How to market a successful adventure brand

These adventures aren't possible without the brands that support us on our travels; the companies and collectives that inspire us to get out of the door but also provide us with the equipment to complete our challenges out in the wild. 

We thought we’d take a look at some of these brands and what makes them so successful in what can be a difficult space to stand out from the crowd. 

Content strategies for adventure businesses

We’ve long been fans of Alpkit’s ethos and their brand. Their approach to the world, the products they sell and the brand champions they’ve inspired since they started in 2004 tell the story of a business that cares about the adventures they support and the world we all live in. 

How do we know this though? We’ve broken out some key areas where the team at Alpkit are hitting it out of the park with their content strategy: 

• Website content is not just sales led - we can find lots of adventure stories and practical tips and advice through their Mountain Journal

• Alpkit Espresso email newsletters and social media content link to inspiring travel stories and adventure content, even when there’s a strong sales message

• Outpost magazine ties this altogether with a seasonal update for customers using a well designed adventure magazine format (that also happens to include sales messaging)

• All communications always bear in mind their six founding principles using a friendly, approachable tone of voice

All of Alpkits messaging feels light touch and is written from the perspective of one adventurer to another. This approach ensures that customers are more often than not converted into fans of the brand - recommending their products, approach and customer service to anyone who will listen. 

Creating an inspiring sports brand

Montane have supported many of our teams adventures with their reliable climbing and running gear over the years. Here we have a brand steeped in history that uses some of the strategies that we’ve mentioned above but takes them to the next level.

Building on strong founding principles, Montane have a clear content strategy that elevates their brand above the competition. What are they doing that’s a step above their competitors?

• All of Montane’s digital communications are built on a strong brand - using their comprehensive guidelines they are able to produce a suite of digital communications that work as a family

• Sprinkling their sales communications with branded stories of adventure keeps their audience engaged and not turned off by persistent sales messaging

• Visuals are always professional with a clear house style for photography and video that leans towards the epic

• Montane bring the brand to the customers through sponsorship of key athletes and races as well as Strava badges and achievements

Montane have built a reputation over the last 30 years that appeals to their core target audience. Through sharing professional imagery and video of athletes (professional or otherwise) that always leans towards the ‘epic’ they have made it clear that they are the brand that can be trusted for the hard days in the mountains. 

Design led story telling

Another adventure brand building on a strong design ethos is the stunning Sidetracked magazine. Through their online communications and design led magazine they have built a following in the adventure community that no other journal has come close to in the 12 years since they launched.

Sidetracked looked to realise the idea of their founder John Summerton and “combine his fascination for adventure and exploration with his love of good design, typography and photography” and they’ve certainly succeeded. How can we learn from their approach?

• The magazine’s typographic-led design sets them apart from other publications and breaks the mould used by “off the shelf” adventure magazines

• Strong photography is at the heart of their design ethos and their page layout allows these images to tell their own story devoid of clutter

• Sidetracked tie all of this together with a monthly Field Journal email that signposts interesting content from the magazine and the wider web

By treating their target audience with respect and producing a design led publication Sidetracked have managed to break free from some of the traps that their competitors have fallen into by producing a high concept adventure journal that avoids the typical cramped magazine layouts packed with advertising. They’ve managed to buck the downward trend in the magazine industry by trusting that strong design and impactful visuals can lead to a profitable publication.

Planning your marketing

It’s clear that if you’re looking to take the lead in the adventure and sports branding space your content has to be working very hard for you. Polished visuals and a sleek brand image are only part of the story.

If you’re interested in how story telling, epic imagery and a strong sense of design will elevate your sports brand to the next level then get in touch.