Ban surfing on TV

I don’t mean ban all attempts at hanging ten on your 42″ flat screen television, that’s a worthy challenge.

I mean ban all surfing from adverts and mainstream TV programmes.

Why ban surfing on TV

Surfing in adverts and mainstream TV misrepresent surfing and surfers.

They’re using something we love, that we have a personal relationship with, without our permission, to sell stuff.

It’s an abuse of our surfing culture and identity.

The evidence

Commercial exploitation of surfing is nothing new, as a kid I remember watching the Old Spice advert in awe and wanting to smell like my Grandad.

Today I’m a little more cynical. Here are some recent examples that make me leap off the sofa and shout at the telly.

Chanel

Just the mention of a posh perfume or cologne brand will make most surfers groan in despair. It seems ever since advertising was created designer scents have used the surfing image to promote their product.

The latest perfume advert is no less cringetastic. Chanel No.5, Baz Luhrmann and Gisele Bundchen worked together to create a short story about a fantasy lifestyle. It employs all the usual characteristics of a perfume ad. Visually spectacular – check, breath taking supermodel – check, love and high society – check.

I can just about overlook the Chanel branded unwaxed surfboard. For the sake of aesthetics and fashion, I’ll accept that Gisele surfs in a Chanel leotard instead of a wetsuit. And it only mildly annoys me that the waves, underwater and beach scenes were clearly filmed in completely different locations.

My main issue is that the surf shots of Gisele were clearly green screened. She used to date Kelly Slater FFS! Gisele can surf. So why not let her surf and use the opportunity to encourage more women to surf. Okay, I give in. I hate the whole advert.

This is not a product aimed at surfers, it is a product aimed at the aspirational middle class, and uses surfing to look cool. Surfing does not belong in an TV commercial alongside billionaire beach houses, full time nannies, classic convertible sports cars and private balcony theatre tickets. Surfing should be banned from all posh perfume ads.

The BBC

Even our prestigious national treasure, the British Broadcasting Corporation, have exploited surfing purely for it’s own gain.

If the BBC chose to highlight the beauty of our nations coastline with a glimpse of surfers alongside fisherman, tourists on the beach and coastguards in action you’d understand.

But images of Carlos ‘Coco’ Nogales charging big tropical waves in Mexico, wearing only board shorts and a rash vest, is difficult for me to match to the ideals of the BBC.

This was one of a series of BBC One ‘Circle’ idents, and they were created to provide an interesting link between programmes. As the name ‘ident’ suggests they were designed to blend brand and imagery to portray an identity.

I get it. If you regularly see a young surfer riding a big wave at Puerto Escondido, with all the subtle branding of the BBC thrown in. You associate the channel with the qualities of the surfer: adventurous, brave and confident.

I understand what surfing does for the brand, but what does this clip do for surfing?

Does it encourage people to learn to surf? I doubt it. Even if it did, the only thing you’d catch wearing a rash vest and boardshorts in UK waters is hypothermia. You won’t find overhead clean waves at every beach, and you certainly won’t be able to hop on and catch a wave like they saw on the BBC after a 1 hour surf lesson.

Of course the short clip does not explicitly infer that you can do all of these things. But as with the majority of marketing the message is emotive and aspirational at best. At worst it is cashing in on and promoting the tired old stereotype of surfing. So I say ban the use of misleading surfing stereotypes to promote corporate identities.

Surfboards as scenery

Is it an inside joke for TV and film set designers to try and get a surfboard in the background?

It seems in every lounge or bedroom of every home on TV there is a surfboard. Often the person living in the house doesn’t knowingly surf, and sometimes the home isn’t located anywhere near a beach.

I don’t know about you, but none of my surfer friends keep their surfboards in the house. For many reasons: most surfers have more than 1 board, they take up a lot of room and they rarely look good enough to hang on the wall.

So why is it everywhere I look on TV there is a surfboard used as a prop in a room? I tell you why. It’s because a strategically placed surfboard subtly implies the character near it surfs. If they surf they must be cool.

Every morning Nick Jr spoils my breakfast. At about 7:45 the Go Go Go girls and boys sing and dance their morning song on a tiny island so remote they need a spaceship to commute, and like an annoying private joke there’s a surfboard in the bedroom.

Surfboards are not household furnishings. You can not buy surfboards with lamps and shelves in your local DIY store.

TV people, stop using surfboards as ‘cool’ props, get a giant lava lamp instead.

Alcohol

Alcohol adverts might be the exception to the rule. I loved the Guinness advert, amazing soundtrack, script and visuals. It evoked the raw energy and primordial instincts of surfing. And unlike over priced air fresheners, exotic idents and annoying TV shows, surfers are more likely to endorse the product.

A more recent example is Jagermeister’s advert depicting cold water surfing, comradery among surfers and a down to earth social lifestyle. The fact they enrolled Cornish surfer Ben Skinner to do some of the surf scenes helps too.

No CGI, no glamorous models, no tropical settings. This ad was as surfing is (for me at least). Cold water, rugged surfers, living life and having fun. How real surfers live. And again I strongly suspect the odd surfer has sampled a Jager shot or two.

But they are still adverts trying to sell a product and exploiting surfing in the process.

Should all surfing on TV be banned?

Yes, if it protected the identity and culture of surfing from commercial exploitation.

Realistically, there’s no need to ban surfing on TV. But an official organisation such as the International Surfing Association, could do more to promote a realistic and positive surfing identity.

Or perhaps we should create a global Surfing Identity and Culture Association. We could be known as SICA.

What do you think?