Two Things | Arc’teryx | No Wasted Days | Guiding the Arc’teryx strategy, investment and operations for their first global, integrated marketing effort. Client // Arc'Teryx Assignment // Brand Strategy, Go-To-Market Strategy, Brand Campaign, Brand Marketing Process and Systems, Campaign Architecture, Budget and Process Definition, Insights, Analytics and Metrics Catalyst to $1BN: Strategy -> Execution of Arc'Teryx's first ever global marketing effort The North Face is legend in the outdoor adventure space. But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as ownable or relevant as it once was. What they need today, is a new chapter in their story. One that is true to their adventurous spirit. But can speak to a broader, wider, more diverse audience. Arc’Teryx first approached us in 2022 with a new parent company at their backs and on the precipice of launching their footwear category, which for any outdoor brand is the foundation. The brand had an elite, loyal, but niche fan base. Their product line justified a luxury price point - often double the mainstream competition, but that justification wasn't widely understood. Their marketing team was homegrown, insider and very well versed in the product marketing playbook that had driven loyalty with their core. They needed a new playbook to connect with a significantly wider audience, without losing the loyalty of the passionate insiders, and they didn’t have much time with their global footwear launch less than a year away. Gore-Tex is Gore-Tex right? Wrong. Actions and Results Two Things played the role of advisor to guide the org design and growth of the internal marketing team. In parallel we developed the strategy, campaign, systems and metrics for the global campaign so that the new marketing team would have a playbook they could put into practice immediately. As part of our process to operationalize the strategy, onboarding and inclusion of new hires was a rolling process we coordinated at every stage.
 Deliverables and outcomes included: Brand Positioning Campaign Architecture and Messaging Structure Channel Strategy and Tactical Guidelines Experiential concepts for events Membership Guidelines and Ideation Production Planning and Identification of production partners Budget Strategy and Breakdowns (Global and NA) Measurement and Analytics Strategy No Wasted Days was introduced to the public in October 2023 and continues today. It provided the tailwinds for Arc’Teryx to exceed $1B in annual revenue for the first time and it did all of this by reinterpreting the strengths of the brand in a more powerful, holistic and sustainable way. We are proud to have built the strategic, creative and systems foundation for this moment of growth. These true stories of Next Gen trail lovers is only the beginning. In the months to come, we'll be exploring activations that actually help people discover their trail. In the meantime, thanks for listening and see you out there.

Two Things | The North Face | Vectiv | From brand strategy to go-to-market planning see how we oversaw the global launch of TNF’s first footwear platform. Client // The North Face: Vectiv Assignment // Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture and Systems, Global Campaign, Digital Experience, Marketing Process, Production Planning and Oversight Leveraging the power of community to elevate a product launch to a brand statement. For years, The North Face has led the charge of peak athleticism in the outdoors. In September 2021, TNF called with an interesting proposal: they had their first ever premium footwear platform for trail, but needed to crack their go to market. With only four months until launch, they needed a creative strategy with digital experience at the center (not on the periphery). They had the executional resources with the beginnings of an internal creative team and a roster of partners, but needed the ideas, a playbook and leadership to knit everything together on both a global and local scale. Elite athletes regularly beat FKTs (fastest known times) on a variety of trails using prototypes proving the unique value of the product. We knew we had the proof for the power and integrity behind the product; but how could we turn a product into a brand campaign under TNF’s umbrella? Rather than focusing on the innovation story alone, we grounded the go-to market strategy in this emotional drum beat bringing the look and feel to life in photography and videography of pushing boundaries, thumping up the trail, the explosive, exponential energy. Elite athletes regularly beat FKTs (fastest known times) on a variety of trails using prototypes proving the unique value of the product. Now that we had our wayfinding, the next hurdle was execution. With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging around the globe, how could we drive trial and buzz when all trail races, events, and outdoor gatherings were canceled? Enter Further Together. As a direct reflection to the campaign, our internal work flow emphasizes collaboration and building tools for TNF to use across all of their channels and countries. The collaborative concepts resulted in strong brand messaging, positioning toolkits, photography guidelines, motion graphics, and videography for TNF’s global marketing teams to leverage again and again.

Two Things | Plenty | Positioned a vertical farm brand in a commodity category and developed the product and launch strategy from trial to membership. Plenty, a technology driven company, approached us for the launch of their first consumer brand, one powered by AI-driven vertical farms that produce fresh, nutrient dense produce in urban areas. While conventional fruits and vegetables are grown to last long transportation times from the farm to the distribution center to the grocer to the table; Plenty takes the opposite approach with an emphasis on technology and a short transportation footprint. While convention dictates that toughness, durability for long journeys, and pesticides are needed, Plenty’s products are engineered for taste and nutrition first. The challenge was the first product coming off the line was…lettuce. How does one position a new brand and better yet convince consumers that any lettuce was delicious and nutritious? What could AI, vertical farming, and music festivals all have in common? Lettuce dive in and show you (romaine calm, it’s only a pun). But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as own-able or relevant as it once was. Client // Plenty Assignment // Brand Strategy, Mobile App Design and Development, Event and Campaign Development, UX Design, Chat Interface, Product Marketing Building a brand from the ground up - roots and all. What they need today, is a new chapter in their story. One that is true to their adventurous spirit. But can speak to a broader, wider, more diverse audience. Strategically, we focused on the cultural, consumer, and company landscapes to inform our positioning. Beyond the strategy, the brand needed a core identity, web design, and hook to grab an audience. Through our research, we uncovered that trial through taste could be the unconventional tipping point for Plenty instead of a traditional advertising and PR launch. Our creative brief yielded a go-to-market plan based on driving trials in unexpected locations - think music festivals, art fairs, and other outdoor gatherings. The customer journey was defined from trial to loyalty and hyper localized on a city-by-city roll out (with a model for future scale). A frictionless chat interface via SMS allowed those who sampled the greens at events to flow through the DTC pipeline, begin a subscription, and develop a deeper relationship with the brand. Moving quickly, pivoting often, and staying nimble, our collaboration with the Plenty team used quick sprints to ideate and validate in markets in real time, yielding lasting results for the company.

Two Things | Visit Sun Valley | Stay Sunny | Evolving an organization from brand awareness to lifecycle marketing. Discover how we shaped tourism and engagement. We started with a simple call-to-action (STAY SUNNY) that reflected the optimistic spirit of the Valley. But we also needed a voice that, like the locals, felt honest and to the point. Conceptually, we thought of it as a secret society that anyone could be a part of (assuming they were kind and respectful). Sun Valley, Idaho is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. For years it has existed in relative obscurity. Strategy: Two Things led the Board of Directors and the Executive team of the Destination Marketing Organization in redefining the mission of the organization towards lifecycle marketing. We engaged various stakeholders including 5 municipalities, the state of Idaho and key beneficiary businesses including Sun Valley Resort. We defined a new Go-To-Market strategy including designing a campaign that could be used locally for Destination Management but could also flex towards Demand Generation when needs shifted. But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as own-able or relevant as it once was. This all changed with the pandemic. Almost overnight, Sun Valley became the place to be. Tourists flooded the valley in droves. And the locals tasked with satisfying the needs of these visitors became, in a word, overwhelmed. The first task was to redefine the mission of the organization from Awareness and Demand Generation to something more sustainable. Client // Visit Sun Valley Assignment // Brand Strategy, Board Advisory, Go-To-Market Definition, Campaign Production and Staffing, Measurement Strategy and Metrics Evolving a Destination Brand from Awareness to 360° Marketing. Each creative piece was informed by what we call a pain point, i.e., specific time or place where tourists were being insufferable. We wrote lines (or messages) encouraging them to stop. But took care not to castigate them. That just felt mean. Humor, we learned, was the most effective way of connecting with others (whether they're locals or not). Around town our voice shifted depending on where you were and what offense (if any) was being committed. So, for example, as people entered town, we welcomed them with a wave and a smile. Alternatively, when people were being jerks on the bike trail, we gave them the business. To date, virtually every piece of communication has been delivered through non-traditional media, i.e., chalked sidewalks, construction site plywood, murals, bumper stickers, viewfinders. The medium truly has been the message. The money saved from not doing a traditional media buy has freed us up to do more local collabs and to execute all production locally. Every execution supports the local community in some way. Through ongoing advisory the Two Things team was able to ensure that the strategy and tactics could be refined and adjusted as needs evolved. Actions and Results: Two Things team members developed the campaign umbrella ‘Stay Sunny’ as the brand voice which worked equally well locally addressing specific pain points as it did in other markets to drive awareness. We developed a new roster of executional partners to execute on the creative campaign. Two things defined a CAC/LTV model to benchmark, track and optimize the entirety of the marketing investment and to better report to key stakeholders.

Two Things | Novella | Private Equity investors asked for help in developing a modern footwear brand and we responded by building the company from the ground up. Most of the energy in the market today comes from big, iconic sneaker brands doing limited edition drops and generic collaborations with other established brands or artists. It’s an approach badly in need of a refresh. Client // Novella Assignment // Research & Insights, Brand Strategy, Global Advertising Campaign, Photography, Film, Global Messaging and Campaign Toolkit Designing a footwear company from the ground up. Sneakers are a 100 billion dollar market worldwide. In recent years, there has been a tidal wave of Instagram DTC starts trying to tap into this burgeoning market. For most, the story has been exactly the same: high craftsmanship at a lower price. Beautiful but boring. This started to bug us and drove us to find another way. We realized that the formula for these launches was basically all SNEAKER, no BACKSTORY. Which got us wondering, what would happen if we flipped this model? What if we turned a shoe brand into a storyteller? From this, Novella was born. Novella was born in the depths of the pandemic. Amidst the darkness, we tried to find light. Not just through the creation of our shoes. But through the stories of these uncommon artisans. And all the joy and inspiration they were putting out into the world. At a time when we needed it most. In recent years, there has been a tidal wave of Instagram DTC starts trying to tap into this burgeoning market. For most, the story has been exactly the same: high craftsmanship at a lower price. Beautiful but boring. Today, we exist to tell their stories. Each drop, we’ll take a blank canvass and transform it into a beautiful human story. About a barber or poet or comedian or chef. Extraordinary creators who inspire joy through craft. Every detail of the shoe (accents, colors, materials) will be carefully considered to tell their story. See more at novella2020.com

Two Things | The North Face | Discover Your Trail | Developing a strategy to get the next generation to [start to] Never Stop Exploring. Client // The North Face: Discover Your Trail Assignment // Research & Insights Methodology, Marketing Strategy, Integrated Campaign Architecture, Creative Process, Production Oversight and Roster Building Exploring how to engage the next generation. Following the Vectiv Launch, TNF gave us a much more profound challenge. The brief was simple and cut to the heart of their business: Their core buying customer was at least a decade older than their marketing target and not very diverse. The North Face is legend in the outdoor adventure space. But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as ownable or relevant as it once was. We set out to speak to the next generation to understand why. What they need today, is a new chapter in their story. One that is true to their adventurous spirit. But can speak to a broader, wider, more diverse audience. Following the Vectiv Launch, TNF gave us a much more profound challenge. The brief was simple and cut to the heart of their business: Their core buying customer was at least a decade older than their marketing target and not very diverse. The North Face is legend in the outdoor adventure space. But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as ownable or relevant as it once was. We set out to speak to the next generation to understand why. One of the first things the Next Gen taught us became the premise of our campaign; the idea there is a trail for everyone. And that whether you're a newbie or a trail junkie, a nature lover or a thrill seeker, if you get out there and keep trying you'll eventually discover your trail. Next Gen's love of trail differed greatly from past motivations. There was very little talk of testing limits or overcoming adversity. Instead, it was more about the trail making them feel whole and human. With the work, we wanted to tell real stories about real athletes. But, in the process, broaden the definition of what it means to be an outdoor athlete. So we focused our narrative lens on trail lovers that advertisers typically ignore: hike clubs, people of color, underrepresented communities, and people with different body types. The campaign is the external face of internal scaffolding that was developed. Building on the workflow and process that was established during the hurried Vectiv launch. Two things led a 1 year process to define the marketing strategy, the key consumer insights, the cross-functional design briefs that knitted together campaign structure, experiential activations, partnerships and sponsorships. Perhaps the biggest impact was giving the internal team permission to rethink how the work is created to have more impact.

Two Things | Work | Our current client work is confidential; but we are able to share case studies of completed projects. Check back for more in the near future. Arc'Teryx The North Face: Discover Your Trail Novella Visit Sun Valley: Stay Sunny The North Face: Vectiv Plenty Timberland: Coming Soon

As an alternative to a traditional advertising agency, we take on brand transformation with the goal of improving marketing impact through robust strategy. Two Non-negotiables: Two Non-negotiables: One Structure follows strategy. Always. Breakthrough ideas don't start with execution. They start with clarity—defining where to play, what to build, and why it matters. Strategy sets the foundation, and design makes it real. You need both. 1 Powerful insights that define where to explore and what to build 2 Bold products and services designed to move business and culture forward 3 Custom systems that generate maximum impact internally and externally 1 Powerful insights that define where to explore and what to build 2 Bold products and services designed to move business and culture forward 3 Custom systems that generate maximum impact internally and externally Powerful insights that define where to explore and what to build 1 2 Bold products and services designed to move business and culture forward 3 Custom systems that generate maximum impact internally and externally Two Speed and substance. Always. The saying goes you can only pick two: good, fast, or cheap. We agree. But if you want to escape business-as-usual, there's only one correct combination: good and fast. Substance creates impact. Speed creates advantage. Together, they create breakthrough. Looking to partner with us? start a conversation →

X? Twitter? The debate rages on. So what does this have to do with brand value and creative strategy? Find out how marketers can use X as a cautionary tale. Brand X's and O's By Paulo Ribeiro X marks the unforced error. And, what can we learn from it? What the hell does this have to do with the Active Lifestyle Business? Nothing. And everything. This spectacular implosion has everyone talking about ‘Brand’ and this gives us an opportunity to break down what a powerful brand is (and isn’t). From Linda Yaccarino, CEO of Twitter (really?!? Does anyone believe Elon’s ceded control of anything?): [Tweet from Linda Yaccarino] Um, ok…. First, let’s establish what we mean when we are talking about ‘brand’ An intentionally strategic focus that guides the services, experiences and messages from a company. The purpose of that strategic focus is to form an emotional connection in a consumer’s mind of what the brand’s values are. People align with brands that share their values. That emotional connection delivers real monetary value to the company. Actions speak louder than words (or images, no matter how well designed) Exhibit A: Many Nike sneakers and smaller brands are made in the same factories using the same materials with often very similar form factors. When the Nike sneaker is sold for $175 and a comparable Saucony sneaker (made in the same factory) goes for $105, that $70 difference is the real value of the Nike brand. The thing that makes the boneheaded Twitter to X shift so damn fascinating is that it was made by an absolutely legendary brand innovator: Elon Musk. Exhibit B: Every single move by brand Tesla, particularly in the early days, served as a master class in how to build a focused brand through consistent ACTIONS instead of through say advertising impression for example. Instead of car lots, Tesla’s were hyped in small ~1,000 sq foot footprints in malls. Forget test driving, many could barely hold a single car you could sit in. This yielded the amazing benefits of saving money on real estate and showing up in a completely differentiated way from the competition. Customers used iPad screens where they virtually designed their car, or signed up for a waitlist. Potential customers logging in from home had all the same tools and soon learned they didn’t even have to go to the mall. The waitlist highlighted scarcity (which is Luxury’s playbook to increase margins). They gave everyone on the waitlist sneak peaks and special content—allowing customers to feel special. And we all heard about it. The waitlist spawned rabid, vocal fans who snowballed the company’s marketing through word of mouth. They were not just buying a car, they bought into a movement. Elon as Founder leaned into even more audacious pursuits like designing the HyperLoop to ferry people between SF and LA in minutes and then gave away the plans (hello, PR mentions). He built a real rocket company, SpaceX, which generates endless PR, this in turn delivers credibility back to Tesla. The Tesla brand now has permission to enter into a range of businesses including some very expensive and technically complex ones such as home and corporate energy storage. All of this because of a singular brand focus: delivering the future of transportation. I could write for a month and not be able to adequately convey how good the bird logo is and how bad the X is. Full disclosure, I’m biased. My friend and former collaborator Martin Grasser Designed it. And Jack Dorsey co-signed with this. Agreed. Exhibit C: Twitter is a communication platform. A tweet is (was?) a short burst of information first 140 characters and over time added a bit of imagery and/or video. But always short, focused, timely communication flying around the internet. With this it's easy to see how that focused brand position provides permission to grow into sharing other types of timely information…or connections…or moving money. All of this focus was encapsulated in that elegant blue bird. Prof G estimates the current value being thrown away to be in the range of $10B (or more). Conversely, what is X? Well, it's everything they say. Right but what is it for? Everything. Ok, cool. When I need everything I’ll make sure to use that. For the next decade or so though, I’ll use products that have PROVEN their focus and expertise to me over time. I’ll make decisions faster where I don’t have to think too hard about their values or what they do well. In the outdoor arena brand identities (name, logo, etc…) like Patagonia and The North Face were intuitively appropriate (good enough for those demanding environments) AND over time they were imbued with meaning and carried that value. Dave Lane has a nice backstory about why the Dead Bird became arc’teryx’s logo. But he’ll be the first to say that they initially chose it as a logo because it was unlike anything in the market. But now… Well the dead bird is completely imbued with the credibility of intensely tested products with high design. Nike was an academic choice (and a bit obscure) choice when it came out, but it is now imbued with decades of performance and empowerment proof. Whereas, On Running’s proof of cushioning as good as running on air is more recent. In all cases these brands have value PRIMARILY because of the actions taken by the companies to prove their credibility in a focused way. And now, well let’s just say none of those organizations are dumb enough to throw that value away. A brand can launch with the advantage of a thoughtfully designed and wordsmithed brand identity and/or campaign (like the blue bird was for Twitter). But regardless of whether a brand got a headstart or not, the real value is created over time by consistency of actions. Brand equity is built and proven by a focused brand strategy. Recently, there hasn’t been any focus from the brand formerly known as Twitter. This will be fun to watch because if we all learn from mistakes, then we stand to learn quite a lot from a dumpster full of them. back to insights → [Retweet from Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square]

Generating smart ideas is *not* the hardest part of developing effective work. How it will be made determines the outcome. The Terrain is Unsettled and Varied By Paulo Ribeiro Generating smart ideas is *not* the hardest part of developing effective work. BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS AREN'T THE HARD PART Less than 20 years ago the line between the responsibilities of an outside agency and a client’s marketing organization were crystal clear. Client-side marketing handled marketing strategy, brief development, high-level budget allocation and often measurement. Their products were sold through very established channels (dealerships for cars, wholesale and to a lesser extent owned retail for apparel and shoes, Sports speciality and wholesale retail for equipment etc…). Even as e-commerce was starting to become the force it is today, channels were generally added one at a time. What a client paid agencies to do vs. what was executed in house was very consistent. Agencies handled all brand strategy, all varieties of creative development from identity to Super Bowl Spots, Event production, and agencies handled PR strategy and media planning and buying. Anything that fell under the umbrella of creative strategy, ideation or production was handled by an agency. And now? All of those agency formats continue to exist in some iteration, and there has been an explosion of additional specializations in e-Commerce, measurement, social, performance marketing, UX and IxD and on and on. While at the same time clients have brought many of the same disciplines in house to some degree. But there is no consistency to how and why. Internal creative capabilities on the client side are driven by the nuances of their individual industry, the inclinations of their leadership or sometimes for random legacy reasons. And then the vast majority also employ agencies to finish, up-level or supplement the work that they do in house. The Terrain is varied, uneven, and often difficult to map out. This has serious implications for how to make effective work. Generating smart ideas, as difficult as that is, is not the hardest part of developing effective work. The hardest part today is understanding the landscape of how that work might be made - outside, inside or shared - and developing customized work and Go To Market plans with that in mind upfront. Too often this upfront step is skipped which wastes everyone’s time (and client’s money). To be clear there is a huge difference between being an order taker and asking the client what solution they would like and giving them what they asked for and taking the time to really understand the landscape and come back with an innovative solution. The former isn’t strategic and is a watchout for any client who wants to do effective work. The first job today should be canvassing the playing field of capabilities, needs and expectations and mapping that overtly to the team setup on both the in-house client side and the outside partners. The moment is going to happen one way or another. Make that moment happen earlier and there is a greater chance for success overall. Wait to figure out what the playing field is, and one side of the equation is going to look irresponsible. I’ll let you guess which one. It starts with a messy playing field… Agencies are used to sharing creds and case studies. And clients, with the seniority to hire, are generally well-trained marketers but the truth of the matter is that they are slammed with an ever growing list of responsibilities. They don’t usually have the time to dig into whether or not the exact setup of an agency is a good key for the lock that is their specific needs. So they look at finished work, think to themselves “I want something like that’ and hope that their team’s can sort it out on the same timeline that the ideas are generated and produced. …Unclear responsibilities hurt the work quality… With creatives and strategists on the agency side and client side and a shared desire for everyone to ‘partner’ the line between idea generator and editor of ideas moves around. The client team’s bounce between being creatives and clients sometimes in the same meeting which is unfair to them and everyone involved. Both teams can lose motivation, while the work becomes a slog for all involved. Too bad. With clarity on process upfront: 1+1=3+, without it...well 1-1=0. …and ends with all that money spent on strategy and ideas being wasted. How often have you been in a meeting where good ideas from pages 20 through 87 of a presentation are completely ignored? Assuming the agency is solid and isn’t throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, this is usually because the client’s are thinking: “That’s ambitious. We don’t have time to figure out how to make that thing with everything else we have on our plates. So we’ll compliment their clever thinking and just hope they don’t follow up.” The client is paying the agency to painstakingly develop new work but rarely do the teams talk about process in creative meetings because it's ‘not creative’, we’ll handle that in ‘production’. Marketing capabilities vary tremendously across client organizations. There is absolutely no consistency between what is in-house vs. outsourced in large companies. Developing breakthrough ideas is the easy part. Tailoring ideas to the unique shape of a client’s organization is where the real work is done. back to insights → The problem is that without that discussion upfront the vast majority of that work will ‘make a great meeting’ and never see the light of day. How creative is that?

Is your marketing stale? We use data, insights, and strategy to yield creative marketing tactics for outdoor lifestyle brands, giving you the best ROI and ROAS. Two Things to remember: 1. You can't spend your way to effectiveness 2. Ideas that stand out in message and format 1. You can't spend your way to effectiveness Media is a rigged game. Your brand has to break through or else it doesn't exist. 2. Ideas that stand out in message and format Structure follows strategy (not the other way around). Powerful insights from asking the right questions 1 2 C reative that stands out in message and format 3 A Go-to-Market plan that is nothing like the competition’s The best brands don't copy their competition. They lead. Two Things to remember: 1. You can't spend your way to effectiveness 2. Ideas that stand out in message and format 1. You can't spend your way to effectiveness Media is a rigged game. C reative that stands out in message and format 2 Your brand has to break through or else it doesn't exist. Structure follows strategy (not the other way around). Powerful insights from asking the right questions 1 2 C reative that stands out in message and format 3 A Go-to-Market plan that is nothing like the competition’s Powerful insights from asking the right questions 1 2 C reative that stands out in message and format 3 A Go-to-Market plan that is nothing like the competition’s Powerful insights from asking the right questions 1 A Go-to-Market plan that is nothing like the competition’s 3 The best brands don't copy their competition. They lead. start a conversation → case studies →

When outdoor brands follow a Silicon Valley playbook, magic happens. See how active lifestyle brands like Patagonia, Yeti, and arc'teryx succeeded. What Active Lifestyle Brands Can Learn from Silicon Valley By Paulo Ribeiro What does startup land have to teach brands way over in the active lifestyle space? Not everything. Not even most things, but there are a few really powerful ideas that if applied correctly can help a sleepy brand wake the hell up. FINDING PRODUCT-MARKET FIT In THIS classic post Marc Andreessen explains this fundamental concept and why it is so powerful for startups and particularly software companies. I’ve spent almost half of my career working in Silicon Valley and the other half working in very different business cultures (NY and PDX). But, there is much more to learn from one another than you might think at first… Generally Silicon Valley marketers don't understand brand strategy. Here comes the hate mail. As a pool they have depth in growth marketing, performance marketing, product marketing. All of the technical specialties are table-stakes, but they don’t really understand brand strategy as a group. Related: Marketing is often confused with Advertising as this post highlights. [Buried in the comments Seth sets the brand position straight] There is an amazing contrast of technical sophistication in SV with a lack of understanding of the creative arts. But, I digress. That isn’t the topic of this post. Most of the active lifestyle brands we’ve worked with found product-market fit decades ago. They don’t talk about it that way. But finding product market fit was a challenge that preceded the current crop of employees. Borrowing this notion can provide an incredibly helpful strategic framework for evolving their customer base and entering new markets. So many marketing briefs start from the assumption that the tactics are fixed, and maybe even the audience is fixed, so the only thing we can play with is the message. Which is crazy of course. But sadly it is the norm. Just because the core business operates one way doesn’t mean that each product line needs to go to market the same way. This is where the framework of Product-Market fit is super useful. Think of the market you are targeting as a ‘use case’ that can be defined by an audience and a behavior. And think of your product as the way you choose to serve that use case. By thinking about these as two variables the strategic playing field opens up significantly. But you have to tackle each of those assignments with clarity. Know which is which and play with each. Each of these two variables create opportunities to change the target audience definitions, the channels and tactics the creative briefs that generate new ideas. All it requires is borrowing a bit of wisdom from Silicon Valley. I said a ‘bit of wisdom’ they have blind spots too. 😉 CUSTOMERS VS. TARGETS These are two totally different things. We need to stop confusing them. As a marketer you should have a clear understanding of who your buying customers are. This might vary by business unit, product line and channel. There are so many tools at your disposal to paint a picture of who is buying your product via each channel whether direct or through retail partnerships, whether IRL or URL. The audience(s) that your marketing targets should also be clearly defined even if a significant portion of your spend is programmatic or performance in nature. If your customer and your target are thought of as the same thing internally, then good job! You’ve captured the Total Addressable Market and you aren’t needed any longer. Thank you for your service. I’m kidding of course but it's shocking how often this basic distinction is confused. The relationship between these two profiles are huge levers for marketing. Are they the same types of people? Are they vastly different? What is the relationship between the customers you have and the audience you wish to serve? What is the profile of someone who experiments and drives trial? What is the behavior of a loyal customer? If you don’t know then start your work with questions like these. Define hypotheses and test them. You’ll find that almost everything stems from starting to paint this picture. It's totally and completely cliche up and down the San Francisco Peninsula to talk about how many failed ventures entrepreneurs have been a part of. Why? Because of the widely held belief that you need to go big and if you fail then you LEARNED. It's so widespread that it has become a boring introduction up and down the SF peninsula. Baked inside of that overused backhanded compliment however, is a way of operating that many in the outdoor industry ignore thinking everything has been established. The weird thing is that this is not at all how many of their founders operated. Dave Lane and Jeremy Guard knew nothing about waterproofing jackets when they started Rock Solid Manufacturing in 1989. They just knew there was a better way to make a harness. Nor did they know the 140-million year old fossil that inspired their name change and logo (Arc’teryx) would become one of the most recognizable icons in outdoor gear—synonymous with quality and caliber. Yvonne Chouinard didn’t know much about business, in fact, he just wanted to find a way to keep adventuring . After setting up a blacksmith shop in 1957, Chouinard’s hand-made pitons quickly caught on like wildfire in the climbing communities. But in early 1989, the company—Chouinard Equipment—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the assets of the company were purchased by former employees…eventually forming Black Diamond Equipment . And Chouinard? Well, he kept climbing…so much so that after a trip to Scotland in 1970, he realized there was an appetite for high-quality clothing for climbers. And then one inspirational trip down to Argentina with the future The North Face founder and best friend Doug Thompkins, Patagonia was born. Roy and Ryan Seiders didn’t know their coolers would upend the market, they first wanted to build cool fishing rods and custom, aluminum fishing boats so they could keep doing what they loved outdoors. Instead, they found themselves frustrated with the cooler options available and sought to build the best, most rugged, protective cooler out there. Hello, Yeti . THIS Is a good example of embracing experimentation and failure today. We know for a fact that Nike has applied lessons learned from experiments like this to their subscription strategies. CELEBRATING FAILURE Flirting with failure is core to many active lifestyle brands’ origin. It should be core to their marketing strategies as well. TAKING RISKS Which is of course related to celebrating failure. Co-labs have become the default method of driving news for brands in this space. And no doubt there have been some really fantastic and unexpected ones Nike X Tiffany’s is a great example. But this is classic borrowed interest strategy. Which is not dissimilar from casting celebrities that come with their own followings in advertising. It works, but it's short lived. It drives quick hype and then it's over. REI put climbing walls in their stores over 20 years ago . Nike pushed virtual shoe drops starting in 2016. After the pandemic shutdowns we have an opportunity to reinvent how brands meet customers. Who will take the next leap to stand out from the herd? [Buried in the comments Seth sets the brand position straight] If your customer and your target are thought of as the same thing internally, then good job! You’ve captured the Total Addressable Market and you aren’t needed any longer. Flirting with failure is core to many active lifestyle brands’ origin. It should be core to their marketing strategies as well. back to insights → [Buried in the comments Seth sets the brand position straight]