Billabong excels at marrying marketing and product with what is on retail floors, especially during the Billabong Pipe Masters.

We checked in with both Billabong Women’s and Billabong Men’s to learn more about their marketing strategies on the North Shore this year.

Today, we hear from Cathey Curtis, VP of Global Marketing for Billabong Women’s.

What are the key marketing activations for Billabong Women’s this year at the Billabong Pipe Masters?

Cathey Curtis: Billabong Women’s is celebrating the launch of Spring 2019. We are kicking off the Seekers of the Sun collection with a concept video shot in Salina Cruz featuring Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon, and Felicity Palmateer.

We invited other Billabong women’s athletes from around the world to join us here in Hawaii to create more content around Seekers of the Sun – including a first-ever Hawaii Challenge. The event is a contest of two teams of our athletes pitted against each other in a series of fun, interactive challenges, recorded and released in four YouTube video segments.

(Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4.)

In addition, we invited several influencers to Hawaii to share Billabong’s Spring ‘19 collection launch and all the activities here at Pipe, including Summer McKeen (YouTube), Halley Elefante (@thesaltyblonde) , Nico Guilis (@findyourcalifornia), and Elle Ferguson (@elle ferguson).

Is there any major change from years past?

Cathey Curtis: We ramped up the fun this year with content that’s upbeat, casual and gives a glimpse into each athlete’s personality.

We added a community surf day in Waikiki, and invited anyone who wanted to come surf Waikiki with the athletes. And we fully integrated Summer McKeen into all of the different activities with our surfers.

We shot a ton of different outfits – with multiple photo shoots happening daily for both immediate and future releases.

We’re also hanging out with the guys more and more, with Billabong brand celebrations, a team BBQ, storytelling sessions, and supporting all activations across the brand.

Is the marketing that is happening tied into what is in retail stores right now?

Cathey Curtis: 100%.  When you walk into retail stores globally you will see the Seekers of the Sun collection front and center.

The collection’s colors are distinctive, bright and fun, and the product is curated to sell in either cooler or warmer weather markets.

There are Seekers of the Sun windows across multiple retail points. Our focus is to look different than everyone else out there at this time of year.

How do you balance the need for social media impact with the benefits that come from hosting events?

Cathey Curtis: We actually look at these as integrated. There’s not an event that doesn’t have a social component to it, and there’s not a social component that’s not focusing on telling a story as an event would.

Events are incredible content opportunities, and also give us the ability to personally meet and impact people, which we love to do.

Ultimately, we want young women all over the world to feel they were part of this, and to aspire to come to the North Shore themselves sometime.

How are you utilizing team riders during the week?

Cathey Curtis: Our team of female athletes is at a very sweet spot in time right now – and we integrate them into everything we do here.

The athletes are constantly posting content that we’ve created together and they are creating their own content. They are integrated into the activations and photo shoots.

The team is a source of pride for us as a brand. These women are so talented, unique, diverse and hard-working. And over the years of coming here, they have bonded together truly as a team.

Their friendships with each other are real – and it comes across in all of the content that they create. They are the DNA of the Billabong Women’s brand.

Editor’s note: Here are more photos from Billabong’s marketing efforts in Hawaii.

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  Influencer Halley Elefante @thesaltyblonde

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  The Seekers of The Sun product that is currently being marketed in Hawaii is on retail floors around the globe, including at Jack's in Huntington Beach

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  The Seekers of the Sun collection at HSS

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  A window at the Billabong store in Waikiki

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  YouTube influencer Summer McKeen

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  The campaign was shot in Salina Cruz, Mexico

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  YouTube influencer Summer McKeen

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  An image from the Seekers of the Sun campaign

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  The Hawaii Challenge was a new event from Billabong Women's

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  Billabong Women in Hawaii

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  Billabong Women in Hawaii

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  Influencer Halley Elefante @thesaltyblonde

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  YouTube influencer Summer McKeen

 

 

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