It’s been said repeatedly, and it’s true, consumers these days want experiences. Shoppers also want to feel good about what they purchase. Millennials especially like it when an item comes complete with a compelling backstory. And it’s even better if this latest purchase is worn while touring the Amazon that includes tree-house accommodations and spectacular bird watching that offers eye-catching images to post on Instagram.

Performance features continue to pique consumer interest, but these days, shoppers expect more. Wicking alone is acceptable, but wicking plus comfort stretch? That’s got game. The same is true for a recycled poly that also thermo-regulates. Winning consumers over is increasingly about added value — the more the better.

“It’s not about the science, its about how the product feels and makes you feel,” explains Denine Pezone, CEO of Ardent Associates, in Charlotte, NC.  She encourages her clients to focus on attributes that relate to how the product performs both technically, but even more so emotionally.

“When I talk with ingredient people, I encourage them to address the consumer directly.”
— Denine Pezone, Ardent Associates

Pezone’s research also identifies what she calls “active leisure time” as increasingly important. With the “casualization” of our culture, consumers are downscaling traditional responsibilities – think condo living versus upkeep of a four- bedroom home with giant-size backyard – to make time for fun getaways and active pursuits. “Products need to be multi-function, versatile and convertible/packable,” Pezone says.  For example, a good looking pack that features lightweight durability fabric that can double as a travel bag but also works as tote for a trip to the local farmer’s market.

“These days products are being talked about either by word of mouth endorsements, or viewed on Instagram, or friend recommendations, that’s what pulls the product off the shelf,” Pezone comments. “When I talk with ingredient people, I encourage them to address the consumer directly.”  

Gone are the days when consumers walk into a store with an ad ripped out of the pages Backpacker magazine that extolls the virtues of a high-tech water repellency that can endure a two-week hike on the Appalachian Trail.

“Nobody sells your product like you do,” is advice Pezone got early in her career and now tells her own clients. “You want to help the consumer be leisurely in their lifestyle. Tell them how your product does that.”

Consistent Story Telling

When Hoi Kwan Lam joined HeiQ three years ago, she was impressed by the brand’s identity in terms of technology and innovation. “Those are features I saw as strong when I first came to HeiQ, but those qualities were not traveling through with a story. I had to visually communicate story and make it loud and make it big, and create brand personality,” explains Kwan, whose background includes customer branding at Proctor & Gamble in Hong Kong as well as an education in marketing.

“Textiles were new to me when I got to HeiQ, and I saw it as really innovative. There is no alternative to textiles – compared to other things in life,” says Kwan, who serves as HeiQ’s chief marketing officer.  

“Layer on cutting edge storytelling aesthetics, and think transformational, not transactional.”
— Afdel Aziz, author, Good is the New Cool

Her approach was to always link the corporate “HeiQ” identity with every ingredient technology the Swiss company produced. She also chose the color red to enhance the brand’s bold personality. Consistency in branding, for example, HeiQ EcoDry, HeiQ Smart Temp, and the pervasive use of red to add visual effect, now captures HeiQ’s messaging.

When it comes to ingredient branding and how to talk about technology, Kwan digs in. “You need to go deeper and deeper into layers of communication,” she explains. “Any way you can help the brands, and the mills, with marketing language is useful. Then if consumers are interested, they can look it up.”

Purpose-Driven Marketing

Consumers are becoming more cause-oriented and less brand-conscious, according to industry forecasters. Afdel Aziz drove this point home in his keynote address to a standing room only audience during the recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show in Denver. Aziz, author of the book, “Good is the New Cool,” advocates purpose-driven marketing as an effective tactic in today’s business.  

Aziz advises brands to layer on “cutting edge storytelling aesthetics,” and to “think transformational, not transactional.” Additionally, Aziz cites social activism as a strong driver of brand growth.

He noted that Millennials and Gen Zers have higher expectations of brands. Specifically, nearly 64 percent of this demographic won’t take a job if a potential employer does not have strong social responsibility practices, and 85 percent of Gen Z employees believe companies have an obligation to help solve social problems.

“Any way you can help the brands, and the mills, with marketing language is useful. Then if consumers are interested, they can look it up.”
— Hoi Kwan Lam, HeiQ

Aziz presented this statistic: Millennials have a global annual spending power of $2.5 Trillion; 95 percent would switch a purchasing decision for a cause.

Regarding how environmental awareness fits with purpose-driven marketing, Aziz urged the outdoor industry crowd to take a big picture point of view and to “think beyond sustainability to abundance.”