Name: Bob Tanner
Job Title: Director of Marketing
What are you responsible for at Ocean Minded? In a nutshell, I’m responsible for the Ocean Minded brand – what it looks like, what it feels like, and what it communicates. I’m very fortunate to have a great team reporting to me, and together we manage OM’s advertising, photo and video shoots (along with post-production), in-store marketing, public relations, events, tradeshows, catalog and website production, social media, the OM Brand Ambassador program, and our company’s environmental efforts.
We also work very closely with the Sales and Product departments to ensure our brand message remains consistent in these two areas, and to develop future marketing strategies around our account base as well as certain OM products and collections. I’m sure I forgot something, but I think this paints a pretty good picture of what I’m responsible for at Ocean Minded!
What is your favorite part of the job? Without a doubt, the best part of my job is that no two days are the same! That’s the main reason I was attracted to the retail/wholesale business right out of college – I knew it was going to be a fast paced, ever-changing environment. I’m not the type of person that can stay static for any period of time and keep doing the same thing over and over. I need stimulus and this job certainly provides it!
I’m also in the fortunate position of being able to work in an industry (and for a brand) that’s foundation is something very near and dear to my heart – the ocean! As you can imagine, being surrounded by your passions on a daily basis is a very fulfilling experience and something I don’t take for granted.
What advice can you give to someone who is looking to begin a career in the action sports Marketing world? First and foremost, follow your passion. I know it sounds hokey, but take it from someone’s who’s living proof that you can have a career doing something you love.
Try and get a job in your targeted industry, as soon as you’re able to. Retail stores that specialize in your passion are a great place to start, as you learn everything ‘from the ground up’ and can follow the course of a product from the time it gets delivered to the store to the time it’s placed in the customer’s shopping bag at check out – which, whether you know it or not at the time, will eventually become very valuable information to you!
If you’re in college, contact companies you’re interested in about an internship (and don’t expect to be paid). There are countless examples (including here at Ocean Minded) of interns being hired on, full-time, after they graduate from college.
I’d also recommend attending as many relevant events as possible – especially trade shows, career fairs, or any type of gathering that a company you’re interested in is attending or hosting. This will give you the chance to interact directly with people that work there, and can sometimes be a very ‘telling’ experience that will enable you to get a better picture of a job, company, or industry, rather than just looking at their website.
Tell us about your craziest, funniest and/or most memorable industry experience. I’m sure the infamous pool pic from Cabo San Lucas is still making people smile.
We all deserve a little wanderlust! Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled and why? My wife and I had booked a trip to Ireland, and before we left a friend said ‘this will be the best trip you’ve ever taken – even if you don’t surf.’ He was correct, and I can’t wait to go back (and YES, I did get to surf, too). Additional good times, great waves, and amazing people in Hawaii, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica and all over the US!
What band or musician is always on your playlist? It’s always on shuffle, and right now the Violent Femme’s are singing ‘Gone Daddy Gone.’
Top 5 Favs:
1. My Family
2. My Friends
3. Our oceans
4. Beautiful surfboards
5. The Philadelphia Flyers
What single word of advice can you give to someone who wants to be like you when they grow up and work for an awesome brand like Ocean Minded? F-O-C-U-S
Words to live by: ‘Win together today and walk together forever’ – this is what Fred Shero (the legendary coach of my beloved Philadelphia Flyers) wrote on the locker room blackboard before the game when the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup. An amazing quote, regarding teamwork.
Earlier this month, 
Running from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the event had a standup paddle clinic led by top paddleboarders, Shelby Schweitzer, Matt Becker, Brennan Rose and Ocean Minded Ambassador, 
The event took place at Newport Dunes, visible from Pacific Coast Highway, and had a paddling course that wound through the scenic harbor. Shawneen Schweitzer, a former world champion windsurfer and on-air personality 
In addition to these fundraising efforts, Ocean Minded will also be onsite at both events, giving away a limited supply of hats, footwear coupons and hosting the official beach cleanups. The 
The Performance Paddling Junior Pro and Youth SUP Fiesta will wrap up the weekend on Sunday, May 5th at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, California. Ocean Minded is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this inaugural event, which was organized by 
This past month, 
Last month, our friends Emily King and Corey Smith from 
Earth Day is just around the corner and 
With Earth Day just around the corner, many environmental organizations are raising awareness for the plastic bag ban and some communities are even preparing for the ban to be instated this Earth Day, on April 22, 2013. The “bag ban” encourages the use of reusable bags to promote healthier environments for communities through the decreased use of single-use plastic bags. Here at 
Their B.Y.O.B. Bring Your Own Bag campaign’s goal is to pass city wide ordinances in local chapter locations for 10 cents on all paper bags and eliminating the use of single use plastic bags.
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The 3 Day Only Sale: Ocean Minded Minoa Canvas
We all love a little something extra, so Ocean Minded is offering the new Minoa Canvas shoe for 20% OFF today through Saturday, May 18, 2013! Click here to shop now and enter promo code “FB_Minoa20″ at checkout. Happy savings!