All the gear and no idea!

All the gear and no idea

As a keen sportsman (keen in this instance is a description of enthusiastic but not very good), I have often had the above jibe thrown at me, correctly I might add.

Whether it’s running, golf or cricket I have a decent set of equipment that are used by many a professional, but without the talent to use them in a way which would make the producer of the equipment proud!

As I thought about my new set of golf clubs, I reflected that the playbook for sports companies marketing to me so effectively (doesn’t my wallet know it!), is a fantastic model for anyone marketing to a consumers passion or hobby. Digital Glue’s clients in the photography industry are a great example of the kind of brands who can benefit from the sports equipment marketing playbook.

Inspire

If you’re marketing to customers who are in the hobby world, they want to be inspired. They want to see great images, enjoy great performances. The use of professional ambassadors is a great tool. See sponsorship in sports.

In short: Hobby = passion so your brand needs to be passionate about the activity.

Make them better

Whether you’re into fishing, golf, photography, art or any other active hobby, there’s an underlying human desire to ‘get better’. Your marketing needs to tell your customers how this new product will help them be better at their passion.

Geek out on the features

There’s nothing like buying the latest bit of kit and telling your mates all the boring details about the thing that does the amazing thing that nothing else has done before! People might not buy your new gear because of that tech feature alone, but if its quicker, bigger, faster, got a new never seen before feature – you need to shout about it, because your customers want to shout about it.

Educate

Finally, when it comes to people’s hobbies, they love to know more.

How do I do this? How can I do that better? What’s the best way to do that?

If your brand can educate your customers, or even better if your brand ambassadors can, (see inspire), then you’re becoming a go to brand.

So…

If you produce a product which is part of your customers passion for an activity, think about the thing you love doing and think about why you just spent too much money on the latest gear, and how much you enjoyed the experience. Then go replicate!