Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 18

THE PULSE

GAME THEORY

Don't Dream It, Be It
Envision your store as a place worth visiting, a place that
stands for something-they will come. by Mike Geraci

IN A KEYNOTE LAMENTING THE DEATH OF
Sports Authority, Ken Gart, former co-owner
of Gart Sports, said, "Sports Authority was
meaningless to everyone. A business has to
stand for something, and no one quite knew
what Sports Authority stood for when they
walked in."
Sports Authority was a generic, bland, and
emotionless experience. Why would anyone
visit a place like that?
Sure, Ken and I are over-simplifying a complex business landscape and situation, but at
their very essence, stores are destinations. And
since the agency where I work oversaw the
Montana Travel & Tourism Dept.-over nine
years we increased visitation by 21 percent-
I've learned a thing or two about how to build
and market a destination.
So let's do that with your store.
The lessons and approaches that drive tourists to states, countries, or events can be applied to any destination looking for more visitors, including outdoor specialty stores. The

18 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2017

goals of each business are basically the same-
bring people here.
The key to success when you market
any destination is a simple framework:
Inspiration. Orientation. Facilitation.
Inspiration drives action at the top of the
funnel. Orientation drives people deeper into
the transaction. Facilitation closes the deal,
and puts money in the bank.
Most specialty outdoor marketing focuses
on some orientation and a ton of facilitation:
We carry these products, these brands, they're
awesome, and we're having a sale! It's very
transactional and designed to drive a direct response, as in, "I'll buy that right now."
Stores are comfortable with this approach
because it appears to have a linear connection
between the ad spend and the product sales.
Yet those transactional media buys primarily
target existing customers. They do a poor job
of inviting new customers into your shop.
Look at it from the customer's perspective:
What you are selling is not the same as how

-Mike Geraci is the chief strategy officer at
MERCURYcsc, a creative agency based in
Bozeman, Montana. He finds solace in The
Ramones and fly fishing local waters.

Andrew Kornylak

DRINK INSPIRATION
Your store is more
than the products on
the shelves.

you make money. Your store needs to be more
than a physical address stocked with gear.
It needs to be a portal to an experience that
is exciting (and a little foreign). Ideally, the
experience also must feel attainable because
your store unapologetically embraces and celebrates the distinct cultural fabric of the outdoor universe. Bam! That's the kind of place
that will appeal to potential customers.
That, folks, is Inspiration, and that's what
transports people from awareness to intent.
Once your customers have mentally made
that gap jump, it is easier to get them to take
action or make a purchase.
How does your store do that? Inspirationlevel marketing doesn't just sell the dream-it
makes it real. It's aspirational. Think about the
most effective travel and tourism ads, the ones
that make you start daydreaming about your
next vacation. You can see yourself in the ad
and it makes you feel good.
Your store should be that kind of a destintation. After all, it has its own unique natives
with their own language, customs, traditions,
(dehydrated) cuisine, landscapes, and seemingly byzantine norms. What seems routine to
you is far from it in the eyes of the uninitiated.
When we presented our T+O geotraveler research panel with the question, "What inspires
you to visit a store?" the overall sentiment of
response was captured by Jill from Michigan:
"I want to feel like I know your brand, the type
of employees I'm going to interact with, and
the sensory experience I'm going to have when
I'm there, so that it's less intimidating and annoying. Show me the employees, what they do
on their weekends (coincidently with brand
products), the store dog, cool store events,
etc.-things that make the store a living and
breathing thing and not just a brick-and-mortar building that holds on-sale products."
Your store makes dreams come true. With
Inspiration-level marketing you are fully realizing your store as a destination. "I want that,
and I'm going to that store to make it happen,"
becomes the direct response.



Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017

OUTDOOR RETAILER - WINTER 2017
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MERCHANDISING
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
WYLDER WOMEN
RICH HILL
SUSTAINABILITY
GEAR TO GO
SKI MO
VAN LIFE
BREAD+BUTTER
THE SEASON’S HOTTEST SKIS
FABRIC DECODER
NORDIC APPAREL
COUNTER CULTURE
THE VIEW
HOW I GOT HERE
#REPLIFE
FROM THE ROAD
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - OUTDOOR RETAILER - WINTER 2017
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 1
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 2
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 9
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 10
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 11
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - MERCHANDISING
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 19
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 22
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 26
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 27
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - WYLDER WOMEN
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - RICH HILL
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - SUSTAINABILITY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - GEAR TO GO
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 36
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 42
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 43
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - VAN LIFE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 46
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 48
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 51
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - SKI MO
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 54
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - BREAD+BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 57
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - THE SEASON’S HOTTEST SKIS
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - FABRIC DECODER
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - NORDIC APPAREL
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - COUNTER CULTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 68
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 70
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - HOW I GOT HERE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 73
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 75
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 76
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 77
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - FROM THE ROAD
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - 79
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2017 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/emerald/outdoorretailer/2023Winter
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