BayAreaKiteboarding.com

are the windwing guys going nuts?



or

... hmm where is their Che ad now... sorry they deleted their Che ad...

hopefully they dont fall into the smellfish hole with to much advertisement about a product they dont have on the counter right now. They dont even have more info on their cryptic website.

I will be really disappointed from them if they make the same stupid error like Best. After Best messed up with the Smelly they should follow the clean marked introduction of the Cabrinha CB.

Just be careful guys, we really like you;
K

who is that? Steven Hawkins?

Yes, it's Stephen Hawkings. I never did finish A Short History of the Universe. I saw that someone on kiteforum posted that they thought it was Bill Gates, which is pretty funny.

I'm certain WW will not go the same route as best. They have been around along time and are well-respected and a group of bright, down to earth guys. I think they're just making an effort to come up with a few out of the ordinary ads to stir up interest and generate some discussion.

Looks like it's working. ;)

Olli, you are right, it creates some interest but not in the direction where the interest should go.

If you follow the link, you should end up DIRECTLY on their page where you can get AT LEAST some info or better you can ORDER kite directly. But you are linked to their front page and you really need to work hard to find your way to the kites and then .... NOTHING ! I still call it the wrong thing to do, especially after Best messed up.

I still hope they are holding the ground.
K

... Bill Gates is really a good guess.. ;-)

I will pass on the info so they get some direct feedback.

Thanks,
Ollie

Here's some insight, or reassurance form their forum, coming from another post about ads and attitude:

"
It is all about attitude isn't it?

Windwing will never go the way of Best. The company has been around for 23 years and has been a leader in innovation and integrity. One of our team rider in the windsurfing side just won a coveted Sportsmanship Award and we place more value on that than all the races he won.

Having said that...Windwing is poised to go global and our ads reflect the message and culture of the company.

1) We are a rebel against established brands and ideaology.
2) We are inovators and universal thinkers.
3) We are a family of fun loving recreationalist. A global family.

IMHO, I think spending some time to revamp the WW website would be more beneficial than putting up the Che and Hawking ads on Kiteforum. When I visit bestkiteboarding.com, it oozes professionalism and class (as much as I hate the frat boy marketing and excessive hype) as an e-commerce destination website. When I visit the WW site in its current incarnation, I get the feeling that it's half-baked, and a first-time visitor might innately wonder whether that translates to the products as well.

More specific comments:

- Not sure why windwing.com and windexpress.com aren't one and the same thing... I have the feeling that this is because the online e-commerce website is a different venture from the underlying business, but even so, they really should be integrated into one cohesive site.

- The Regatta sale (and formerly, the Challenger(?) sale) on windwing.com isn't reflected on windexpress.com

- 2005 kiteboarding lineup on windwing.com has the URL "http://www.windwing.com/Kiteboarding2004"

- "06 Rapture is Coming" news flash is dated Feb 4, 2005. I thought the first we heard of the '06 rap is maybe 1-2 months ago?

- the GIF on http://www.windexpress.com/Home needs to be redone so it doesn't look so pixelated

- if a navigation link on the left side of windexpress.com doesn't lead to anything, just hide the text (e.g. get rid of "packages" if you aren't offering a kite/board package)... otherwise it looks like half the menu doesn't work and the website has a "under construction" feel

- clicking on the CC bar and B-SAFE bar product links show the closeout nav menu on the left hand side, should show the "new" nav menu instead. Come to think of it, most of their individual product pages have this same problem.

- B-SAFE bar should say "starting at $119" not "starting at $171" since you want to quote the lowest price, i.e. 45cm bar WITHOUT lines

- why does the Rage II product appear under "boards" section?

Think I'll send a copy of this email to Will Harper as feedback as well. I love their kites and will probably buy some '06 Raps next season, and would love to see a website that reflects the quality and technology of their kites!

It would be good if you forwarded them that info, it's all constructive criticism. I see it as helpful.

Good Job,
Ollie

Thanks Guys! We did find ourselves with our pants down from the success of the ad campaign. We did noit think we would get so much traffic and with this traffic, our deficiencies really came out. We will be working fast to get the site upgraded and thanks for all your excellent suggestions feixaq. FYI, Will is no longer in the office.

1) We are a rebel against established brands and ideaology.
2) We are inovators and universal thinkers.
3) We are a family of fun loving recreationalist. A global family.

4) We desperately need a spell checker.

:twisted: :) :)