• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 8, 2011

Small plastic cards dangling from lanyards around the necks of kids wearing little to nothing became the status symbol at this year's Nike U.S. Open of Surfing competition in Huntington Beach, Calif. The fashion tips pointed less to Beach Bunny bikinis and Hurley board shorts, and more toward the credit-card-size piece of plastic enabling the holder to get free stuff.

The U.S. Open of Surfing competition in Huntington Beach, Calif. seemed more digital and interactive this year. Nike, Hurley, Converse and other sponsoring brands created interactive campaigns and a culture that drew in more than an estimated 500,000 people to the event.

The event attracted a sun-worshipping crowd of all ages, who sought opportunities to see the best in surf, skate, BMX, music, fashion and art. Sponsors gave away lots and lots of free stuff and allowed fans to have their photo taken and display it on one of several big screens positioned around the makeshift buildings built especially for the event. All for free.

Well, not exactly free. Those wanting to participate were required to share information about themselves such as first and last name, as well as email address. Participants who shared information got a plastic card with a barcode to wear around their neck, which they could scan at each sponsor's tent for free stuff.

G-Shock, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Pacifico, Paul Mitchell Salon Haircare, Invisalign Teen, and Transworld Media sponsored the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing. The event is owned and produced by sports and entertainment company IMG.

While some brands took advantage of tying in social media campaigns with the U.S. Open surf event, few, if any, linked in search engine marketing campaigns for computers or mobile devices. The U.S. Open organizers did live webcast the event, and built a Facebook page and an iPad program application for the event.

In a search on "U.S. Open of Surfing," each sponsor's name turned up little in the way of paid-search ads. One exception to the nearly non-existent campaigns tying merchandise into the U.S. Open came from Huntington Surf and Sport. HSS promoted free shipping on orders of more than $49 when ordering U.S. Open-related merchandise online.

PM Digital President Suzy Sandberg agrees that brands missed an opportunity to tie in mobile campaigns. "For one thing, this audience is apt to use all forms of media, including their phones to run searches, and not being present on search means those looking for more info or to buy something else from the brand will not see the integrated message," she said. "These brands also have large branding budgets, and one would assume that running ads in search to promote this event should have been considered in the media plan, for sure."

comScore released its Q2 2011 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates Monday showing online retail spending reached $37.5 billion for Q2 2011, up 14% compared with the year-ago quarter. The uptick represents the seventh consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni sees consumers continuing to shift to the online channel to make purchases, with nearly $1 in every $10 of discretionary spending now occurring online.

Marketers at brands even remotely related to a specific sport -- from food to transportation and local venues -- need to think outside the box and connect with the event.

Nike has been on a mission during the past few years to enter the action sports market by creating sub-brands like Nike 6.0 and buying smaller brands like Hurley, according to reports. But did Nike and other brands miss an opportunity to tie in mobile-search campaigns long before the event? QR codes could have supported scavenger hunts, for example.

For all the surfing fans, Kelly Slater won the 2011 U.S. Open of Surfing title.