Oakley

How to Run Your Brand Like a Therapist

Graham Button — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:13:27 -0400

If ever there was an argument for function, it's the Jerry Springer Show.

Dysfunction is the natural way of things. Instinct, amped-up denial, neurosis. That's why there's psychotherapy. To bring a bit of order. To close the gap between the psychological landscape where we all live alone, and the actual one where we all live together.

Know anyone completely functional? I don't. Know any companies that are?

Design Roundtable: What Will Cell Phones Look Like 10 Years From Now?

Alissa Walker — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:22:05 -0400

We're back with the final installation of this week's cell phone roundtable. We choose the topic, put forth a few questions to our panel, and bring the most provocative answers back to you. This week, with more details about the Palm Pre and Monday's iPhone G3 S announcement it seemed a good time to ponder some issues about our love affair with mobile.

The Business of Being Shaun White [exclusive video]

Mark Borden — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:30:06 -0500

My cover story on Shaun White was bound to take one of two angles. White either has a super shrewd manager directing his business decisions while he floats in his own jet stream—a strong possibility considering the world of star athletes as check cashing product pushers. Or less likely, the 22-year old skate and snowboard phenom runs his own show and employs what I imagined to be an entourage with a brain.

Could White be the architect of the diverse portfolio of companies his brand is aligned with—from HP to Burton to Target? Could he be the one who leads his team and makes the final call when answering the tempting come-on of bogus, yet lucrative partnerships? Given the folly of youth and corporate America’s fat checkbook, it didn’t seem as though a story on Shaun White As Identity Auteur had much of a chance. To the surprise of many around our office, and most likely beyond, it turned out to be true.

Shaun White's Business is Red Hot

Mark Borden — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:45:26 -0500

When he won the gold medal in snowboarding at the 2006 Olympics in Torino, everyone knew how Shaun White's story would end. The corporate advertising complex would line up to capitalize, just as it has with every gold medalist since decathlete Bruce Jenner.

Oakley's Post-Apocalyptic Headquarters

Alissa Walker — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:30:46 -0400

Directions to Oakley headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California, read like coordinates to a secret rebel base: Turn on One Icon Drive. Pass the abandoned motocross ramp. Take a right at the helipad. And we're the 400,000-square-foot gray fortress at the top of the hill. Yeah, the one with the giant cylindrical spikes protruding from it. There's a torpedo out front. Can't miss it.