The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) is proud to announce the winners for the fourth annual SIMA Image Awards, a program designed to recognize surf industry companies for their outstanding achievements in eight categories: Ad Campaign of the Year, Product Innovation of the Year, Breakthrough Brand of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Board Builder of the Year, Women’s Brand of the Year, Mens Brand of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year. Winners were honored in a ceremony on May 20 at SIMA Surf Summit 9 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The winner in the category of Manufacturer of the Year is Volcom. Volcom previously won this award at the inaugural Image Awards ceremony in 2003 and again in 2005. The nominees for Manufacturer of the Year were: Billabong, Quiksilver, Sole Technology, Surftech and Volcom. This award was given to the manufacturer that successfully pursued an ambitious business strategy to grow its current business; exemplified industry leadership through areas such as market growth, product development and/or economic impact on the industry; and contributed to the growth of the industry as a whole in 2005.
“The profile of the SIMA Image Awards and the excitement surrounding them continues to grow each year,” said Dick Baker, SIMA president and president of Op. “The ballots poured in this year and the race to win each category was tight. It sounds cliché, but all nominees should be stoked to have been nominated and recognized by their peers. It is quite an honor. SIMAs goal is to continue to recognize more companies for their achievements each year.”
Billabong emerged victorious in this years new category, Mens Brand of the Year. The category was introduced to recognize the mens apparel, footwear, wetsuit or accessory brand that best grew its business in 2005 and featured the categorys most exciting designs, as well as having increased its brand appeal in the past year. Nominees for Mens Brand of the Year were Billabong, Quiksilver, RVCA, Vans and Volcom.
Roxy claimed the Women’s Brand of the Year award. The Womens Brand of the Year category recognizes the growing and influential women’s brands in the surf industry. The nominees for Women’s Brand of the Year were: Billabong Girls, Nikita Clothing, ONeill Girls, Roxy and Volcom Girls. The award criteria for Women’s Brand of the Year specified the honor was to be awarded to the women’s brand that grew its business and exhibited category leadership in design, brand appeal and recognition most in 2005.
The winner of the 2006 SIMA Image Award for Breakthrough Brand of the Year is Electric Visual. This award is given to the new or established small-to mid-size brand that created the most buzz in the surf industry in 2005, through product development and/or increased brand recognition and appeal. The nominees for Breakthrough Brand were: Electric Visual, Insight, Mada, Matix and Vestal Watch.
Receiving top honors in the category of Product Innovation of the Year is the Quiksilver “Deep” Tide Watch. The nominees for Product Innovation of the Year were: the Aviso USA Carbon Fiber Hollow Surfboard, the FIREWIRE (nev) “Superflex” Surfboard, the Freestyle Audio Waterproof MP3 Player, the Pavel “Speed Dialer” Turbo Fins by LokBox, and the Quiksilver “Deep” Tide Watch. The winner and nominees for Product Innovation of the Year were selected as the companies that developed/created the most innovative surf or surf-related product in 2005.
Volcom also took home the award for Ad Campaign of the Year. With this award, Volcom was selected as the company that demonstrated the most creative advertising campaign to convey a cohesive and consistent brand message in print, digital and point-of-purchase formats throughout 2005. The nominees in the category of Ad Campaign of the Year were: Billabong, Hurley, Reef, Vans and Volcom.
Surftech took the award for Board Builder of the Year, recognized as the surfboard manufacturer that exhibited industry leadership and grew its current business in the surfboard category through market growth and/or innovation in 2005. The nominees for Board Builder of the Year were: Channel Islands, FIREWIRE (nev), Lost, Rusty and Surftech.
The award for Retailer of the Year, honoring the specialty surf retailer that showed exemplary service to its customers through staff, store and product offerings as well as significant involvement in and commitment to surfing in 2005, went to Jacks Surfboards.The nominees in the category of Retailer of the Year were: 17th Street Surf Shop, Virginia Beach, Va.; Hansen Surfboards, Encinitas, Calif.; Jacks Surfboards, Orange County, Calif.; Town & Country, Hawaii, and Whalebone Surf Shop, Nags Head, N.C.
The SIMA Image Awards give surf industry manufacturers and retailers the opportunity to identify candidates and vote for the industry’s most influential companies in each category. A call for nominations for the eight award categories was sent to SIMA member companies in February and the five companies that received the most nominations were named as the nominees in each category. SIMA members and surf industry retailers selected the winners in each category through a confidential voting process conducted by mailed ballot. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony during SIMA Surf Summit 9 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The 2006 ceremony built the excitement of the crowd with an MTV awards-style video montage of each nominee in the eight award categories, produced by Propaganda Headquarters. Winners this year also received new Image Awards trophies, courtesy of Elliott Rabin at Ridout Plastics.
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) is the official working trade association of more than 300 surf industry suppliers. Founded in 1989, SIMA is a non-profit organization that serves to promote awareness of the surf industry and participation in the sport of surfing through public relations efforts and a variety of services, educational programs and research. In addition, SIMA actively supports oceanic environmental efforts through its 501(c)(3) charitable environmental foundation, the SIMA Environmental Fund. In the past 16 years, SIMA’s Environmental Fund has raised more than $3 million for environmental groups seeking to protect the world’s oceans, beaches and waves.
