Boston firm to handle public relations duties for first-ever Quiksilver Natural Selection: The Jackson Hole All-Mountain Invitational

BOSTON (PRWEB) January 23, 2008 — Quiksilver has chosen CerconeBrownCurtis to launch its first-ever “Quiksilver Natural Selection: Jackson Hole All-Mountain Invitational.” The event will take place from January 30 to February 5, 2008, and will showcase the top 17 snowboarders in the world on a stage unlike any other.

The Boston-based firm will handle all pubic relations duties for the event, including blog outreach and social media saturation.

Daring to be different from today’s winter sporting events that create artificial environments to ensure easy TV coverage, the Quiksilver Natural Selection separates itself by going back to the basics, focusing on simply the rider and the mountain. This event is not about the competition or the viewers at home, but instead about celebrating nature and those who are not afraid to challenge it.

“This is an effort by snowboarding’s leaders to liberate the sport from the spectacle of made-for-TV events and return to the soul and roots of natural riding,” said Joshua Katz, director of communications, Quiksilver. “It’s important to us to work with a group like CerconeBrownCurtis that truly understands the roots and spirit of the sports we represent, and then can translate that to a wider audience.”

The event is the brainchild of Quiksilver athlete and 2007 U.S. Open Champion Travis Rice, who envisioned a competition that removes the constructs of parks and pipes, and instead uses a natural terrain course to bring out the best in riders’ style and technique

“The Quiksilver Natural Selection has the opportunity to change the way the snowboarding community views competition and views itself,” said Len Cercone, partner, CerconeBrownCurtis. “This event is truly a progression that hopes to replace pre-determined course with the expressiveness and unpredictability of free riding. In the process, Quiksilver will reintroduce the power, challenge and sheer joy of the mountain to a generation of riders at risk for losing touch with the natural roots of riding.”

For more details on the event, visit: www.quiksilver.com/naturalselection.

About CerconeBrownCurtis
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, CerconeBrownCurtis(CBC) provides branding, advertising, public relations and promotions services to companies in a range of industries. Founded in 2001, the company has worked with leading brands that include adidas, GMAC Insurance, Nantucket Nectars, Orvis, Cognos, Sperry Top-Sider, K2, The Timberland Company, Vibram and ZOOTS. For more information, visit www.cerconebrown.com.

About Quiksilver, Inc.
Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, wintersports equipment, footwear, accessories and related products. The Company’s apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its boardriding culture and heritage, while its wintersports brands symbolize a long standing commitment to technical expertise and competitive success on the mountains.

The reputation of Quiksilver Inc.’s brands is based on different outdoor sports. The Company’s Quiksilver, Roxy, DC and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding, and its beach and water oriented swimwear brands include Raisins, Radio Fiji and Leilani. The Rossignol, Dynastar, Lange, and Look brands are leaders in the alpine ski market, and the Company makes snowboarding equipment under its Rossignol, Dynastar, DC, Roxy, Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent Metal labels.

The Company’s products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, ski shops, skateboard shops, snowboard shops, its proprietary Boardriders Club shops, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver’s corporate and Americas’ headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz and St. Jean de Moirans, France, and its Asia/Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.

# # #

Second Annual Experiential PR Program Attracts
Top Journalists and Consumer Brands

BOSTON, MASS. (October 9, 2007) – For the last month of the summer, more than 30 journalists enjoyed a three-day stay on Martha’s Vineyard, with wine tasting, boot-camp workouts, tennis lessons, jogging, sailing – and it was all hard work.

The Boston advertising and PR firm CerconeBrownCurtis recently concluded the 2nd Annual Summer House program on Martha’s Vineyard, which hosted journalists from such renowned media outlets as MTV, Good Morning America, NBC Today, Oprah, Men’s Health, Shape, Parenting and Sports Illustrated.

The house was fully equipped with soon-to-be-launched products that ranged from Chateau St. Michelle wine and Stonyfield Farms yogurt to Nalgene and Coleman outdoor gear. It provided the press with a true-to-life preview, experiencing the products in the setting for which they were intended, without the sometimes annoying push of PR pros.

“It was my first experiential trip, and any I will go on in the future will have a lot to live up to. The products, planning, logistics and house were all great,” said Lou Dubois of Sports Illustrated. “I truly learned a lot about some of the brands on display that I never would have without utilizing them in this unique environment.”

Now in its second year, the Summer House has become a cornerstone of the CerconeBrownCurtis approach to media relations and experiential marketing. “We firmly believe that what makes a brand and its products special is more than features and benefits, it’s the entire experience and micro-culture that surrounds it,” said Len Cercone, firm co-founder. “The Summer House allows us to create and authentic experience for the press, and then back off and let them decide for themselves if it’s right for their particular audience.”

Since launching in the summer of 2006, the Summer House and (its sister program Winter House in Park City) has attracted brands that include: Nalgene, Coleman, Gold Toe, New Balance, Cloudveil, Mountain Khaki, Sperry Top-Sider, Rossignol, Crocs, Kettle Chips, Zone Perfect Bars, Smart Water, Stonyfield, Costa Del Mar, Clarks, Donner, Lucy Yoga, Scout, Go Lite, Gold Toe, Chateu St. Michelle, Magic Hat, Madhouse Munchies, ICON Fitness, Ice-Breaker, Orvis, Insolia, Dansko, Sealy, Prince, Scott, Mizuno, Gold Peak, Insport, Tommy Bahama, Dearfoams, Volkl, Terrasoles and Airborne

“I have already had a steady stream of editor calls since the conclusion of the program and I’m sure there are more to come. It is safe to say all of CBC’s hard work is certainly paying off,” said Ann Walden, Coleman.

According to CerconeBrownCurtis, details of the 2008 Winter House will be announced in November. For more information on the Summer House or CerconeBrownCurtis, contact Noelle Guerin at 617-248-0680 ext. 10, or email www.Litle.com

Boston Firm Awarded adidas eyewear Public Relations Business

BOSTON, MASS. (September 12, 2007) – Boston-based advertising and PR agency CerconeBrownCurtis is now the PR agency of record for adidas eyewear. The firm will represent adidas’ sporting and prescription eyewear and sunglasses, with a particular emphasis on the launch of its entirely new golf line for Spring 2008.

“CerconeBrownCurtis combines the skills and media networks to work comfortably on both the technical and style sides of the brand,” said adidas eyewear U.S. Brand Manager Jeff Raverby. “We feel confident that CBC has the ability to focus PR efforts in a way that will have a direct impact on the growth of our business.”

In addition to product publicity, CBC will draw from the adidas family of athletes to raise the profile of adidas eyewear in the press, including Natile Gulbis, the winner of the 2007 LPGA Evian Masters in France.

BOSTON, MASS. (January 16, 2007) – For 100 years, Beneficial Financial Group provided a safety net in the form of life insurance for the brave souls making new homes in the mountains and valleys of the American West. Now the company will embark on a comprehensive effort to recast its brand to better reflect its growth as a full-service financial sustainability company.

CerconeBrownCurtis will design and execute a multi-level brand research and positioning effort, including a complete internal audit, in-market research, in-depth policyholder research, and a national attitude and usage study.

With these findings, CerconeBrownCurtis will create the company’s new communication platform to differentiate Beneficial in its field, based on both its financial success as well as the company’s commitment to community and social enrichment.

BOSTON, MASS. (April 18, 2006) – When Kaneva Inc., creator and host of a social networking site that allows users to participate and create 3D virtual worlds and communities, began looking to create a community and identity of their own, they looked to CerconeBrownCurtis to help them find their way.

Kaneva Inc. has hired CerconeBrownCurtis to help with branding needs and creating a corporate identity. Looking to work off Kaneva’s solid foundations, CerconeBrownCurtis will put together planning strategies and a strong platform to set Kaneva apart from competitors in the burgeoning virtual world industry.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Kaneva Inc. began as a top-notch gaming technology company. Using its extensive experience and proprietary technology, Kaneva has emerged as one of the first virtual entertainment companies that combines the 2D web with a 3D experience, submerging users into a fully functional virtual world.