Forgot to mention that people interested in the Mobex and Ravenous products can check out some videos on my GearActive YouTube channel. Here are some links:
You have "had a chance to check out the the upcoming Ravenous trail runner..." etc etc etc because you work for Columbia.
I have had a chance to dismiss your views because you are a spammer.
Hopefully Magicalia will send Columbia an invoice for advertising and, furthermore, OMers will ignore your products.
My confidence in the latter is founded in the fact that your products are not suited to the UK market and OMers will not fall for such crass and obvious marketing.
At least this thread does tie into one of the editorial pieces on the site nicely, hey! Cannot say that for Chinese shoe selling spams!Plus also it is not only UK users that read stuff on this site really you know jokaro, after all. After some stuff I have written on this forum, proud to say, I have got feedback insults from all over the world!All gratefully received by me here!
You have "had a chance to check out the the upcoming Ravenous trail runner..." etc etc etc because you work for Columbia.
I have had a chance to dismiss your views because you are a spammer.
Hopefully Magicalia will send Columbia an invoice for advertising and, furthermore, OMers will ignore your products.
My confidence in the latter is founded in the fact that your products are not suited to the UK market and OMers will not fall for such crass and obvious marketing.
As we say in Manchestia; do one.
jokaro-
It's a shame that there is such hostility towards a new member of this forum..!
I don't work for Columbia. I'm an outdoors writer, and attended the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, where the Ravenous and Mobex products were shown. After that, I received the Mobex for testing and review.
Reference the post from Guy if he has ever bought any products made by Mountain Hardware then he has bought a product made by Columbia. Mountain Hardware is a wholly owned subsidery of Columbia and has been for the last few years. Personally I have a few pairs of their Trail Shoes which I have been more than happy with.
Montrail too it seems- and they really are excellent. Actually far from trivial to find much montrail stuff in the UK recently. I don't suppose they'll be stocking them in this place? Not mentioned so maybe not. Oh well.
Welcome on board Kevin, its good to have someone who is "in the business" joining the site, especially when it comes to product reviews - you must have used / tested quite a bit of kit in your time, so please feel free to share your knowledge.
That mobex looks nifty, any idea what the price point is?
I saw Kevin's enthusiastic posts last night and wondered whether they were directed marketing. So I followed his links, watched the vids, followed more links in those links... ascertained that Kevin is an independent writer & blogger who probably didn't have to pay for his kit but did state on his site, http://gearactive.com/
"
About Advertising Acceptance:
Let’s get all this out in the open, so there’s no weirdness. GearActive, like a lot of sites that test products and create reviews, accepts (and needs) advertising to operate. Rest assured, all the products that you see here are put through a comprehensive test period, beaten senseless, oftentimes just for the fun of it, and documented along the way. That’s right, everything you see here goes a thorough hands-on testing period. No write-ups based off of a spec sheet here, baby. GearActive tests gear so that you know what’s good and what’s not about a certain product.
It doesn’t do you, GearActive, or the gear manufacturers themselves any good to write a biased review.
‘Nuff said on that, let’s get back to whoopin’ up on some gear! "
Now perhaps I'm easily duped but having seen all that I didn't post my "surface to spam" missile as Jokaro has above.
I understand why Jokaro believed it was spam; I had the same gut reaction myself... but as they say outside Manchester... better to ask questions first and shoot later
Anyway Kevin, I hope you won't be put off from participating in OM with your perspectives. I would say, however, that ownership is only one aspect of brand quality. I've had some truly awful gear from Columbia (note not the item pictured); some average stuff (a fleece vest that's not too bad) and some pretty good casual trousers. I remember reading a corporate mission document from Columbia a few years back where the brand deliberately placed itself at the lower quality, lower price end of the perceived outdoors fashion boom.
Now, the items you review might well be very good. It's often the case that a well funded organisation like Columbia can turn out some fine gear for their sponsored athletes & climbers. Helly Hansen would be another example of a company who have been able to create some top quality items hidden in a massive array of tat and rubbish for the ski & leisure market.
Sorel had a great reputation in Canada for winter boots; Mountain Hardwear a great reputation for top end kit. Just because Columbia bought them doesn't mean that this ethos has permeated their whole range. More that they wanted to be able to corner different sections of the market than their own brand was able to do in my opinion.
So once again, Kevin, welcome... and don't take Jokaro's response too personally... we've had a lot of annoying spam on here of late with people trying to take advantage of free advertising on OM when the site relies on paid advertising to exist. A simple matter of mistaken identity I believe...
If the guy has a commercial relationship with manufacturers, whether they pay for adverts or give him free gear, he should make that clear to avoid arousing otherwise legitimate suspicions of being a hype-artist. (or "whoopin' up on some gear" )
So Kevin, the question is, "Has Columbia ever paid you to advertise their products, or given you free product?"
must admit, I always thought of columbia as being downmarket, but I've ended up with a couple of bits of kit that I still quite like - a micro fleece and a titanium paclite kind of jacket, I think they've been sneakily moving up market over the last couple of years and I even picked up one of their jackets at the weekend in the cotswold shop, thinking "hey that looks nice and techy" before seeing the label and hastily putting it back and then looking around in an embarassed fashion to see if anyone had seen me looking at it!
I honestly believe that Columbia has a lot of great products in their Titanium line that are directed toward outdoor activities such as trail running, fastpacking, adventure racing, etc. -and perhaps they are making efforts to regain some trust from enthusiasts who may have not had a good experience with their products in the past. I think with products like the Mobex pack and Ravenous trail runners they can begin to appeal to those individuals who have dismissed Columbia as a lesser brand.
ALoveSupreme -
GearActive is a new venture for me. It's still being developed, and to date I haven't received any advertising money from anyone. The information on the GearActive About page is in case of situations just like this one! What if I didn't have that information there? I'm a writer, so engaging people about what I write about is part of the job. Instead of writing on my site, leaving it there for people to find, I choose to take part in the community where gear is talked about. Hey, we are all a little crazy about gear, right? Also on the About page you'll find links to other stuff that I do, and it's easy to tell that I'm a person who is enthusiastic about gear, just like everyone else here.
The products that I receive from manufacturers aren't free, and in fact they get returned once I've tested them thoroughly and written a review. That's the way it works for all writers and bloggers who write hands-on reviews.
must admit, I always thought of columbia as being downmarket, but I've ended up with a couple of bits of kit that I still quite like - a micro fleece and a titanium paclite kind of jacket, I think they've been sneakily moving up market over the last couple of years and I even picked up one of their jackets at the weekend in the cotswold shop, thinking "hey that looks nice and techy" before seeing the label and hastily putting it back and then looking around in an embarassed fashion to see if anyone had seen me looking at it!
This is exactly what I'm talking about! I really think that Columbia is making efforts to win back the trust of people like ourselves who need high-end, technical gear.
Kevin - fine. I have no problems either way. Plenty of people with direct commercial interests post on this site, but they usually make their company/blog/magazine affiliations clear in their member name, which avoids misunderstanding or suspicion, and their comments can be read and valued in that context. But most people who post here have parted with their own cash for the things they talk about, and I value their opinions differently, so I think you should make your position clear. Renaming yourself KevinMims@gearactive.com would fit with the way other people do things.
I've got plenty of gear that I've paid for, and planned on sharing that information as well. Since I responded to a current article regarding Columbia coming to London w/new products, that's all that seemed to be important. Perhaps my first post shouldn't have been in response to the article - but then again, I might not have found this forum any other way.
I'm just a guy who likes gear, and writes about it. No need for all the name-changing.
Welcome to OM forum there Kevin!
At least this thread does tie into one of the editorial pieces on the site nicely, hey! Cannot say that for Chinese shoe selling spams!
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