By Jenny Callison
Enquirer contributor

Youthful participants in extreme sports might sometimes see themselves as outside of the athletic mainstream, but as consumers, they're in the crosshairs of corporate marketing efforts.

So says Jackie Reau, whose local sports marketing company is helping area companies grab the attention of this powerful demographic group.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Mobile Skatepark Series

Reau, co-founder of Game Day Communications, cited recent research indicating that teens and preteens have an enormous influence on the spending patterns of their parents and other relatives.

And with participation in skateboarding and other extreme sports on the upswing, a lot of those kids will head downtown this weekend to watch professional extremists aim for the incredible.

"Skateboarding is the nation's fastest growing sport, doubling in participation in the last five years up to 18 million participants," Reau said. "More kids ages 6 to 17 skateboard than play baseball or basketball."

That's one of the points that she and Game Day partner Betsy Ross stressed to businesses as they pitched sponsorships to this year's event. Hired in March to enlist corporate support for the festival's stop in Cincinnati, the two garnered just under $100,000 in prize money and piqued the interest of many companies for next year's event.

The youth market, which some call Generation Y, is a particularly tough nut to crack because young people use media differently from their elders, one sponsor said.

Generation Y generally is considered those born during a baby bulge between 1979 and 1994, although demographers disagree on exact years.

With 60 million, the group is more than three times the size of Generation X but smaller than the 72 million baby boomers, according the BusinessWeek.

"They don't read newspapers, don't watch network TV, and they don't even like feeling they're being marketed to, specifically," said Josh Hoffman, retail development manager for Toyota's Cincinnati region.

That's why Toyota leapt at the opportunity to use the Mobile Skatepark Series' stop in Cincinnati to whet young appetites for its new Scion, a nontraditional Toyota model that's aimed at young car buyers.

"We want to take a more grass-roots approach, communicate through word of mouth, through Internet chat rooms," Hoffman said. "We want to put it on display where they can see it and talk about it."

Although the Scion is being introduced in California next month, it won't be in Midwest showrooms for another year. But Hoffman said it's not too early to create a buzz among the target demographic.

"The whole idea is to get them seeing it, touching it, and then direct them to our Web site," he said.

The festival's grass-roots marketing approach also appealed to Papa John's Pizza, another sponsor.

"I think it's a great opportunity for us to get in front of Generation Y, the largest generation since the Baby Boomers," said Mike Hutmier, who owns 10 Papa John's franchises and is president of the company's Cincinnati Marketing Co-op. "A lot of up-and-coming young adults are not familiar with our brand. Hopefully, we'll connect with them at the festival with our coupons and selling opportunities.

"We want to make sure we're part of that demographic, and we like to get involved in local events, such as the Flying Pig Marathon." Hutmier said. "There's endless pizza choices out there, and we want to continue to develop brand loyalty."

Sponsorships were up substantially this year over last, Reau said. This year's event has a Festival Village, designed to increase companies' visibility, and it's filled with youth-oriented brands such as Yoo-hoo and Butterfinger.

National sponsor Yoo-hoo is following the Mobile Skatepark Series around the country and is affiliated with the Aggressive Skating Association.

"The ASA is all about promoting a positive image, tobacco-free. The athletes we sponsor keep it pretty clean, and we try to promote fun" said Yoo-hoo spokesman Josh Harrold, who was handing out free cans of the chocolate-flavored drink. "Our demographic is 13- to 18-year-old males. Wherever they're at is where we are."

Jeshajah Israel, 16, an inline skater from Avondale hanging out at the Yoo-hoo booth, said, he was there "to see the pros and get some experience." He said he also attended last year's inaugural Cincinnati Skatepark event.

"This is a new experience for Cincinnati. They need to come back every year."

Festival of the New, which this summer is promoting more than 50 arts events locally, also was trying to attract a youthful crowd.

Promoter Kathy DeLaura said it especially was pushing the exhibit "Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Skateboard Culture," which opens in February.

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E-mail jcallison@zoomtown.com.

If you go

What: Mobile Skatepark Series.

When: Noon to 8 p.m. today through Tuesday.

Where: Sawyer Point.

Admission: Free.