Outdoor brands and retailers that want to lure more kids outdoors could start by emphasizing the more social aspects of outdoor recreation rather than highlighting the accomplishments of extreme and ultra-fit athletes, according to a report released last week by the Outdoor Foundation.
Such marketing should emphasize the many indoor activities kids can take outside, including relaxing, playing and exercising with friends, according to Outdoor Nation Special Report: Turning Insiders Out. The eight-page report focuses on how the industry can change its message to appeal to more insiders, especially girls, minorities and immigrants who now spend most of their time indoors.
It also highlights how the Outdoor Foundation has begun using outdoornation.org as an online survey tool to conduct qualitative research aimed at helping the industry grow youth participation, which has been declining steadily.
The Outdoor Foundation monitors youth participation closely because 90% of active adult participants in outdoor recreation say they were introduced to outdoor activities between the ages of 5 and 18.
Yet in 2008, participation among youth ages 6 to 17 dropped by 6.0%., resulting in a three-year combined 16.7% decline. The Outdoor Foundation is expected to publish numbers for 2009 late this month with the release the 2010 edition of its annual Outdoor Recreation Participation Report.
Turning Insiders Out is based on responses to an online survey by those ages 13 to 30 who have registered at outdoornation.org, a website the Outdoor Foundation established in 2008 to begin recruiting delegates for the inaugural Outdoor Nation Youth Summit held in June in New York City. Respondents are predominantly outdoor enthusiasts, including many who work with youth.
The responses confirm what some in the industry have been arguing for years, which is to tone down images showing extreme sports or ultra-fit athletes that some girls, obese kids and minorities might find intimidating or foreign.
“Show normal people in beautiful places,” reads one response highlighted in the report. “Not just athletes doing amazing things, but people doing activities that an ‘insider’ could do. Make the transition to being an outsider not as scary.”
The study also encourages outdoor companies to partner with celebrities and schools to bring this message to youth.
“I would host free events on school campuses across the nation,” reads one response. “I would target middle school students and coordinate these trips with participating high schools. The only way to get people hooked is to let them experience it for themselves.”
Reaching youth will require going beyond traditional media and audiences such as those offered by consumer magazines aimed at enthusiasts. Respondents recommended advertising in youth-centric venues, such as Facebook and movie theater screens or establish an Outdoor Nation channel on YouTube. They urged Outdoor Nation and outdoor brands to target immigrant and minority neighborhoods by advertising in multiple languages and engaging them face-to-face at community events. Several suggested using college and high school students as mentors to offer programs and help build up gear cooperatives to make outdoor recreation more accessible to low-income families.
“The major challenge we face is making the outdoors relatable,” said Chris Fanning, Executive Director of The Outdoor Foundation, which will focus on recruiting more minority and inner city kids to Outdoor Nation in 2011. “With the help of youth-led surveys and discussions, it is our hope that we will begin to shift the challenges into opportunities to help us grow the outdoor community.”
>>> Expect many of these ideas to be put to the test soon. As soon as this week, The North Face is expected to award up to $300,000 in grants to fund dozens of youth outreach programs across the United States through its Explore Fund. Among the grantees will be some of the more than 500 delegates who attended the Outdoor Nation Youth Summit this summer…
