Author Topic: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..  (Read 25479 times)

Area 10

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #30 on: December 20, 2014, 09:26:29 AM »
Why all the comments about how "lovely" she might be? She is a world-class competitive athlete. Surely that is enough? Very few top competitive sportspeople are warm and fluffy, except when it is required by the sponsors. These are usually highly competitive individuals who would bite their own arm off for a win, and are driven and obsessive beyond normal bounds. They want to beat you, to crush you, and they will get unreasonably upset if they don't. That is what it takes to be at the top of pretty much any sport - and indeed, most human activities. So I think it is unreasonable to expect these people to be Nelson Mandela as well.

And for what it is worth, when AA has visited the UK she has I think generally left people in awe of her competitive drive, toughness. and phenomenal work ethic. But a career in the diplomatic services or care professions probably does not beckon. And why should it? She is a world-class competitive athlete in an individual rather than a team sport. Tact and diplomacy do not drive the nose of your board across the finishing line. Sheer aggression and determination do. So maybe we shouldn't feel the need to make character judgements alongside critiques of her work (blogs included). PB was right, she needs an editor - but she's not a writer either, so c'mon now, what do you expect?

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #31 on: December 20, 2014, 09:36:52 AM »
It seemed like a rambling ego piece, which is perhaps forgivable given her standing in the community....
Yes, not knowing Ms. Anderson, that's exactly what I thought upon first read, and then sat back, and thought...

...she needs an editor.
...or better yet, a PR firm.  :-\

Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

mrbig

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #32 on: December 20, 2014, 09:38:03 AM »
Area 10 - Exactly and well said!
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PonoBill

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #33 on: December 20, 2014, 11:44:44 AM »
Anyone that has that level of competitive drive should also understand that to succeed completely they need to win the PR/marketing battle as well. If they need a trainer to get their muscles mass optimally distributed they do that. If they want to make the largest number of people like and respect them (which equals best sponsorship opportunities), they need to pay attention to the PR aspect. When the nose of your board goes across the line first, it's just as important that people be glad you won as it is that you win. The only "sporting" endeavor where that isn't completely true is orchestrated events like pro wrestling where villains are as important as heroes. It's never true in individual sport.

It should be obvious, but just as every asshole with a pencil thinks they're an editor, every person with a facebook page thinks they're a marketer/writer.

I'm not volunteering--just suggesting. She, and every athlete that aims to be at the top of the game, needs someone that understands how to make their accomplishments optimally valuable.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 11:51:43 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

coldsup

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #34 on: December 20, 2014, 12:08:41 PM »
Anyone that has that level of competitive drive should also understand that to succeed completely they need to win the PR/marketing battle as well. If they need a trainer to get their muscles mass optimally distributed they do that. If they want to make the largest number of people like and respect them (which equals best sponsorship opportunities), they need to pay attention to the PR aspect. When the nose of your board goes across the line first, it's just as important that people be glad you won as it is that you win. The only "sporting" endeavor where that isn't completely true is orchestrated events like pro wrestling where villains are as important as heroes. It's never true in individual sport.

It should be obvious, but just as every asshole with a pencil thinks they're an editor, every person with a facebook page thinks they're a marketer/writer.

I'm not volunteering--just suggesting. She, and every athlete that aims to be at the top of the game, needs someone that understands how to make their accomplishments optimally valuable.

Too true. Still not been tempted to go back and read of it....I'll just look at the pictures as I can understand those better :)

Area 10

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #35 on: December 20, 2014, 12:43:57 PM »
Well, in some senses her article is working very well. Presumably if she is moving to be with Brian S, the best thing they can do in marketing terms is create as big a splash as possible. Part of that will be getting column inches on forums like this one. And she's certainly doing that - far more than if she'd just posted a blog entry just saying where she was off to.

There are parts of the article that seem deliberately obscure, and they have been overdone to the point of sounding frankly a bit cuckoo. I'm sure a good marketing person would have finessed those, and probably AA will read this forum post and regret not running it past someone. However, equally the post is achieving exactly what it presumably set out to do: create speculation and butter up her board designer so he's more motivated to make boards she likes, and to highlight the fact that Brian S is no longer at Starboard. And in terms of those objectives the article could hardly be working better, if this forum thread is anything to go by. Maybe she's not as bad at this stuff as you think.

The hippy dippy voodoo stuff in her article reads just like she is copying the sort of guru nonsense you get quite a lot in the extreme sports world. Gerry Lopez is a repeat offender, and much as I idolise him, one of Dave Kalama's recent shaping videos for Imagine also crosses the line into "guru gobbledegook". There have been some very funny spoof YouTube videos about this tendency, especially in the surf world. Maybe she doesn't get away with it as much because she doesn't fit our stereotype of the "guru" as much (i.e. an older man...).

So, overall it's a thought-provoking piece from Annabel. Maybe not in the way she intended - although equally maybe if she's a genius marketeer it is - but it's certainly made me reflect more broadly on what it going on here whereas if she'd just have said "I'm going to Lahui Kai" I'd have just shrugged and said "good" and gone back to my breakfast.

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #36 on: December 20, 2014, 02:54:38 PM »
Starboard has posted the same "article" on its own site. 

http://star-board-sup.com/2015/annabel-anderson-seasons-of-change/

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #37 on: December 20, 2014, 02:56:22 PM »
I love Annabel, she's a sweet person, but she needs an editor. I have no idea what she's trying to say.

No kidding...so long winded and flowery. All to say, I'm leaving?
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pdxmike

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #38 on: December 20, 2014, 03:58:09 PM »
Sometimes when people say or write things that are indirect, it's because they're trying to convey things that they're uncomfortable saying directly. 


A lot of announcements like this are equally indirect and say very little, but people use cliches that everyone is so used to hearing that nobody notices that the person really isn't saying anything.  She wanted to say more than the typical "So stoked to be looking forward to sharing the stoke with an awesome new opportunity..." but the things she wanted to say weren't things she felt she could say directly.  I agree she could have used some help, but I give her credit for wanting and trying to do more than spew cliches.

PonoBill

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #39 on: December 20, 2014, 04:21:59 PM »
Of course it works, we're interested in what she does. I've spent time chatting with Annabel, both at the BOPs and at my house in Hood River. She's great. Normally I wouldn't care if someone started spewing unintelligible corpspeak blended with philosophical claptrap. But in the wake of the Connor/Kai micro tempest it just grated on me to see someone I like manage their communication badly. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled broadcast. Should have surfed this morning. Didn't. I'm painting closets. Should probably sneak out and surf at Tavares, but I'm painting closets. So there's that. No hope of a downwinder, so I'm painting closets.

Hopefully Boyum is going to come by so I can help him build a website for his book. But until then I'm painting closets.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 04:23:59 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PT Woody

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #40 on: December 20, 2014, 07:12:57 PM »
Is it just me or did that last post get a bit repetitive? Could have used an editor.

pdxmike

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #41 on: December 20, 2014, 07:53:31 PM »
PT--You had some good insights earlier.  What do you think he may have meant by "painting closets"?

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #42 on: December 20, 2014, 08:51:51 PM »
It probably means he was painting closets.  Sadly, PB is too lazy to wear a respirator. Therefore, he was huffing paint, hence the repetition.   

Not to worry though.  The north shore will be cranking tomorrow.  That will knock the sense back into him.
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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #43 on: December 20, 2014, 09:23:10 PM »
Laughing my a$$ off reading the last few posts on this thread. ;D ;D ;D

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Re: Annabel Anderson departs Starboard ..seasons-change article..
« Reply #44 on: December 20, 2014, 10:11:31 PM »
PT--You had some good insights earlier.  What do you think he may have meant by "painting closets"?

Not sure but I hope he doesn't paint himself into a corner - I'd hate to think Pono Bill was having trouble coming out of the closet.

 


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