Challenge & Objectives
The core objective of my role as a social editor for Stab in the Dark 2024 was to convert Stab’s and partners' extensive social media audience into paying Stab Premium members, where the full episodes of Stab’s renowned double-blind surfboard test were exclusively available behind a paywall.
This year’s series featured Kolohe Andino as the test pilot, testing boards from the top shapers from around the world all without knowing who shaped each one. His goal is to determine the ultimate high-performance surfboard.
My goal wasn’t just to promote the series but to turn excitement into long-term subscriber growth by showcasing the value of Stab's exclusive content. To achieve this, the primary objectives were to drive traffic to the Stab website through engaging social content.
The creative vision centered around capturing Kolohe Andino’s humor and authenticity alongside the unique, blind surfboard tests that made the series special. The content needed to capture Kolohe’s personality, highlight world-class surfing, and provide viewers with valuable insights to help them choose the right board for themselves. Showcasing the series as both entertaining and insightful. Each social piece aimed to spark curiosity, encouraging viewers to dive deeper into the story by becoming Stab Premium members.
While we developed a structured social plan, some of the most effective content came from quick, reactive decisions. Many of the best performing posts emerged from spotting unexpected, funny, or standout moments during the episodes and turning them into quick, engaging clips.
This unplanned spontaneity allowed us to adapt and evolve with the episode, creating content that felt new and authentic, a key factor in driving engagement. Seeing those edits reach different audiences, spark conversations, and fuel excitement was one of the most rewarding parts of the project.
The campaign successfully united multiple audiences, blending Stab’s distinct voice with the reach of Red Bull, O'Neill, Kolohe and the surfboard shapers' communities. The content strategy combined planned structured releases with last minute, reactive creativity, keeping audiences hooked and driving them to explore the full series behind the paywall.
Strategy & Tactics
The strategy for Stab in the Dark 2024 centered on Kolohe Andino’s personality, high quality waves and surfing, and the unique appeal of the blind board tests to hook audiences ultimately driving them to subscribe to Stab Premium.
The content plan was designed to build momentum, with a weekly rollout teaser reels on Mondays to hype the episode, a full trailer on Tuesdays when the episode dropped, and follow up highlight reels on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This approach kept our audience engaged throughout the week, giving multiple reminders to draw viewers toward the full episodes.
A key part of the strategy involved tailoring content for Red Bull and O'Neill, ensuring they had assets that fit their brand guidelines while still promoting the series and Kolohe, their sponsored athlete.
Each week, I created social edits that adhered to their social guidelines, giving them content that blended with their existing feeds while driving traffic back to Stab. Additionally, we collaborated with the featured surfboard shapers, providing both raw footage and curated social edits of Kolohe riding their boards.
This approach not only promoted Stab in the Dark but also served as valuable marketing for the shapers, encouraging their audiences to engage with the series.
The content mix blended planned releases with reactive short edits inspired by standout moments in each episode. Some of the most successful reels emerged from this flexible approach. An unplanned clip where Kolohe compared a board’s mistaken asymmetry to John John Florence’s iconic "ghost" model surfboard. By layering this moment with footage of John surfing, we crafted a compelling, insider knowledge tone that resonated with our audience, sparking curiosity and conversation.
These edits tapped into the core surf community’s love for behind-the-scenes insights, driving engagement beyond what the pre-planned content achieved.
We also leaned into a "show, don’t tell" tactic for reels. Starting with raw, unpolished surf clips, Kolohe ripping a wave before transitioning into the more polished edits which consistently performed best. This approach gave the content an authentic feel that grabbed viewers' attention before they even realized they were watching a promo.
We supported the organic strategy with paid Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube ads. Teasers and trailers were promoted to ensure we reached beyond Stab’s core audience, targeting surf enthusiasts, action sports fans, and followers of Red Bull, O'Neill, and the shapers.
Throughout the campaign, we closely monitored performance metrics like views, comments, and shares to identify which content types were working. When something hit especially the unscripted, personality driven clip we leaned into that approach, creating more reactive content to keep the momentum going.
By blending structured planning with adaptability, the campaign successfully drove traffic, sparked engagement across multiple audiences, and pushed viewers to become Stab Premium members.
Results
The primary goal of the campaign was increasing premium subscriptions to support future projects. Across the entire project, the campaign had over 5.7 million organic video views. The campaign also saw strong engagement across social media platforms, with more than 200,000 likes, over 3,000 comments, and over 6,000 shares across all episodes. These interactions, especially from notable surfers, shapers, and industry figures, highlighted the campaign's ability to create meaningful conversations and promote a deeper connection with our audience.
The paid ads component of the campaign was also a crucial factor in achieving our objectives. The ads, running in key markets like the United States, Australia, and Europe, performed exceptionally well, generating strong conversion rates at a reasonable cost per conversion. The campaign's click through rates were notably high, particularly in markets like the United States and Australia, which led to a significant conversion into paid premium subscribers. This was a clear indication that the paid advertising was not only effective at generating interest but also in attracting and converting engaged users into long term subscribers.
The most rewarding part was seeing the community’s overwhelmingly positive response to the premieres and content, which further amplified the campaign’s reach. The weekly premieres sparked conversation within the surfing community, as shapers, surfers, and fans alike shared their thoughts and experiences on social media. This buzz helped extend the campaign's visibility beyond the immediate reach of the paid ads and planned content fostered a sense of community among viewers.
The growth in premium subscriptions was another key indicator of the campaign's success. Over 1,000 new premium subscribers joined throughout the month-long project, demonstrating that the content resonated with viewers and encouraged long term engagement. This was a critical success factor, as it showed that the campaign not only attracted viewers but also converted them into loyal, paying subscribers, ensuring the sustainability of future projects.
Overall, the results clearly show that the campaign successfully achieved its objectives. The combination of high engagement, strong conversion rates through paid ads, and positive feedback from top industry professionals proved that the campaign was effective in driving both immediate interest and long term subscriber growth. The campaign not only increased visibility but also created lasting relationships within the community, positioning future projects for continued success.
