Freestyle: Benchmark for action sports social media strategy

OK, so first of all, I absolutely love Freestyle's Shark watch. This is a really fun reminder of days gone by, and it's pretty cool to see how much they can do on the design side just with colorways. Make sure you check out the selection! I also love their logo- hats off to whoever designed it.

Aside from the awesome Shark, Freestyle also has a very comprehensive and well-executed social media strategy that's as good of a blueprint as any. They use all the usual suspects like Twitter, Loopd, Facebook, MySpace, and so forth, but what I like the most is the Freestyle Challenge.

The concept is pretty straightforward: amateur athletes in skate, snow, wake, and other action sports upload "sponsor me" videos. Freestyle chooses two winners every month to join their "flow team." For those of you who don't speak bro, "flow" means free stuff. The concept isn't necessarily revolutionary, but it seems like they get a lot of submissions, and it's certainly well executed from a creative standpoint. Also, "Rock out with your clock out" is one of the best slogans I've ever heard!

Takeways

1. Lifestyle brands are uniquely suited for user-generated content platforms like this because the consumers are passionate about the brand in a way that isn't true of traditional brands. In other words, if your brand differentiates on price, performance and features, don't try this at home.
   
2. Freestyle uses social media effectively because they understand they norms and customs of each channel. Twitter has one set of rules, Facebook has another, and if you don't understand them, you should stand back and observe before jumping in.
3. The Freestyle Challenge is a win for the kids because they get free stuff and will be super stoked for the recognition. It's a win for Freestyle because they cement their credibility and start forming relationships with up and coming athletes early in their careers, and all they spend is a few hours watching videos and a few bucks on product.