My First Week: Pure Chaos
Got thrown into managing Palace streetwear marketing last spring. Zero training, just a Slack message saying “figure it out.” Tried running ads hyping quality fabrics – crickets. Young crowds don’t give a damn about stitching details.
Watching Real People Wear Our Stuff
Staked out skate parks for three weekends straight with my camera. Noticed something wild: kids were pairing Palace tees with thrift store cargo pants, not our own matching bottoms. Asked one guy why – he laughed: “Your pants cost too much for shredding concrete.”
Shifting Gears
Scrapped the “premium craftsmanship” angle overnight. Started doing three things instead:
- Made campaigns messy – Posted shaky phone videos of actual skaters eating pavement in Palace gear. Grass stains = social proof.
- Unofficial partnerships – Sent free beanies to underground punk bands. Didn’t ask permission, just filmed them sweating through gigs wearing us.
- Leaked “duds” on purpose – When factory printed a batch with upside-down logos? Marketed them as “error drops.” Sold out in 9 minutes.
The Messy Turnaround
Three months in, our Instagram comments switched from “overpriced garbage” to “HOW GET THAT HOODIE??” Realized streetwear ain’t about looking perfect – it’s about looking real. Stopped posing models with clean sneakers. Started paying skateboarders to film wipeouts in new collections.
Biggest win? When some 16-year-old tagged our billboard with dripping paint cans. CEO wanted to sue. I blew up the photo everywhere with “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN” caption. Engagement blew past corporate targets by 300%. Moral? Street credibility beats shiny ads every damn time.
