Camping under the stars—um, fluorescent lighting
Outdoor retailer Bass Pro draws families, builds relationships with free ‘summer camps’ in stores
; BY THOMAS PARDEE tpardee@adage.com
HARRISBURG, PA. – Can’t afford summer
camp? Pack the kids off to Bass Pro Shops,
where they can spend six weeks learning
BB-gun shooting, archery, fishing, casting, tent-pitching and bird-watching. And
it’s all free—including the s’mores.
The retailer’s Family Summer Camp,
now in its second year, is an “
experiential” program designed to build a community for its outdoor-loving consumers. At
a time when many families are cash-strapped and seeking summer activities, it
seems to be building business for the
chain. Bass Pro, which has built a fervent
following around its retail palaces, said the
camps have increased traffic and sales in
its 56 Outdoor World locations. While
the privately held company declined to
offer specific figures, spokesman Larry
Whitely said it’s “very pleased” with the
result. Though each Bass Pro location
holds individual community-based
events year-round, the company’s summer camp and its annual Santa’s
Wonderland events are the only programs held company-wide.
Jim Wargo, who manages the 225,000-
square-foot Bass Pro store here, said the
hands-on nature of the camps build cus-
tomer loyalty. “[We could just] blast out
advertising like a shotgun,” he said (Bass
Pro spent $23.4 million in measured
media last year, according to Kantar
Media). “But we’d rather have something
interactive happening at the store that
people can come in and experience.”
Mr. Wargo said he saw a significant
increase in tent and sleeping bag sales
during the height of last summer’s reces-
sion, reflecting a national trend toward
less-expensive camping vacation options.
And he said the program isn’t only
attracting existing brand loyalists. “It
brings people into the store who wouldn’t
normally come,” he said.
The company is marketing the event
comprehensively through prominent
play in its catalog and on its website as
well as through TV and radio spots, billboards, print ads and a social-media campaign targeted primarily at parents. (Bass
Pro has well over 260,000 “likes” on
Facebook.) It has also partnered with Field
& Stream magazine, which produced a
special “Summer Fun” issue for the company detailing its camp programming. As
part of the tie-in, campers can take their
photo in front of a river backdrop, and
within 24 hours access a free digital image
GONE FISHIN’: AD AGE’S FUN-FILLED DAY AT CAMP
At Bass Pro, camping doesn’t
necessarily mean outdoors.
When Ad Age visited the
Harrisburg, Pa., location, most of
the seminars, crafts and
workshops were being held at
small stations inside the store
near its waterfall aquarium,
though a few of the more intense
activities—such as archery and
BB-gun lessons—were luckily
being held outside, adjacent to
the building.
Over the wide front doors the
words “Welcome Fishermen,
Hunters and Other Liars” appear
carved into a decorative log. Just
a few feet away, a small artificial
pond is often used for kayaking
and remote-controlled boat
demonstrations, and is home to
several kinds of bass. It’s flanked
by mounds of natural-looking
grass, bright yellow flowers and
large rocks that, like the indoor
displays, kids are welcome to play
on. Popular country music drifts
from the speakers set
somewhere high in the building’s
rafters.
DONER’S RISKY SOCIAL-MEDIA PARALLEL PAYS OFF
It’s no secret that Americans are
spending more time in front of
backlit screens and less time
outdoors than in generations past,
but a TV spot for camping gear
marketer Coleman Co. brazenly
claims credit for being “the
original social-networking site.”
“We’re not saying that
Facebook and MySpace got their
idea from us, but we’re not saying
they didn’t, either,” a woman’s
voice quips in the spot over real
user-submitted footage of
families goofing around
campsites stocked with Coleman
products. It’s a heartstring-
tugging nod to simpler times
which Coleman agency Doner
hopes will resonate with a new
generation of wired consumers.
BRIGHT IDEA:
Coleman’s Effie-winning campaign
features print ads and iPhone app.
last summer, is being reprised this
year after winning an Effie for
what Coleman described as
significant sales increases.
Mr. Strasberg said there’s a
balance in drawing parallels
between online life and real life, as
the wrong tone could read
abrasively with the target demo.
—THOMAS PARDEE
of themselves on the cover of Field &
Stream holding a large, digitally imposed
catch of the day.
Analysts say in-store events are often
an effective marketing technique for
retailers and can yield impressive results.
Dave Walker, CEO of the Interpublic’s
hyper-local shop Geomentum, said
event-driven marketing on a community
level has the power to bolster brand affin-
ity, an elusive asset for many retailers.
“That affinity with the community in
which you’re doing business is made
deeper by having more than just a trans-
actional relationship with that communi-
ty,” Mr. Walker said. “It’s more than just
coming in to buy things.”
According to Walker and
Geomentum, retailers who employ
hyper-local marketing techniques see
most of their sales drawn from within a
14-minute drive time. Not necessarily so
for Bass Pro; no two of its retail stores are
the same, and many serve as veritable
tourist attractions in some regions.
