Backbone Media Returns to the Big Apple

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buy provigil online with paypal Twice a year, a critical mass of Backbone’s PR and media teams trade the Rocky Mountain corridor for skyscrapers, pavement pounding and a much wider array of cuisine. If you were in the NYC area last week and spotted a group of guys and gals rocking plaid, denim and athletic shoes, it was probably us – and no, we weren’t trying to pull off the Lumbersexual look.

http://artedgeek.com/ALFA_DATA Despite the rain mist, the event saw over 75 journalists, bloggers, photographers, stylists and publishers throughout the day. This showroom provided a platform for brands to reveal what is in the pipeline for fall and winter 2015. Fifteen brands were in attendance this year and covered a wide array of categories including fashion, active lifestyle, mountaineering gear, cycling, technology, deep-sea fishing apparel, and more.   Participants were Smartwool, Eddie Bauer, POC, Les 3 Valles, YETI Coolers, Polartec, Hoka One One, Vibram, American Pistachio Growers, Stio, Stower, Distiller’s List, Walls, Grundens and FluidStance.

This year we were lucky to have a hosted happy hour featuring fresh fish hor d’oeuvres from Grundens and premier cocktails from Distiller’s List.

For Eddie Bauer, last week in NYC was a double-header!  Following the Backbone Showroom, the brand held a launch reception for the new Eddie Bauer Limited Edition Collection by Ilaria Urbinati at Freemans Restaurant. A menswear line aimed at combining the heritage and original aesthetics of the brand with modern silhouettes and styling, the event targeted the who’s who of men’s design, fashion and style.

Attendees from GQ, Men’s Journal, Details, Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire, WSJ’s Off Duty, WWD, and many others made efforts to see the new collection. The notable celebrity stylist who has built her career ensuring the men of Hollywood are dressing the part, Urbinati’s long-time friend and client James Marsden stopped by to show his support of her line.

All in all, it was a busy week for Backbone in the city, and it never ceases to amaze us  with how tired you can get from walking around zero-pitch landscapes all day!

Until next time NYC,

Alison Nestel-Patt & Katie Wolitarsky

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Posted in: Backbone Adventures, New York Event, Outdoor Industry News

Turning a Passion into Action, by Kara Armano

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Everyone who knows me, knows that I love to fish and often back with words “lost my shoes“. What a lot of people don’t know is that more than anything I love to teach and share the joys of fly fishing with others, for this I always use the best fly reels under 100 which are great for fly fishing. Of course, to share my passion there needs to be wild places where the rivers run free and the fish are abundant. Those places should be celebrated and protected. I was recently moved to take action to defend and protect both my passion for fishing and wilderness when I learned that they were in danger of being compromised.

The Thompson Divide, 220,000 acres of federally owned land just outside Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, has exposed me to some of the greatest outdoor experiences of my life. The Divide includes free flowing streams that are home to native cutthroat, and vast expanses of pristine forests and meadows that are teeming with herds of elk and deer.

The future of the Thompson Divide is threatened by oil and gas development. Because the area means so much to me, I spoke up.

I’ve worked with the Sportsmen for the Thompson Divide via Trout Unlimited to express what the area means to me. I’ve supported the Thompson Divide Coalition in its effort to teach the community more about the issues.

Working at Backbone Media, it’s easy to share my passions with my colleagues. Nate, one of the partners, feels just as strongly as I do about the Divide and the hunting opportunities it provides him. But as a growing agency we have several new employees who don’t know about the local land conservation issues. So, I decided to host a get together at my house to educate people about what’s at stake, the status of the pending oil and gas leases, and how everyone can get involved.

So last night Scott Hanley from the Thompson Divide Coalition and Aaron Kindle from Trout Unlimited came to my house to lead an open discussion about the issues facing our water and land, domestically, agriculturally and recreationally. A lot of people from work showed up. All the attendees seemed moved by the discussion and asked good questions. My hope is that my passion to save this area from drilling was instilled in them and that with their support, and possible action, we can protect the Thompson Divide for future generations to experience and enjoy.

Posted in: Colorado, Environment, Fishing, Hunting, Interesting Read, Videos

Content is not a new Concept

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800px-Pancho_Villa_Expedition<_Around_the_Campfire_HD-SN-99-02005.JPEGJust when you think you’ve cracked the code to creating a successful communications strategy, things change. Whether it’s big data, UGC, virality, influencers, followers, fans…the communications landscape is fast-paced and ever-evolving (and full of buzzwords).  In the midst of change, it’s important as an agency to take a step back and understand how we got here.

Backbone Media’s business model was built on telling memorable, authentic stories about the products, people and places we love. When you have great stories, you want to tell them, enjoy them, and maybe learn something along the way. This is a pretty basic concept, but one that won’t ever change because it’s based on a meaningful interaction.

ContentKing

More and more we’re hearing that “content is king,” “content is the new social currency,” and “content is the center of communications.” What is content? To us, it’s a great story, a memorable message or a shared experience. We want to help craft these stories in an authentic and compelling way, and we want to share them with the world. The only difference with telling brand stories today versus five or even two years ago is that these stories can now be multidimensional­ with, images, videos, animation, infographics and editorial. Change in the media medium is inevitable and attention spans may be depleting, but the value of good storytelling stays the same.

At Backbone, content isn’t a new trend we’re chasing—it’s something we’ve always been all about. It’s the heart and passion of our business. It’s a PR manager taking editors backcountry skiing in the Wasatch or fly-fishing in Argentina to build a story about that experience. It’s our digital team putting a great consumer testimonial into an ad unit and delivering it to a targeted audience across various media platforms. It’s our social team developing a hashtag strategy to bring a community together to be a part of the brand story.

We’re doing it right. We’re always adapting to change and new technology, but most importantly, we’re staying rooted in the basics—telling great stories. And to me, that’s the most refreshing and human approach to communications.

Posted in: Digital, Interesting Read, Social Media, Technology