I love Burton!  They are such a great brand that understands how they fit into the lives of the consumers who love their brand and their products.  Burton understands its values and understands why, beyond making money, the company exists in the first place.  They know what they believe in and what they stand for and then everything they do builds from that position.  If a brand really does this right, not only do they have consumers who buy their stuff, but you have people who won’t only be loyal but they’ll embrace the brand as part of their own identity.  Its like those people who have Harley Davidson tattoos – walking billboards for the company but personal statements of their own world.

Now back to Burton, they have just launched an amazing campaign called “Sabotage Stupidity” which highlights the fact that four main resorts in the US still don’t allow snowboarders to grace their runs.  Burton believes that this is a “blatant disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America.”  The company is now challenging boarders to get into these resorts and film their own strikes of protest against these resorts who think boarders are lesser human beings.  The videos are uploaded to the campaign microsite and the most successful one for each resort wins a big $5K prize check.  The company has a few “poaching ten commandments” to help with any legal drama that may happen along the way (very practical).

Obviously this campaign wouldn’t work for any brand, but it scores a big home run for Burton.  There is a bit of anarchy with it, an easy way for fans to get in on the fun, a way to show off with friends via the videos, and of course the good hard cash too.  Solid stuff!