In surfboard world, good marketing can get you once or twice.
If someone gets 3 shitty boards from a shaper, you really think marketing will keep them coming back?
Bottom line, Album's boards work and that's why people continue to order multiple boards from him.
A lot of people can't tell a shitty board from a good board.
And marketing can get you really far. Look at JS for instance - do you think he got where he is by making boards that are 100x better than your local shaper?
Marketing is a huge part of it - way more important than the boards.
Image, good surfers, and cool looking surfboards - that is what sells.
Everything Josh Kerr touches turns to gold...he knows a good business opportunity when he sees it. This was predictable.