How to Engage the Consumer in the Action & Adventure Sports Industries
Marketing 101 is to speak to the consumer. This means that instead of developing your product and selling it into the abyss, you should define your audience first. After any good business owner or marketer has done this, you need to look at how your product can serve that demographic and solve some of their pain points. On this week’s blog, we’re talking about how to engage your ideal consumer in the action and adventure sports verticals.
So, how exactly do you speak to the consumer? First, you should be in touch with who your consumer is. Ask yourself some of the following questions:
- What age are they?
- Where do they hang out?
- What do they do in their free time?
- What do they spend their money on?
If you can answer these questions and apply them to your brand, then you’ve found your target niche. If not, try to take a step back and think about their consumer behavior. Thinking through their consumer behavior means that you do market research and understand not only their buying patterns but how they make purchase decisions.
“Consumer behavior is about using the product as well as the motivations around buying it in the first place”
Brandwatch
Case Study: Burton
One great example of a brand who did this well and spoke to their audience is Burton. In the early days of snowboarding, the boards were highly unevolved and didn’t serve the consumer audiences. They were not refined (and mostly just made of wood- yikes). So, founder Jake went factory to factory in search of a manufacturer. He knew his audience and their pain points, and sought not to make a profit or find success, but simple to solve an issue. Many times, the greatest business plan incorporates this key principal.
Jake knew his consumer and spoke directly to their needs. And, it worked. Burton is now a powerhouse in the snowboard products verticals and their boards are infamous. They knew how to engage the consumer and market themselves right.
Engaging your Target Demographic
But, the product space is not the only place where businesses need to know how to engage with their target audience. As a brand strategist and design expert, I’ve had the chance to help businesses like restaurants turn around their branding and engage directly with their niche.
I had the chance to re-design a restaurant, Casa Del Sol, in one of the best surf breaks in California, Trestles. The owner saw the transformational impact by directly speaking to the consumer audience. This restaurant went from one that got good traffic to a busy and popular spot for the hungry and specialty coffee local surfer community. The new space featured nostalgic surf memorabilia, a cozy fireplace for atmosphere and warming up in the winter, and belly tables looking out the windows towards the surf. This meant that the restaurant went from serving food to serving a target consumer’s needs.
Restaurants, breweries, and lodging near popular surf and snowboard spots should tap into this same magic. When you talk to your consumer, they will talk back and choose your business.