Recently I read a post on LinkedIn claiming the outdoor industry is “still being run like it’s 1995.” Every few months, without fail, somebody weighs in on how backward, outdated, or archaic the outdoor industry is. This perception mostly stems from its distribution models, reliance on brick-and-mortar retail venues, and the importance of personal business relationships.
And in a downturn, the ‘out-of-touch’ chorus gets louder.
I get it—we’d all like to cut out the middlemen and sell directly to consumers, without the burden of giving up margin to distributors, sales reps, buy groups, big-box stores, retailers, and any other service that wedges itself between manufacturer and consumer.
But these off-the-cuff hot takes aren’t valid insights into the outdoor industry—certainly not into the more highly regulated and litigated segment of firearms and ammunition. Complaining that the industry isn’t on Amazon ignores the fact that many firearms-related products can’t be sold there. Statements like these are really just not-so-subtle declarations of how smart the speaker thinks they are.
A couple of years ago, I had a phone interview with a firearms manufacturing executive whose title was Chief Innovation Officer. During the conversation with Mr. Innovation, I was struck by his lack of interest in the interview—and by his confident assertion that the firearms industry is behind the times.
In a moment of uncharacteristic tact, I held back from asking him to walk me through his “innovative” approach to leading the company through its ongoing product recall. I also didn’t ask how he was handling dealers who wanted RMAs (return merchandise authorizations) included with new products so they could streamline returns when guns arrived from the factory with rust on unfinished components.
While I was being tactful, I came away thinking tact isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A few months later, I learned that the exec was no longer with the company and, according to my source, it wasn’t his decision.
Every time the industry goes into a downturn, the critiques grow louder. The funny thing is, they don’t come from anyone with a track record of successfully navigating one—or from anyone who has ever led a company in the industry. But that doesn’t stop them from giving us their so-called expert opinions, sans expertise.
We’ve seen this approach play out in other industries. Bud Light bought into the narrative that its customer base and marketing were out of step, opting to change its strategy while simultaneously shunning its longtime loyal customers.
Jaguar rolled out a new, progressive-looking marketing campaign that seemed more like an attempt by the ad agency to win awards than to sell cars. In May, Jaguar fired the agency, Accenture Song, after consumer backlash and a significant drop in sales. The CEO is now gone, too.
Most recently, Cracker Barrel attempted a full rebrand of both its logo and stores—only to face customer backlash, declining foot traffic, and a hit to its stock value.
In each case, the people behind these changes likely thought they were making the company culturally relevant. But it’s difficult to chase cultural relevance without abandoning your brand’s culture—especially while not alienating your existing customer base.
What people often overlook when it comes to firearms—and this applies to automobiles as well—is that customers have a deep emotional attachment to their guns and cars. Those who come from other industries, such as consumer goods, and try to apply strategies that work for toothpaste to guns, cars, or trucks—let’s not even talk about motorcycles—eventually learn these products are very different.
When’s the last time anyone got excited about toothpaste? We have the NRA Show. Is there a National Toothpaste Users Association Annual Meetings & Exhibits to attend? Does the hand soap and body wash industry have the equivalent of the SEMA Show? No—because there’s no aftermarket for soap that would necessitate an association like the Specialty Equipment Market Association.
The firearms, ammunition and related outdoor products industry isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But it also isn’t made up of hicks who just discovered indoor plumbing.
We have been embracing technology, albeit at varying speeds. But that path is never easy and is often riddled with regulatory potholes. And when is the last time you heard of a consumer products company, whose items are sold in grocery stores everywhere, having trouble accessing basic banking services thanks to a White House that doesn’t like the soap industry?
The next time someone tells you the outdoor industry is backward, behind the times, or stuck in the past, remember: they’re not giving a TED Talk. They’re just trying to convince you they’re the smartest person in the room—usually despite never having been in that room—while leaning on hackneyed observations wrapped in today’s buzzword-bingo winners.