PROJECT: BATALEON SNOWBOARDS
CREATIVE DIRECTION: JOHN HARALD KNUTSSON
YEAR: 2002 - 2007/8
LOCATION: OSLO, NORWAY
TITLE: INTERNATIONAL BRAND MANAGER
CONCEPT: ESTABLISH BATALEON SNOWBOARDS AS A CREDIBLE SNOWBOARD BRAND WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY

BATALEON SNOWBOARDS
Norwegian snowboard brand, launched in the early 00´s and quickly gained recognition in the global snowboarding industry. By 2006 and 2007, it had earned accolades such as "Breakthrough Brand of the Year" in both Europe and the United States. Bataleon still thrives as a leading brand in the snowboard industry, and is currently owned by The Nidecker Group.

EXAMPLES:
DESIGN, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, VIDEO COLLABORATIONS, TEAM MANAGEMENT, BRAND IDENTITY, MARKETING STRATEGY AND CONCEPT.

Promo made in collaboration with Siesta Films

Key contributions to the brand's
establishment included:

  • Testing and development of snowboards, bindings, softgoods, and accessories.

  • Designing snowboards, bindings and accessories

  • Developing brand strategy and identity.

  • Creating and executing marketing, PR, and event strategies.

  • Managing an international team of riders.

These efforts played a significant role in shaping Bataleon Snowboards into a globally recognized and respected brand.

John has a good knowledge about the snowboard culture, the fashion that goes with it, and he combines it all with his background as artist. This secured us a visual appearance that was very well received by the snowboard community, which is our prime target group.

Coming from nowhere Bataleon Snowboards soon became a well respected core brand. First on the European scene, and then last year we went global, and John spent 3 months in USA to promote our brand and recruit riders and get a photographer to follow our riders.

Organizing parts in snowboard videos for the riders was also part of his job these 3 years. Bataleon has had a range of street-wear and accessories, mostly to support the branding. Also this has been John’s main responsibility. Lately he also ran a project to develop a new Bataleon binding.

Jørgen Karlsen // Bataleon CEO

BREAKTHROUGH BRAND OF THE YEAR 2006

Source Boardsports Industry Magazine 2006:

Bataleon Snowboards Elected Breakthrough Brand of the Year

Norwegian BATALEON SNOWBOARDS elected Breakthrough Brand of the Year at the Annual European Snowboard Industry Forum. A solid recognition of the brands revolutionary innovation, TRIPLE BASE TECHNOLOGY, and a sales and marketing strategy based on dedication, enthusiasm and love of snowboarding.

“The Breakthrough Brand of the Year Award presented by SOURCE will recognize the activities and efforts of a small/new brand that has been seen by retailers to have progressed the most in the year.” Clive Ripley – publisher Boardsport SOURCE

Retailers voted Bataleon their favored brand. European industry platform SOURCE took the initiative and CEO of the TTR World Tour Drew Stevenson presented the award during this 3-day event in Chamonix, France.

 “The fact that the retailers voted for Bataleon gives us a huge boost in confidence. It’s awesome that retailers acknowledge our Triple Base Technology, appreciate our marketing strategies and value our customer service. They have found a solid and trustworthy partner in Bataleon Snowboards. I am stoked to see that our momentum in Europe is reaching overseas and increased interest is shown by the US and Japanese retailers. We will put a lot of effort in continuing to build our brand in these markets.” – Dennis Dusseldorp, International sales manager

“This award is extra valuable coming out of a winter like we had. It’s been a hard season for the industry and we did all we could to support our retailers. Without our retailers we would not have been where we are right now and we are looking forward to catering them with the best service possible in the future” – Fred van Haren, General manager

Bataleon Snowboards would like to thank all retailers, distributors, reps, magazines and riders who supported us since day one.

Learn more about Bataleon Snowboards and check out the companies’ teaser that was shown during the award ceremony on www.bataleon.com.

TRIPLE BASE TECHNOLOGY
Bataleon's 3BT (Triple Base Technology) is an innovative snowboard design that combines a traditional camber profile with a unique 3D shaping of the board's base. The edges of the nose and tail are uplifted, creating three distinct sections: a flat center base and two uplifted sidebases.

BATALEON FUN KINK
The Bataleon Fun Kink was designed to make fun of Burton Snowboards UnInc model, that had a pig as logo. As a newcomer, Bataleon wanted to challenge the norms, in a lighthearted manner.

THE BATALEON 20Y ANNIVERSARY BOOK

It’s big, it’s burly, it’s bursting at the seams with photos, graphics, stories and so much more! The 20Y Anniversary Book is a true collector’s item, 600+ pages covering the entirety of Bataleon’s history, including over 400 boards we’ve designed in the last two decades.

WRITTEN BY THOMAZ “TAG” AUTRAN GARCIA

Following section is the first chapters from the start to season 07/08.