(exhibit A) I'm lost as to what I should think about this image... is she modeling, or is she a true outdoor product user?

I’ve had it in my mind to write this post since I received this terrible testimonial attempt in the mail a couple weeks ago. This catalog is so bad…it had the complete opposite effect on me as a consumer (from what I would assume they desired anyway). Maybe they wanted me to think, “do you really believe I feel this person uses the gear you sell?  Anyway, you can certainly argue that the brand I’m picking on would not feel the effect of such a non-authentic execution (based solely on the size of their operation/revenues), and maybe you even feel their audience wouldn’t really take notice.  I beg to differ though.

The use of “testimonials,” or in this case, contrived quotes, falls way short (Exhibit A and B).  Things get even worse when you couple the quotes with the images used, I’m lost as to weather or not they are just modeling the clothing and gear or if they’re actually trying to get me to believe that these, models, actually use outdoor products. Here is my point, I’m just simply confused by all of it, it’s not real…no authenticity. And, I believe their primary audience, the armchair outdoor product user, can see through this as well.

So what is the right way?  Backcountry.com has set the bar pretty high in this industry.

(exhibit C) now this is someone I can believe is a "real" user of outdoor product.

They started the Gear-Guru program (not 100% this is still what they call it), which is a way for common folk users to give feedback on product, do reviews, and just generally interact with all the brands that backcountry.com offers.

In a catalog execution a year or two ago they incorporated these users into a catalog (note: I’m not sure they are still doing a print catalog like this), it was so well done that it hung around my office for a few months and I’d occasionally pick it up and read about an adventure one of their “authentic users had on a remote river in Uganda or somewhere.  It was so legit that there was no way I couldn’t believe in what I was seeing and reading.

So in this world of social media blasting, corporate news feeds, and everything immediate…don’t assume your

(exhibit B) hmmmmmm, just because I see it print doesn't mean I belive it.

customers are absorbing every word your brand utters just because you can afford to print 500,000 copies of a catalog – keep it as real as you possibly can.  This is especially true in the social media game, I’m sure you’ve probably heard 100x’s that authentic conversations are most engaging and generate the most buzz…follow this rule in your print and paid media executions as well!

Solution: Develop a true “community” landing page, a place where  the core users of Alta could share experiences and gather the information that they need.  “My Alta” was the solution, all the usual assets (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) were created and a landing page (developed on a Wordpress template, following the existing design of the core-site) was developed with a news feed, mountain cams, mountain reports, image of the day and feeds from all the Social outlets.  More importantly, time was spent developing a Social Influence Marketing Compass plan, creating the voice and situations that could be developed into viral stories for the “My Alta” page.

Is there more that can be done? Certainly, because the beast never sleeps and your results are a direct reflection of the effort.  At last count Twitter had grown to 1,200 followers and Facebook 3,800 – very organic growth (no in-page gimmick promos, etc).

Solution:  Create a one-sheet self mailing sales piece which maintains the integrity of Park City Crash Pads irreverent brand.  During this project we worked out a new postion line for them…”You’ll Dig Our Digs.”

Additionally, I’ll be working with Kirkham’s over the next 2 – 3 months.  We are going to be redefining the brand and incorporating this into a Social Influence Marketing campaign.  As we get into this project we will also be looking at how their Springbar tents can work into the puzzle as well.  I’m really excited about this project, I’m a sucker for retail (I love it).

How’s the weather you ask…another wet spring in Utah.  Last year I had to cancel two of the four mid-week mountain bike races I promote due to rain (mud).  It’s looking like we’ll need to push the first race next week on the 11th out another week (smarter this year, building in a few optional days to cover this exact problem).

Read Here:  Why it’s Not Social Media.

Here's Why Backcountry Magazine Tests Skis in Utah!

I was fortunate enough to get to spend some time up in the Ogden Valley last week testing skis with Backcountry Magazine at Powder Mountain. I’m pretty sure the entire magazine crew had doubts about whether the Utah snow we all love would deliver.  Well, it didn’t deliver like we know it can, but it did deliver a few inches here and a few inches there, and If you couple that with the outrageous terrain accessible from the area it made for some great conditions for testing gear.

Here I am, Surrounded by Friends.

Isn’t this really every skiers dream, have an endless quiver you can draw from, rip a few runs and then come back for a fresh pair.  I’d start throwing out everything I loved (K2 Sidestash), but I’ll leave that to the magazine editors.  The crew tested for 5 solid days, very close to 30 testers!  I was really pleased to see the detail that went into their testing, you should take the advise published in the Septembers Gear Guide as the gospel and use it for your purchases next season.  In the end, I only tested for 2 days this year, but had a wonderful experience the days I did help.  Already looking forward to next years testing!

Solution:  The first execution was simply a BLOG (one of the first in the Utah ski market) and posting video content to YouTube (which was imbedded into the site).  It expanded into a very robust Wordpress install which includes a BLOG, Twitter feed, Flickr feed of the image of the day, and featured YouTube videos.  Additionally the snow report feeds into the page.  The end result is a page were you can get “real” information that speaks to the core user quickly. Like, the road to Solitude is open and the new snow totals 22″ – now that is relevant content.

Solution: What I enjoyed most about this project was the packaging component, I’ve always loved the challenges associated with producing a great solution. The client was filled with great ideas and input and was very open to exploring.  I did all the photographic work and used a designer and copywriter out of Salt Lake under my creative direction to produce the assets.