Friday, May 22, 2009

ESM: Eastern Surftek Magazine

If you have seen the last few issues of ESM then you may have noticed a few black and white quarter page ads, usually in the "blah blah" section that advertise the shop. Tim bought a years worth of ads... but sadly we had to ask for our money back. Why? Well ESM is a business, a business that makes money off of advertising. One large company they advertise with is surftek. When we showed ESM our ad for the most recent deadline they sent it back saying they couldn't print it. They were a little worried some of their other (much bigger) advertisement patrons (surftek) may get offended and withdraw their business. What do you think, is ESM right to censor us or are they just a bunch of p^ssies. Take a look at the add and then take a vote. Polls close on the 27th at 12:00pm.


34 comments:

Burchinator said...

Awesome - Good Job Tim!!!

Surfbrarian said...

Good on ya at McKevlins for the anti-establishment attitude!

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

screw all of you guys ESM is the best east coast magazine. So what if they want run that add.ESM has all the right in the world to turn down Mc-kook-lins. And before you say F##k Esm I want you to think of what that Magazine does for the east coast and what Mckevlins does. Gives the East Coast pro exposure. Allows your photographers like Jim and Megan Whitney to show their art as well make a living. Also the magazine gives the reader a look into what has happened on the RIGHT coast month to month. Mckevlins is just one of many shops with some good product and one horrible employee.

Turd Ferguson said...

If anything, ESM has the right to refuse that ad on the basis that it looks like a 2-year-old did the ad layout.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Obviously, ESM doesn't believe in the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall when it comes to their magazine, but it’s their right as a business to refuse. The advertisement isn't even that offensive to warrant censorship. The copy is sh*t, it could have been done way better and actually made a clever point. If it was published most people would’ve scratched their head and then turned to the next page of ads.
But the fact of the matter is that ESM has made their stance clear, and you can expect the blurry line that separates "editorial content" and "marketing copy" that has plagued the major surf magazines over the past few years to rear it’s ugly head in this East Coast ragazine. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for, with ESM on one end of the spectrum and The Surfer’s Journal on the other.
Did you know that your "Free ESM" is actually paid for by McKevlin's, and that ESM only ships the magazine to shops that pay for it? How many other shops in Charleston carry ESM? Exactly.

Anonymous said...

that ad is ALL TIME!!!
and ESM used to be cool

West Coast Ed said...

Wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit not to see ESM in the shop. I thought really hard about "what ESM does for the east coast" and can't come up with anything.

Even the ESM girls are skank.

The last few issues were skimmed and deposited in the recycle bin within an hour.

As far as the other end of the spectrum mentioned above, I don't read a surf mag to read about the messiah Obama, how he "surfs" and is gonna save the world.

Surf Magazines ruined surfing!

goodkarma said...

tim is a man with priciples that stands up for them.McKevlins is a great shop and will always have my support and bussiness!

Anonymous said...

If I could get a cheap good board made in a swet shop well I'm in. It beats paying 500 for a board.Isn't channel island made by a machine? Don't they come from another state. How is this supporting a local shaper? Doesn't Mckevlins sell channel islands? WOOOOOOOOO I just blew your mind

I.R. said...

Someone just got served.

goodkarma said...

anonymous,as for longboards you are going to pay 900.00 up for a overseas mass produced surftek popout.you can get a bing for that.but for hundreds less you can get an allison,burch,martin or other local board shaped here by small american bussiness men thats rides great.tim has integrity by trying to carry boards and other products made by americans here in america.people bitch about jobs being lost to overseas companies but will not try to buy american buy your comment"if i could get a cheap good board made in a sweat shop well im in"shows a i just don't care mentality.also eastern surf magazine is toilet paper!

Anonymous said...

I think it got rejected because the ad sucks. Really poorly designed and truly offensive to all print media. You all should try a bit harder and consider using education as a crutch not good, but misguided, intention.

Anonymous said...

^
what did he just say?

Anonymous said...

I think he said, "Help, I need a job."

Anonymous said...

I think the quality of the Ad is the main issue, it is really poor. A better Ad that is anti-Pop-out would probably still stand a good chance of getting printed.

Anonymous said...

The quality of the ad is irrelevant. ESM pulled it so as not to offend their bigger client. I work in advertising, and we have never done that. Let the better advertiser win. Let the readers decide. It is pretty lame on ESM's part. Keep hitting them Tim. You have enough folks who believe in your cause.

Anonymous said...

Yeah West Coast Ed, ESM has done nothing for East Coast surfing or South Carolina in particular... except devoting 12 pages of last year's October issue to interviewing South Carolina surfers, shop owners, shapers, photographers, old dudes, groms, and everyone in between. Putting an unsponsored local father on the cover. Running close to 25 photos of South Carolina surfers.

What other surf magazine has done that before?

Anonymous said...

Where are the "McKevlins" brand of clothing made? My guess is some foreign company working 8 year old kids 12 hours a day for pennies.

Turd Ferguson said...

In 18 years, they dedicated 1 issue to South Carolina, only ahead of Georgia who had 0. And the photo they used (which is a good shot of Brown) was over a year old. The dedicated Whitney's and ESM staff couldn't be bothered to make the 1 hour drive South to Folly, or 6 hour drive North from Florida to get good current shots and interviews? They half-assed it just to get it over with, and it was probably the thinnest issue ever. It was nothing but a South Carolina name drop pamphlet, which is what most people want anyway. "Did they mention my name? Something for the scrapbook? A pic of that flyaway air?" They didn't even have any local writers submit pieces, and who knows it better than the locals. Don't hold your breath for the next "South Carolina Issue"

Anonymous said...

if I remember correctly turd two writers from ESM spent three days in South Carolina interviewing people from Myrtle Beach to Folly... I think Greg Elliot and Busey and those guys had dinner and drinks with them after they spent time in Myrtle and Pawleys.

and it was more than a name drop, it had history going back to the '60s, a good hearty dose of the '70s with Nuckles and Weaver and those guys, '80s with Hoisington/Cox/Brophy, into the '00s with the Linebacks and Richards and Buseys and Osments.

again, even if it was half-assed, what other magazine has featured a SC surfer on the cover? or spent a weekend interviewing people to write a long ass article on the state?

Anonymous said...

other East Coast states that haven't had their own "issue" of ESM: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, Georgia... and they all, except for Georgia, get better waves than South Carolina!

Turd Ferguson said...

Every issue of Surf Carolina?

But how did that issue of ESM benefit South Carolina surfing besides patting everyone on the back?

Turd Ferguson said...

Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island deserve them, but if I was from there I wouldn't want one. Why blow-up a mildly undercover point and reef break haven? Oh, that's what surfing magazines are for. The South Carolina issue exposed...how crappy the waves are and why South Carolina surfers become alcoholics and drug addicts. I wish I had time to write that list, but its knee-high and I'm frothing.

Anonymous said...

right, surf carolina. look what's on their media kit page:

STATEMENT ON AD CONTENT - DISCLAIMER
Surf Carolina Magazine reserves the right to refuse any advertisement we determine may be offensive, contain profanity, vulgarity, nudity, offensive behavior, adult or illegal content. We will not refuse advertisements based on sex, race, religion or any other illegal forms of denial. Surf Carolina shall not be liable for damages for failing to publish an ad. Advertisers and/or their agencies assume responsibility for content of their ads, and are liable for any claims against the publisher with regards to their ads.. They agree to hold the publisher harmless for any and all claims and lawsuits against the publisher based on their ads. Certain ads which resemble editorial content may be marked “advertisement” by Surf Carolina Magazine.

I wonder if they would run the Chinese worker ad?

what did the article do for SC surfing? well, it got the state and its surfers spotlight up and down the East Coast — not just in SC or NC — along with out in California and Hawaii, where ESM also goes. That could lead to more sponsors, bigger contests, more coverage in national mags as they now know who some of the up-and-comers are from the state. But for everyone who thinks that's a good thing, there's probably three people who don't want it to happen.

And hey, a pat on the back is better than no pat at all.

Turd Ferguson said...

Surf Carolina probably wouldn't run it, but at the same time they might take any advertising dollars the can get. Maybe McKevlin's should test that one out, that's a great idea.

I know people who work for surf companies in California. One sent me a picture of a stack of that issue, a month after it was put on the table, No interest. Besides, the only people featured in that issue have major sponsors already, except for Greg Elliot.

This will burst a lot of people's bubble but... if you want to be recognized as a "pro surfer" you have to travel. No one wants to come to SC for a contest because in order for it to be successful you would need a 3 week holding period. Anthony Osment has probably logged over 500,000 miles driving up and down the East Coast and out to California just to be recognized as a pro surfer. You can have all the contests you want in SC, but until you go where the waves are bigger and better and you can still perform in waves over waist-high instead of getting lost in the crowd of Joe Averages, you don't deserve to be sponsored.

As for the pat on the back, my dog loves those. I on the other hand could care less. But that says a lot about the "me" generation. "Look at me, look at me. Did you see what I did?"

Anonymous said...

More sponcers and bigger contests... bwahhahahahaha.

Just what Folly needs. Another "big contest weekend" that ends up being contested in cankle high wind blown nothing. (No disrespect to the people who work very very hard to make these events happen)

grumpy local said...

Yea, I can't say enough about how much better my surfing experience has been since ESM dedicated an issue to South Carolina.

Wonder how we ever got along without it.....

Lost Boy said...

I don't know, looks like a really cool job. I'll bet they have a really good medical and dental program. Not to mention a fantastic 401K. The workers probably all drive new Kia's given to them by that really nice man with ASS on his sleeve.

Anonymous said...

esm is more of a paper than a magazine.thats why its great for doggie poop paper.

Anonymous said...

Maybe you should look around your shop before you get all sanctamonious and self righteous on us all. I'm sure at least 90% of the clothes/ shoes you sell are made in mexico or China. Al Merricks are made by a machine in California. Birdwels are probably the only clothes made in America. So that ad is probably a good representation of how most of the products you sell are made. You want to go off about NO popouts. Why aren you selling clothes made in china? How about surfboards made in California from a machine. Wouldn't that be a popout? Why don't you just get rid of everything not local or made in the usa.

Anonymous said...

If I was Tim I would shut this blog down. You make his shop look bad.

Turd Ferguson said...

According to the poll, 70% agree that ESM has no balls.

Anonymous said...

I saw Lost board shorts for sell at Ross clothing store. Im pretty sure yall have quit caring companies that sell themselves out to these stores. Better quit caring Lost boards and clothing or im going to freak out.

Anonymous said...

ESM=POS

no pop outs

Mckevlins rules!