Surfrider Foundation, MAKING WAVES, February 2004

MAKING WAVES, February 2004 issue: Table of Contents

By Chelsea Murphy

VIPE DESAI

It's a long way from Bombay to the beaches of Southern California. Some might say that it's an even longer path from stoked grom to respected Marketing guru, but that is exactly the path that Vipe Desai has traveled.

Desai was born in Bombay, India. Shortly afterward, he and his family moved to England where they lived for several years before finally settling down in Torrance, California.

Desai adapted quickly to Southern California beach culture and by the time he was 14, he was a regular fixture at Hermosa Beach.

After attending college in San Diego, Desai moved back up the coast to Orange County in the early 90's and opened his own surf shop, H20. He also became an early supporter of Surfrider Foundation, helping to organize local events and fundraisers. After several successful years on the retail side of the industry, he decided to leave the shop and pursue a long time goal of opening his own marketing agency. And so in 2000, he started Propaganda Headquar-ters (HQ).

Located in a small office directly across Aliso Creek State Beach, Propaganda HQ is a boutique agency specializing in the action sports market. "Our goal is to be the bridge between the mainstream market and the action sports culture," says Desai. Our mantra is to inform, influence, instigate, incite and inspire." In three short years, Propaganda HQ has garnered an impressive roster of clients, including Daimler Chrysler, Dr. Pepper, Mountain High Resort and Wahoo's Fish Taco.

"When I was younger, I was always trying to figure out what more I could do to help protect the beach," says Desai. "Now that I'm older and I have the agency, I am finding that I can contribute in so many ways."

And that is exactly what he has done. In 2002, Propaganda HQ agreed to take on the Surfrider Foundation as a pro bono client. Desai and his creative team, Rob Springer and Brent Anderson, have just wrapped up production on Surfrider Foundation's new print PSA campaign. The ads, which target ocean sport enthusiasts, feature several prominent action sport personalities, including pro surfers Donavon Frankenreiter and Layne Beachley, pro snowboarder Tara Dakides, No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont and the legendary Greg Noll, each talking about the importance of joining the Surfrider Foundation in its work to protect the world's oceans, waves and beaches.

Matt McClain, the Surfrider Foundation's Director of Marketing, is enthusiastic about the campaign. "It's tremendously important for us to stay connected to our endemic markets," he says. "It's where the Foundation is rooted and it still constitutes the largest segment of our core membership."

So far, the ads have been featured in Transworld Surf Magazine, Surfers Path, SG, Surf Life for Women, Longboard Magazine, Blue Magazine and the Action Sports Retailer's Show Guide.

To see the full layout of Surfrider Foundation's newest print public service announcements, go to http://www.surfrider.org/psa. For more information on Propaganda HQ, visit them at http://www.propagandahq.net.

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