagine we probably would have jammed out on it all over a coffee at the convent. I agree - some big inconsistencies on all fronts.
It feels like it just mirrors the perception blunders of Nike's ACG art installation/trail run thing earlier this year. Also comes across as fully vibecoded - something that appears to be a 'thing' but it's not really designed with consideration or to hold up to deeper examination. Is this the enshittification of trail running brought by the infusion of capital that demands massive, fast returns? Who knows. Would I have accepted an invite? Probably, looked like fun in a weird way. Would I wear the Adidas mothtec shirt? Hell no.
Thank you for this Josh. Precisely summarized. I dont like the bananas neither yet they made it very intentionally as we saw it in every single conversation about TCP.
Good perspective on funding / need for grow. I think they couldnt do this "in Chamonix" as they need to grow in US rapidly?
Anyway I found it very bizzare too, to run in the tshirts with 'offroad' sign on tarmac pump track in carbon plated shoes.
Thanks for contributing these well articulated points to dialogue. My unoriginal but passionate two cents as a hardcore girlie- I cannot abide a luxury brand x multinational corp co-opting the aesthetic of a genre without acknowledging the spirit and history of its context. Among the many things that hardcore is, it’s a reaction (against affluence!), it’s independent, it’s DIY. Wanting the look and feel without the guts makes the whole charade soulless, and screams normie.
Thanks for articulating a point that I couldn’t 🩵 I see that big time.
Thanks for calling out the waste these marketing events generate. I’m worried about how over the top it’s getting. Precision’s activations at Cocodona have me the same feeling (and I’m a fan of that brand)
I could not agree more from a marketer perspective - they are absolutely getting their air time and content has been being sent / shared / saved so rapidly. “Bad press is good press” ?
Good one , Josh. Lots to think about here. You are spot on with the banana stickers….let fruit be fruit .
Could have been fun if they'd written Satisfy on in biro
"I’m glad the pump track wasn’t a permanent installation in the desert."
So it's going to become a thing of legend now that is been dismantled; like the Animal Chin Ramp
"They *say* this is where it was, but no one is really sure"
It's this one, no?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cX42Hv2Y13JVPbx27
You can see the neighbouring houses in some of the footage
Good write up. Glad I’m not the only one feeling confused by the bananas and ‘trail brand’.
Once again, thanks for reading. Yep, I'm there with you. It all felt very muddled.