Branding : The Integrated Shopper
How well do three outdoor adventure brands cross ?channels?
February 2010 By Brent NiemuthRetailers must make a concerted effort to get consumers' attention in today's fast-paced environment, where prospects are subjected to hundreds of adverting messages a day. When it comes to brand recognition, integration is the name of the game. For consumers to really connect with a brand, they must have the same brand experience online, in-store or with the catalog.
Are retailers making strides in this direction? To find out, over the past 14 months I've scrutinized the brand integration efforts of a variety of retail categories in a four-part series in All About ROI. (The first three were written with George Hague.) For this fourth installment, I've taken a critical look at three outdoor adventure brands — Patagonia, REI and Cabela's — to see how well each delivers a consistent customer experience.
Patagonia
The Patagonia catalog does a superb job of integrating authentic stories and "product-in-use" photography with more typical lay-down images. The lifestyle images and client testimonials provide an element of authenticity and credibility.
In evaluating the digest-sized Holiday Favorites 2009 catalog, I assume that Patagonia has gone to this format to save on mailing costs, like many retailers. The smaller page size would cause many brands to reduce or even eliminate full-page lifestyle images in favor of more selling space. But Patagonia is savvy enough to understand that its customers identify with these "real-world" scenarios and envision themselves in those environments. These inspiring images and stories are a way for Patagonia to tell its customers, "We understand you. We're just like you. We're the real deal." The same action-oriented outdoor photos greet shoppers at its website for a consistent message and seamless shopping experience.
When you set foot in a Patagonia store, you get the sense you've walked into a local shop in a mountain town. As the door creaks behind you, you're greeted with a friendly "hello," and the warm, cabin-like atmosphere makes you want to stay awhile. The company has managed to bring the authentic feel of its brand to life in the retail environment.
One small disappointment: I wish Patagonia would have carried over the customer star rating system from its website to the pages of its catalog. Shoppers love these product reviews, and they're just as useful on the printed page as online.
Overall, Patagonia understands how to deliver a consistent and unique experience at all touchpoints. I give it a solid A.
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