Over the last two decades, marketing tactics for outdoor brands have progressed significantly. Beyond stunning backdrops and overhead pictures, outdoor brand marketing is no longer about putting typical call-to-actions into the minds of the consumers. 

In this overview, we will take a look at some of the most intriguing outdoor brand ad campaigns we've witnessed in the last few years, explain how they succeeded, and showcase how you can adapt their success to your business and use it as a blueprint for your own marketing initiatives.

Memorable Outdoor Brands Advertising - Top 5 Picks

Below, you’ll find five examples of outdoor brands that, in our opinion, have gone far beyond the ordinary in their marketing campaigns and created advertisements for everyone to remember:

Moosejaw

Moosejaw is an outdoor retailer that has a solid brand voice. The best part of its advertising is its email marketing campaigns that involve out-of-the-box creativity. 

The brand truly goes the extra mile to hook the clients’ attention. Moosejaw subscribers encounter emails with spelling mistakes, sarcasm, jokes, and other entertaining content. In other words, Moosejaw is breaking all the email marketing rules, and people love it.  

For example, this outdoor brand sends an order confirmation message that reads:

"This is the best order confirmation we've sent out all day. We recommend printing this receipt or framing it to hang in your foyer…."

Moosejaw’s engagement with its customers on a personal level is what gives it a competitive edge that’s hard to beat. For instance, the brand asks for photos of the “folks”, aka customers, of using its gear and doing something fun.

The company not only provokes the consumers’ interest but also increases the conversion rates in a subtle and, often, unobvious way. The humor and non-traditional solutions boost the email click-through rate, drive sales, and help in building up an unforgettable brand image.

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Patagonia

Patagonia has established a profile as a top-notch manufacturer of sustainable goods and a disruptor in the marketing world with its popular ad campaigns.

The company managed to revolutionize the typical call-to-action by flipping it upside down. Its "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign launched in 2011 will forever stay a marketing staple featuring a bold approach to outdoor brand advertising.

With the customers reading "Don't buy what you don't need" and "Think twice purchasing anything" between the lines, the business instantly gained a curious, like-minded, and loyal audience.

Patagonia's Worn Wear tour is an additional illustration of the company defying the traditional "Buy Now" marketing message. The goal of retail, in most cases, is that the clients purchase items, use them, and then shop for more. Patagonia takes a distinctive approach and encourages people to spend less money with them, amusingly gaining more traction and boosting sales.

Outdoor Voices 

Outdoor Voices is a fitness apparel manufacturer for those who enjoy trendy sportswear. While the majority of businesses focus their efforts on attracting clients to their website, Outdoor Voices outperforms it with its social media marketing strategy. 

The brand leverages user-generated content under the hashtag #DoingThings. This way, the company blends the images of athletic models, influencers, and shoppers from across the globe in one relatable promotion campaign.

Outdoor Voices has perfected the art of online dialogue with the consumers, keeping it low-key and friendly. Neither of the 3100+ Instagram posts published by the business appear as if they were direct messages urging clients to buy the products.

That extra effort in creating memorable marketing campaigns makes a significant difference in the entire customer experience.

REI

REI co-operative markets itself as something more than your usual outdoor gear retailer. Being one of the leading outdoor businesses globally, it dared to skip the major shopping event of the year, Black Friday, in November of 2015. 

REI shut its operations on Black Friday and instead encouraged its staff to embrace the wonderful outdoors on one of the busiest shopping holidays of the year. 

REI gambled that everything lost in retail trade would be compensated for in brand devotion — and it paid off handsomely.

The #OptOutside hashtag has received 6.7 billion media exposures within 24 hours, inspiring 1.4 million people to enjoy their day outdoors.

YETI

Yeti is mainly known as an outdoor accessories manufacturer with drinkware and coolers featuring perfect insulation and durable materials. 

However, top-quality goods aren't everything that sets Yeti apart from its competition. The company’s branding uses the power of video content to engage the audience. Rather than bluntly promoting its products, the brand shows them in action. Each of the company's clips beautifully depicts the experiences in the great outdoors, with a diverse range of individuals and activities.

All the videos, however, from sailing to hiking, hunting to skiing, project the core company values: cooperation and striving for improvement. This approach keeps the consumers checking in for fresh content and inspires them to spread the word about the brand.

What Do These Brands' Strategies Have in Common?

Although all of these businesses are unique, they share a common characteristic: in their advertising strategy, they're not hesitant to make intelligent bets. 

These brands understand that while using revolutionary marketing methods doesn’t always result in an instant increase in sales, it’s still worth experimenting and building up the brand image in a unique way.

Tips on Creating a Catchy Ad Campaign for Your Outdoor Brand

Here are some tips for creating memorable advertising campaigns for outdoor brands:

• Ensure that your business has a distinct brand identity. In other words, before trying new advertising strategies, it’s essential to figure out who you are and what you are willing to achieve.
• Begin by arranging your resources and ensuring that they are approachable and shareable. This way, you'll be able to better pitch your thoughts to your executives.
• Break the rules when it's appropriate. Don't be afraid to get creative and think outside the box when testing out a new CTA, experimenting with emerging market trends, or testing methods to jazz up a trickle email marketing campaign.

Memorable ad campaigns are not a trivial task, and it's certainly not a test-and-trail thing since you will invest massive capital into it. That’s why it is always best to reach out to a marketing professional for this task. Algofy is a one-stop shop for all things digital marketing, ready to assist you with creative advertising for your outdoor brand. Contact us now and receive a custom quote in no time!

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