Known across the automotive landscape as a social media powerhouse delivering content to millions of enthusiasts on a daily basis, while also producing and promoting events, contests and a wide range of car culture influencers, San Diego, California-based Speed Society is charting a new course for 2021 and beyond.
While remaining dedicated to their roots in content creation and delivery, Chief Marketing Officer Bryan Cole recently checked in with DRAG ILLUSTRATED and painted a clear picture of where Speed Society is headed.
“We’ve been feeling this for a while, we’ve known there was a hole out here,” starts Cole. “And it’s not just a hole, it’s not a gap – there is a real need, in our opinion, for a lifestyle brand, an apparel brand, that can be a common denominator amongst all ‘car guys and gals’. That’s what we see for Speed Society. We want to bring this group of people together – be the brand that everyone in this scene can embrace.”
Cole explained that while their digital network reaches somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 million people each month, it’s creating a meaningful relationship with those people and rallying them around the Speed Society brand that is their focus today.
“Car culture, the motorsports space – it’s a big place,” continues Cole. “We recognize that there are differences amongst us, there are a lot of ways to be involved. Here at Speed Society, we’re built on passion for cars, but not just one specific genre. This is a group that has hardcore go-fast guys, guys into exotics, some of us are into trucks and off-roading – but we believe this is a group of people that have a lot more in common than people maybe realize. We want Speed Society – the brand – to be something that everyone in car culture has in common, relates to and shares in.”
Bringing automotive enthusiasts together, however, is not necessarily a new direction for Speed Society, as evidenced by the Speed Society Car Club (SSCC), which was founded in 2013. This club provides a host of benefits to its members, but key amongst them has always been extremely limited edition apparel and merchandise. These uniquely designed garments have been well received in racing and car culture, and stand out significantly amidst a sea of plain black t-shirts and hoodies that have become the norm in this particular arena.
“Car culture, in many ways, is art,” says Cole. “Across all of car culture – from the actual cars, the body lines, the paint jobs and the styling choices to the different disciplines of racing and motorsports – it’s all art. In so many other industries and communities, there are brands that are extensions of that art; brands that blend the art with fashion.
“We don’t feel like that connection has been made in car culture,” he continues. “Our mission is to blend modern street wear culture, street art, and bring that to the automotive space – bring those worlds together and bring people together around a brand – Speed Society.”
