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It's more nefarious and subtle than that. The trick is that you first get popular among actual surfers. That's a tiny population, the population doesn't like t
by LeifCarrotson 7y ago
It's more nefarious and subtle than that.
The trick is that you first get popular among actual surfers. That's a tiny population, the population doesn't like to spend money, it takes expensive R&D, expensive materials, difficult manual assembly for the abusive and difficult environment: not a lot of profit or market cap there.
But the dark pattern that the 'surf industry' have discovered and exploited, is that you then silently pivot to the market of people who wished they looked cool like surfers. That's a much bigger population, they have more money, and they don't care about the materials or performance of the gear.
Starting out as an actual surf business is optional, but encouraged, as it will help you market the story that you make cool surf gear. Skip that step if people will come into your department store anyways, just make the logo look similar to a prominent manufacturer. Similar tactics can be employed effectively in selling just about anything: SUVs and sports cars, ski gear, health food, artistic furniture...
- merpnderp 7y agoHow is this a dark pattern? The people buying the goods are happy with the exchange, and it's not like they don't know they're posers buying into the culture.
- cactus2093 7y agoEven that is a little harsh. Board shorts work just fine in the pool or hot tub or anywhere else you might go swimming. They're comfortable and fast drying and come in all kinds of colors and designs. Just because they were initially created for one purpose and people have realized they have a wider use, I don't see why that makes you a poser if you wear them. It just seems like a perfectly normal way that clothing trends evolve. Are you a poser if you wear Northface or Patagonia gear in the city, since it's made for roughing it in the outdoors?
- jchallis 7y agoI tend to take these brands at face value. If North Face tells me their gear is for adventurers climbing K2, I'm certainly not going to wear that to the office. For many years Apple presented it as the purview of the cool and creative - as I'm neither, I assumed their products were for someone else.
- musicale 7y agoAdvertising may not tell the complete story about how a product can be used effectively in practice. Once I worked in an office that was absurdly cold but North Face gear kept me warm and comfortable. Many people, cool or otherwise, find Apple devices to be usable and reliable for very ordinary activities like sending email, writing documents, or making phone calls.
- that_jojo 7y ago> Are you a poser if you wear Northface or Patagonia gear in the city Yes?
- rumanator 7y ago> Yes? I don't like to be cold or wet, I go to a store to buy a jacket, I find one that I like and looks good. Why do you believe your personal opinion and feelings towards brands and need to gatekeep should influence my choice?
- jshevek 7y agoNo. I only hike and camp intermittently, but I wear north face clothing in a wide range of circumstances because I find it to be effective, durable, energy efficient when washed and dried, and packable.
- rasz 7y ago>Are you a poser if you wear Northface or Patagonia gear in the city no, you are a banker or tech bro
- goatinaboat 7y agoHow is this a dark pattern? It’s OK if there is no overlap but in practice that doesn’t really happen. When North Face switched to being a fashion brand it dragged other, previously genuine, manufacturers with it, because they couldn’t leave the money on the table. Basically, hipsters ruin everything.
- that_jojo 7y agoThat sounds a lot more like yuppies than hipsters
- LeifCarrotson 7y agoThe people buying the goods may be happy with the exchange, but it's inauthentic/dishonest. I don't think they'd be as happy buying "Lookalike cheap boardshorts from husk of surf company", as evidenced by the fact that they stop buying that brand and Hurley gets sold by Nike to a brand management company and cuts all their sponsored athletes. Furthermore, it makes it difficult for genuine participants to cut through the marketing BS. Want to buy a lightweight backpack for some day hikes? Go to Walmart and you'll see rows on rows of "rugged" bags with 'biner accessory clips, "super-strong" zippers and "comfort straps". But don't try to take those up a mountain, you'll end up with gear on the ground. Informed consumers make capitalism work efficiently. This pattern abuses consumer trust for a temporarily profitable scheme. That's what I'd call a dark pattern.
- kevin_thibedeau 7y agoThe same as Harley Davidson as a lifestyle brand that sells motorcycles on the side.
- nradov 7y agoFerrari makes more profit from licensing and apparel than they do from selling cars.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- rasz 7y agoYou just described Apple business model. Remember the push for professional users? audio, film, devs. But then we got race to the thinnest laptop, Final Cut Pro X prunning pro users, new T2 chipped macs dropping audio samples from USB interfaces etc.