Categories- Some very distinct categories really stood out to me while I explored all the booths. There were some interesting categories.
The Earth category obviously but additional categories include:
Sleek and Technical Brands: Adidas Outdoors, Arc’Teryx, Baffin, Suunto, Wenger, Sierra Design, Helly Hansen, Columbia, The North Face,
Real surprises: Keen. They had a great booth that was really representative to their brand. It was a lounge, laid back and built for a “hybrid life”. The booth reminded me of a cabin or lodge somewhere. There was a trailer that was parked that had the products. The rest of the booth was dedicated to the branding and really building the idea that Keen means lifestyle. I enjoyed it.
Mountain Khakis: The brand was true to its Wyoming roots. It’s a cross of rough mountain men/ Carhartt and REI. I appreciated the cowboy hats and the feel the booth gave me. Funny thing, Arbor Wear which I see as the direct competitor was there too. They had a two man saw that if you wanted to test your lumberjack skills. A small booth, it still had a good feel to it. Much like the MK booth.
Still not sure what they want out of their brands: Kuhl. I want to like it more, I should, it’s a local Utah thing but honestly, I can’t get into the brand. The name throws me off, it should be a cooler or something. They really tout their pants but when I look at them they look like stuff that Michael Jackson would wear. The threads of the seams are bright white or visible, the rivets are big and shiny… they just don’t look like a low profile pant that you wear for functionality and not to be seen. Also not sure about what they are pitching with the whole “Rebel’s yell” thing. I was just confused with it. Other brands that confused me.
Hot Chilly’s: First of all, I hadn’t heard of it, second of, all the booth was a beach shack/ bar that had very attractive models walking out and posing all day long. Poor girls, I bet they were pooped. I couldn’t stop thinking about Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett’s branded restaurants. I guess they had winter clothing… the model was wearing it. The biggest problem was just the consistency, beach brand or outdoor brand, you just can’t tell.
True to who they are: Patagonia, Wenger, Vasque, Hi Tec, Merrell, The North Face, Mountain Hardware, Outdoor Research. All of them pretty much took their websites and translated them to booths with more of a mountain feel to them. Especially Hi-Tec, they are in the middle of a rebrand and looking to really expand a stogy brand. They brought in the creative group Frank out of Portland, OR to revamp the brand. Still they stuck to who they are. I remember my first pair of Hi-Tec boots in 6th grade. I think I could still find them online if I really wanted to.
Vasque looked the same as last year which isn’t a bad thing. Patagonia is a tough one to crack. They are everything but nothing… The outside of the booth looked goodish, they had a metal shack that represented the original place Patagonia started which was a cool touch. They just didn’t overwhelm me with the brand and really make me want to buy anything with it. But… truth be told, that’s the branding. It’s not flashy, it’s about old school getting things done in the outdoors. They aren’t bright and glitzy, instead they are a smooth brand known for quality and a true icon in the outdoors. If you see someone wearing Patagonia that person gets it, knows about the outdoors and the industry. That’s what the booth screamed to me.
Outdoor Research which I’ve mentioned before was who I said they were (Thanks Dennis Green). Not flashy at all, just has good stuff. Mont Bell a Canadian brand, exactly the same thing. BTW, they are probably head on competitors. Yesterday I say two of my friends at the dog park. One had a Mont Bell 800 fill mid layer and the other had an 800 fill OR mid layer. Go figure.
Ski Companies are their own thing. K2, Rossignal, Dynastar, Bluehouse, Viice, Voekl etc... I'm going to have to blog about them later. They attract skiers whereas Merrell attracts all people. I'll leave it at that. And because of that they are distinct in how they can brand and what they can do. Impressive but underwhelming, and surprisingly pretty empty... again, target markets.
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