Matching the Mindset: Outdoor Marketing Strategies for 2025

Watauga Group

Building Marketing Strategies to Reach All Outdoor Audiences

The Outdoor Industry Association 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report shows that participation in outdoor recreation continues to grow, in 2023, 57.3% of the US population participated in outdoor activities at some level. With the numbers rising each year, it is important for outdoor industry marketers to structure their marketing plans to capture those new participants. Watauga’s research report, “Surveying the Outdoors: the 2024 Customer Growth Report,” provides critical information for outdoor brand marketing leaders across camping, fishing, hunting, biking, watersports, RVs and other products. With findings derived from an extensive consumer attitudinal research study involving 1,578 participants, the report dives deep into the minds of outdoor participants and can help build marketing plans to elevate outdoor brands. This article summarizes one of the many key takeaways uncovered in the research.

As we have discussed in previous blog posts, understanding the mindset of outdoor participants can be the key to boosting sales through engaging and expanding your customer base. Watauga’s research report uncovered three different types of outdoor participant – the Seeker, who are people who have not actively participated in outdoor activities, but have shown interest, the Doers who are casual participants and the Lovers, who are enthusiasts about at least one outdoor activity. While united by a love of the outdoors, they are also very different in what drives them to make their choices. Taking a look at the mindsets of all three audiences can help outdoor industry marketers build communications plans that will reach them effectively.

Reaching the Seeker

AI-generated content may be incorrect.Seekers are the least experienced outdoor participants, requiring a consistent, full-funnel advertising approach to convert them to first-time participants. While curious and adventurous, half of Seekers discover new outdoor activities through TV shows or programs. Unlike Doers and Lovers, they are less likely to actively seek information through books, search engines or outdoor company websites. Reaching and converting the Seeker into a new participant takes a “full-funnel” advertising strategy to guide them through the discovery process.

The full-funnel approach to marketing to Seekers is necessary to move this type of outdoor participant down the funnel and to get them to finally engage. They are more passive in the discovery process, so they aren’t actively seeking out this information. Here are some examples of marketing strategies to reach the Seeker as they move down the funnel towards becoming a first-time customer.

Awareness (Top of Funnel) – Focus on broad-reaching channels to introduce your brand and spark curiosity in those new to outdoor activities. Use platforms like TV, radio, social media, magazines, audio, and out-of-home advertising to expand your advertising base.
Interest & Consideration (Mid-Funnel) – Foster interest with targeted digital media, such as online video, social ads, and display banners. Use layers like demographics, geography, and interests for precise targeting. Paid search is essential here, ensuring your brand ranks high with Seekers actively searching for information.
Decision & Nurture (Bottom of Funnel) – At this stage, engage Seekers who haveinteracted with your content. Use retargeting ads to remind them of previous interest and promote urgency with offers and promotions. Build long-term loyalty through email marketing, CRM databases, and loyalty programs, encouraging repeat purchases and upgrades.

This strategic approach ensures Seekers are guided effectively toward their first outdoor experiences while building lasting connections with your brand.

Converting Casual Participants

AI-generated content may be incorrect.Doers are moderately experienced outdoor participants who have engaged in outdoor activities before, but do so infrequently. With half participating once a month or less, they tend to stick with familiar activities, making it challenging for brands to boost their engagement and repeat purchases. To convert Doers, on omnichannel media approach is essential, maintaining awareness while providing direct incentives to encourage participation. Some strategies for reaching Doers include:

Awareness – Maintain a low-to-moderate frequency messaging with evergreen campaigns in channels like TV, radio, social media, out-of-home and magazines. These types of channels keep your brand and activities in their minds without overwhelming them. Keep in mind, you also need to understand which channels will resonate the best with your audience, so fitting the tactics with the audience is key.
Engagement – When Doers show interest, increase advertising frequency and test targeted discounts or promotions, such as reduced entry fees or family-friendly events. Examples include college student discounts or mom-and-child activity days with added incentives.
Retention – Use digital retargeting campaigns to keep your brand top of mind. Serve ads to individuals who have interacted with your website or previous ads, reminding them to reengage while highlighting new products or promotions.

This approach ensures consistent contact, encourages participation, and fosters ongoing engagement with Doers, turning them into more frequent customers.

Engaging Outdoor Lovers

AI-generated content may be incorrect.Lovers are highly engaged outdoor enthusiasts, passionate about one or more activities. To maintain and nurture their loyalty, marketing strategies should focus on building relationships and establishing your brand as a trusted authority, rather than simply raising awareness. Lovers prefer credible sources like company websites, books, and articles for information, so positioning your brand as an expert in the category is essential. Here are some ideas on engaging Lovers:

Content Creation – Build trust by offering high-quality articles, videos, and images on your website. Strengthen your social media presence on platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok to engage your most loyal audience.
Partnerships – Collaborate with influencers to create endorsements and content that fosters brand affinity and loyalty.
Targeted Campaigns – While Lovers are familiar with your brand, targeted advertising, especially for new product launches, can effectively guide them during the consideration phase. Use native campaigns to align with their online behavior and interests, reaching them when they’re ready to make a purchase.

By focusing on expertise, authentic connections, and timely advertising, you can deepen relationships with Lovers and drive sales effectively.

Finding Common Ground

The outdoor recreation industry continues to thrive, with growing participation creating opportunities for marketers to connect with a diverse range of consumers. By understanding the distinct needs and motivations of Seekers, Doers, and Lovers, outdoor brands can craft tailored marketing strategies that effectively engage each group. Leveraging personalized messaging, cross-channel marketing, and loyalty-building initiatives ensures that brands can attract new participants while fostering lasting relationships with their most passionate customers. As outdoor participation grows, implementing these approaches will position your brand for long-term success.

Personalized Messaging – Use insights from research and direct customers feedback to craft messages that resonate. Tailored advertising and content build brand awareness and position your brand as a category leader.
Cross-Channel Marketing – Combine broad awareness tactics (i.e. TV, radio) with targeted digital campaigns (i.e. social media, retargeting, native ads) to reach consumers at different states of the buying cycle.
Loyalty Building – Maintain strong relationships with customers through email marketing, exclusive offers and valuable content. A robust CRM database ensures ongoing engagement and strengthens loyalty.

There are a number of great outdoor brands that have been successful with reaching a broad customer base and have grown their brand. North Face is a great example of a brand understanding their core audience and evolving their brand to encourage new audiences to engage. What started as a brand known for high-performance gear for outdoor enthusiasts, they recognized in order to grow, they had to look for new customers. They expanded their brand into new segments like mountain lifestyle, outdoor training and running and urban exploration. With this expansion, their marketing plans also changed to keep up with the highly competitive market. North Face has implemented a full-funnel approach, reaching their potential customers through a variety of channels that reach Seekers, Doers and Lovers. They have built a robust social community, a cross-channel marketing plan using innovative digital media tactics, built partnerships with environmental advocacy groups, professional athletes and social media influencers and created personalized messaging through storytelling around their brand by building both user-generated content and by creating and curating their own extensive content. To foster an ongoing relationship with their dedicated customers, they have built a loyalty program with exclusive benefits and rewards which includes a Renewed takeback program, where customers can exchange lightly worn outdoor apparel for a gift certificate. These efforts help increase customer satisfaction, but also encourage brand loyalty and repeat business. While this is an example of large outdoor recreation brand, smaller brands can follow their lead and build their strategies with an audience- first approach. By understanding who you most appeal to and integrating these strategies, you can attract new customers while nurturing long-term relationships with existing ones.

Tailoring Strategies for Success

Outdoor industry marketers face the challenge of engaging three distinct audiences: loyal enthusiasts, new participants, and those who need encouragement to engage. An omnichannel marketing plan can effectively reach all groups by leveraging common strategies. Here are some key thoughts to consider:

Contact us to discover ways that Watauga Group can help with your media strategy.