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Matteo V
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Postby Matteo V » Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:14 pm
So back to the North......new North...thing. Anybody have any idea what their gimick is going to be? Price high or low? Specific geographic market?
Odd that North will now be the newest kitecompany in the game.
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Toby
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Postby Toby » Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:17 am
Matteo V wrote: ↑Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:14 pm
So back to the North......new North...thing. Anybody have any idea what their gimick is going to be? Price high or low? Specific geographic market?
Odd that North will now be the newest kitecompany in the game.
Gonna be interesting.
The former North distribution is still in place, so they all will go with Duotone.
Big question is if they all will sell new North as well...
I think there are many former Best distributors and shops who could go for North now. They have the logistics.
But I think it all depends on how good the new products will be...but I don’t think they will be bad with the team they have.
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Matteo V
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Postby Matteo V » Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:32 pm
Toby wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:17 am
.....I think there are many former Best distributors and shops who could go for North now. They have the logistics.
But I think it all depends on how good the new products will be...but I don’t think they will be bad with the team they have.
I am thinking they will have to distinguish the new North from the old North somehow. Maybe add a bit of a name to the end or beginning like - "New North Kites"? Maybe less people are paying attention to this that I think, but everyone I know knows Duotone is the North kites design lineage.
So my question is still, 'What kind of gimmick would allow a new company with new designs to open under an old company's name with no access to those old designs/lineage'? My guess is that they will have to play to the "fashion/looks" side of the equation with less emphasis on "innovation" (no crazy click bar) and "design refinement". Given that innovation for a new company is extremely dangerous should that innovation prove defective, and there will be no room for design refinement upon startup, there will likely be something else. Maybe Bill Hansen will be their first designer?
And regardless, Duotone taking the kite designs with them (and everyone knowing that), pretty much stripped the value out of the North name. Good play on Duotone! But not for the chosen name though. Though maybe all the bad publicity from picking that name is, as they say, good publicity.
Last edited by Matteo V on Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kitemenn
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Postby Kitemenn » Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:39 pm
If they will come with good products they can take advantage of the wide familiarity of the name. Look at DUOTONE, I have seen posts for many months bashing their new name. People saying they were no longer buying their kites etc...few months down the line nobody cares anymore! Although everybody knows the old north is now DUOTONE, everybody who will hear or see North instantly has that connection to a kitebrand! That's what it's all about in the long term I guess.
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Toby
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Postby Toby » Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:39 pm
The new North plays the role of the old North, which I think is just confusing for customers.
I wish they would go their own way and not use the work of Boards & More.
But, it’s about money, right?
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Matteo V
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Postby Matteo V » Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:53 pm
Kitemenn wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:39 pm
....Look at DUOTONE, I have seen posts for many months bashing their new name.....
Great strategy to make sure everyone knows what is going on.
Kitemenn wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:39 pm
..Although everybody knows the old north is now DUOTONE, everybody who will hear or see North instantly has that connection to a kitebrand!...
Nope, that was a genius play by Duotone (Boards & More) that completely eliminated any confusion of lineage of kite design. The controversy created by the (seemingly poor) choice of name made it so that everyone knows what is what. Only a sailor (windsurfing, catamaran, cruiser) just getting into kiteing would be confused. And one google search would straighten them up with mountains of "traces" left on the internet of this, and many other discussions. If this was intentional, it was DEFINITELY GENIUS!
Should the name chosen have been less controversial, your theory likely would have held true.
Kitemenn wrote: ↑Fri Dec 07, 2018 4:39 pm
That's what it's all about in the long term I guess.
Long term may go to the New North,
if they survive. Startups are more likely to fail than succeed. And Duotone made it well known the New North is a "start up" to even the most recent entrants to the kiteboarding community.
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Hugh2
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Postby Hugh2 » Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:55 am
Nick was riding a North prototype at Kitebeach on Bloubergstrand yesterday, along with Kevin Langaree, Jalou Langaree, and Lasse Walker, amongst other luminaries. In passing on the water I asked him what he thought of it, and no surprise he gave a big grin and thumbs up!
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apollo4000
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Postby apollo4000 » Sun Jan 06, 2019 9:29 am
Hugh2 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:55 am
Nick was riding a North prototype at Kitebeach on Bloubergstrand yesterday, along with Kevin Langaree, Jalou Langaree, and Lasse Walker, amongst other luminaries. In passing on the water I asked him what he thought of it, and no surprise he gave a big grin and thumbs up!
I assume Nick was the only one on the North prototype or are you breaking a bigger story; Nick’s being joined by the others to form the new/old North crew? I think I saw Jake Kelsick sitting on a new North board covered in Tona and Ozone stickers..
It does feel a bit quiet from the like of Aaron, Lewis, Hannah etc...no heavy vlogging... I bet Tom Court still has his North logo chest tattoo just in case...
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Postby Toby » Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:35 pm
Was he jumping higher than anyone else?
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ralu81
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Postby ralu81 » Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:21 pm
He also made a video with Vestas. From the looks of it I would assume the kite he was using was a prototype.
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