SoCal Beaches Magazine Blog

Surf Web Cams Growing in Popularity for Advertisers

Surf and beach web cams are fast becoming a cost effective way for advertisers to target and reach a captive action sports audience for much less than traditional print media.

The Pacific Beach Surf Web Cam on the Crystal Pier

Surfing web cams are fast becoming popular for advertisers to reach
their target audiences for less than traditional media outlets. Major fortune 500 companies are now stepping on board to secure advertising rights with web cam providers.   

Hollister Clothing (created by Ambercrombie & Fitch in 2000) recently signed a deal with the City of Huntington Beach to provide live camera feeds to its retail stores in the midwest and nationwide at a cost of 4.8 million dollars over a 25 year period.

The deal provides Hollister with exclusive camera feeds along the Huntington Beach boardwalk and pier areas. The deal also nets
370,000 dollars for marine safety equipment.

In addition, local surf camera websites like WaveWatch.com, SoCalBeachMag.net and Surfline.com are also starting to see an increase in advertisers who want to run small
“pre roll” commercials on these live feeds.

“Advertisers are finding out that they can get their message out much more cost effectively by running small 15 second commercials on surf cameras”, said SoCal Beaches Magazine marketing director Mark Fitzgerald.

“In addition, they are also to focus on specific demographics that focus on the action sports crowd for local communities up and down the coastline”.

“The deal that Hollister has made with the City of Huntington Beach is a sign of things to come for the beach and surf web cam industry”

Surf cameras have been around the beaches of Southern California for years but it is the recent technology of adding pre roll commercials that has gotten the interest of advertisers.

Surf cams can now run a 15 second flash commercial as a prelude to the camera feed loading, giving advertisers an excellent chance to get their message across to a captive audience of surfers and beach goers.

Surf web cams provide a constant source of live content and advertisers can get thier message across for much less than they would spend on print ads and other forms of advertising.

Advertisers can reach their target audience much cheaper and provide updated commercials as they seem fit.

“As times in the economy get tough advertisers going after the “Action Sports” demographic  have to find more cost effective ways to get their message across and surf and beach web cams are the growing media source to do that” said Fitzgerald.

Web cams are now being located in some of the best surf spots around San Diego and Southern California and web cam providers are chopping at the bit to get prime locations along the coast.

“We have seen a  huge increase in the number of live web cam feeds going in along the coast and beaches”, said Ray Dellerson, who works with CAMZONE, one of the largest providers of feeds in Southern California.

“Advertisers are seeing a positive responce from their customer base and finding that cameras can do as good, if not better job, than traditional print media in helping to get their message out.”

One of the most popular surf web cams is located at the end of The Crystal Pier and is owned by SoCal Beaches Magazine. The camera has been there for over 4 years but it has been in the last few months that the phones have been ringing for advertisers to run the feed and advertise.

“It is certainly the wave of the future and something which will continue to grow as we move forward” concluded Fitzgerald.

Time will tell, but this seems to be a growing business of the future as companies try to secure some of the best beach locations to entice advertisers to use their web cam network to advertise on.

To view live surf web cameras visit

www.SoCalBeachMag.net  
3 live cameras including the most popular camera on the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, La Jolla Scripps pier and the Del Mar lifeguard tower.

www.wavewatch.com
a dozen cameras focused primarily in
Orange County and Los Angeles beaches

www.Surfline.com
cameras from all over the United States including Hawaii and the east coast.

“PB” Surf Web Cam Ranks as “Best in San Diego”

Watch the “PB” surf cam click here

When it comes to watching live surfing on the Internet
there are a alot of web cams that offer locations that can
focus on some of the best surf breaks in San Diego.

Many of the cameras are land based and have to zoom in quite
a distance to see the action and when they do the surfers and breaks
are very far in the distance.

One camera in San Diego has been able to over come that and position itself right on the surf breaks north and south of the Crystal Pier.

The Pacific Beach Surf Cam sits out towards the end of The Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach and was recently recognized by the “California Action Surfers”, as the “Best Surf Web Cam in San Diego“.

“Some of the reasons they won had to do with location, but also a contributing factor was that visitors coming on the page can also
control the camera”, said Paul Fischer a spokeperson for the organization.
“This camera can capture the surf breaks from “PB” Drive to the south and Tourmaline Surf Park to the north, and because it sits almost 200 feet over the water it is very close to the surf breaks in these locations”. “Add the fact that the feed is free to view and you can see why it is our top choice for the San Diego area”. “Our surf members love this camera and view it all the time, even if they are not in San Diego”, he said laughing.

The Pacific Beach surf cam is owned and run by SoCal Beaches Magazine and has been on The Crystal Pier for over 4 years. “Last year we had to go out and redo some of the wiring, but the camera is running better than ever and becoming very popular for not just surfers, but people from around the world”. Said Socal Beaches Magazine spokesperson Mark Fitzgerald. “We are lucky to have some great sponsors including Bob’s Mission Surf and Dr. Steve Brody (who also the CEO of a local website called “La Jolla World“, which also broadcasts the feed.”)

Advertisers pay $150.00 per month to run the feed in their websites. “Our monthly cost to run this camera is over $500.00 per month which includes pier rent, internet cable and wireless transmission charges” Said Fitzgerald.
“In addition we have to run maintenance to replace and clean wiring and equipment” he said “but it is well worth it”.

“We are always looking for new sponsors and people who wish to buy the feed”. For a company who is looking to add content to a website this is a great deal for only $5.00 a day, especially when the visitors can control the camera” Fitzgerald commented when asked how many clients run the feed currently. (You can get information on placing the feed on your website at getinfo@san.rr.com)

The Pacific Beach Surf Cam sits about 250 off the entrance of the pier and is the farthest camera out over the water in Southern California.

To view the Pacific Beach Surf Cam visit click
http://www.socalbeachmag.net/surfwebcam.html