Shanghai Extreme Sports & Music Festival 2009

Last saturday the enoVate team went to the second Shanghai Extreme Sports & Music Festival at Shanghai SMP Skate Park. We were not only there to keep an eye on new youth trends but also to support eno’s new skate influenced line Sawtooth(read our interview with sole designer,Feng Feng, here).

The festival activities including skateboarding, inline skating and BMX competitions, as well as music perfomances throughout the day. Mountain Dew, Pizza boy and Budweiser were all sponsors of the event. Compared to traditional advertising, sponsoring an event is an effective way to target consumers. Extreme sports, music and trends are all connected.

I was surprised by the many different groups of Chinese youth who were passionate about what they were doing and dressing in their own styles. For me, those involved in extreme sports dress more fashionably than average people. They also have a lot of trendy followers, these people are influential amongst Chinese youth. Instead of hiding their passion, which a lot of chinese young people will do, skaters/bmxers are more willing to stand out and be themselves. Making them your first customers, can be seen as the first step to becoming an influential brand amongst Chinese youth.