Outdoor as

a human need.
Qualitative research survey by the rheingold institute
in cooperation with OutDoor by ISPO

White Paper 4 out of 7

What role do brands and retailers play in relation to outdoor
in different segments?

This white paper is part of the seven-part research series “Outdoor

as a human need”, which analyzes consumer-centric aspects of the
outdoor industry from the perspective of psychology.

#OutDoorByISPO
ispo.com/outdoor
Approach: The hero’s journey as the basis
The customers are the heroes. This strategy adopted by successful companies is doubly effective as the outdoor
experience is inextricably linked to a process of the hero’s journey. Only once you have undergone the three stages
of this process – challenge, overcoming and transformation – is being outdoors elevated to an outdoor event.

Focus: Role and scope for brands

What role do brands play in this process and how can they expand their scope for action? This is what psycho­
logists from the Cologne rheingold institute investigated on behalf of OutDoor by ISPO using psychoanalytical
interviews. Based on their findings, they developed a matrix enabling pint-point positioning of both different
sports and brands.

Principle: Retailers as expert and emotional guides

By awakening longings and needs in consumers, retailers open the door to adventure and the customer journey
for new customers the first time they come into contact as well as for established outdoor fans. Retailers can
enquire about customers’ motivations, experiences and expectations towards the outdoor experience above all
at the store, but also online and then incorporate these into the customer journey in an experience-centric way.

Brands as a silent companion

All brands have to realize that by providing equipment they are not just the consumer’s gateway to the experience,
they also protect them reliably throughout the entire adventure. Brands are the silent companions that make the
experience safe and smooth, but never steal the show or their customer’s role as the hero. It is the person that
masters the challenge, not his or her equipment!

There is no doubt that functionality and competence are center stage for outdoor brands, which are often passed
on as insider tips and discussed in online forums. The higher-performance a sport is, the more expert knowledge
the respondents had on the different providers. However, aside from the high degree of specialization, it was striking
in the interviews that the respondents found it difficult to say anything specific about a brand.

Shared vision: Practical needs at the fore

There was also often a lack of clear pictures or images associated with the brand – “There is so little in the way
of anything special you can say about the brands …”. At the fore were always the respondents’ own practical
needs, for instance lightness, dryness, safety or convenience. Often brand images were generated solely through
the name (“Mammut [Mamouth] keeps you warm in the coldest temperatures with its thick fur” and “with the
wolf I feel protected and safe”), so remained pretty vague.

Psychological Psychological states as the emotional anchor for brands

pattern: But behind the practical needs, the psychologists also identified very fundamental psychological states which are
more closely linked to people’s motivation. It is precisely these psychological states that offer brands an emotional
anchor they can use to hone their profile and attract consumers.

This means the behavior and experience relevant to marketing and communication is not random, it continues
to obey psychological laws. These laws are apersonal in terms of their impact though. That is to say behavior is
linked less to individuals/groups and more to contexts/structures, or psychological states.

Review: Dimensions of the psychological states

A brief look back at white paper 2: Four motivation or mindset dimensions each form two extremes of the human
outdoor need. In the tension and interaction between these, thematic clusters arise to which both outdoor sports
and activities as well as brands can be assigned. Looking forward, these clusters give brands the opportunity to
pinpoint the perfect positions from which to harness expansive fields and expand their scope of action.

“Price and function have to be right – I don’t want to buy just one single
brand, each one is good at something different.”

Study participant, anonymized

The four outdoor mindsets

Civilized
safety net

Framed Urban
escapism warrior

Humble integration Feisty and heroic

and connection overcoming

Traditional Gung-ho
love of nature adventurer

Natural
primitiveness

 
What does this mean for marketing?

Foundation: Cluster categorization as an indicator

Products or brands are part of this mindset cluster, they help flesh it out, support it or even to move into ­another
psychological state or mindset. People don’t buy products because they are part of a target group. They buy them
because of a mood or state they want to create, shape or change. If we know these psychological states and
the role that products and brands play for them then we also know and understand what the right advertising
approach has to be.

Example 1: Brand categorization: Traditional love of nature

What does this categorization mean specifically? Let’s assume that we are talking about a brand whose core is
based on a traditional love of nature – here the motivation is both connecting with nature as well as experiencing
it in an as primitive, unadulterated form as possible (bottom left cluster in the matrix).

Brand tone: Focus on an earthy tone

This leads to an earthy brand tone – robust, honest and also hints of the spiritual. Every type of communication
and visual language has to reference this emotional state, for instance through warm, relaxed, meditative and hum-
ble images that express and appeal to the emotional core of this state. Not only communication but also product
design and marketing can use the particular psychological state in question to their advantage. Technology can by
all means play a role here, but above all in the preparation stage, to ensure a smooth transition into and return back
from nature and the great outdoors. During this stage, it is about sharing the experience with others in the form of
stories, memories and pictures. The event itself, however, should usually be free from technical supports.

Products: High-performing minimalism

The equipment should not play too dominant a role either, what is needed is highly functional minimalism. Good
planning is important, but during the outdoor experience there should be as small a protective layer as possible
between the person and nature in order to take in as much as possible and to merge with nature.

Example 2: Brand categorization: Gung-ho adventurer

If you are in the field of the gung-ho adventurer who is not adverse to risks, completely different brand values will
be at play, notably helping the consumer cultivate their heroic image and “adventurousness”. Here, new products
tend to function more as tools and scepters of power which allow the users to conquer the elementsand challenges.
Potential: Honing your USP
Beyond these general factors resulting from the positioning of the brand, it is then possible for a brand to carve out
an even more distinct USP, to develop their own imagery and stories, and in turn to set themselves apart from the
competition. The brand has to ask itself which psychological states it wants to appeal to and how it can turn this
into a brand-specific psychological state or mindset.

Emotional analogies to shopping

Outdoor brands are fortunate in that the process of shopping displays emotional analogies to the outdoor experi­
ence. In a study on the future of shopping by the rheingold institute (“2025: Smart Value Networks” in cooperation
with GS1 Germany and PwC), the researchers discovered that emotionally, shopping is a form of escapism.
Escapism from everyday life, which is increasingly felt to be controlled by others. In the shopping world, the person
suddenly goes from performance slave to king, wielding huge power with their smartphone scepter.

“The higher it got, the steeper and more strenuous it became. At the
same time though, we kept encountering beautiful views, fields of snow,
brooks along the way and animals. Alongside all of that you have hard
work and sweat, both were equally present.”

“If you’re wearing the right brand of clothing it is clear to your surroun-
dings and the other people on the mountain or in that sport that you are
not an amateur!“

Study participants, anonymized

What this means for brands and retailers in the outdoor sector

Lesson: Satisfy the desire to break out on multiple levels

The desire to break out of a world controlled by others is at the root of every outdoor experience. Outdoor
brands can satisfy this deep emotional need in multiple ways at the same time:

1. By designing adverts and shop windows to reflect and appeal to people’s longing for the different
psychological states.
2. Recreating the right psychological state during the shopping experience as a taster and in very department.
3. Through the positive experience or adventure in the great outdoors itself.
4. And finally through social networks and outdoor communities which constantly share and spread
authentic moments of freedom from these escapes – from bargain retail adventures spread by hash
tag all the way to the Instagram summits gallery.

In all of this, brands must make sure that measures are crafted in the brand image and that the psychological
states fit their own values and the understanding of the consumer. Consumers will spot fake or artificial actions
immediately with very negative echoes online for brands and their image.

Outlook: OutDoor by ISPO

The greatest potential for brands and retailers will only arise when both rethink their interaction and respective
tasks and roles vis-à-vis the consumer. They share the responsibility for defining how outdoor will be consumed
over the coming years. If shopping becomes nothing more than a functional purchase then outdoor will be
perceived as a sector of only a few providers that any logistics company can deal with conveniently, with free
delivery right to your door. For outdoor to grow as a sector, brands should be showcased and experienced
in stores to a significant extent, delivering uncontestable added value in the process. Retailers can thus gain
a new indisputable raison d’être whilst brands can use the setting of the physical store above all to position
themselves as approachable outdoor ambassadors. The consumer experience, be it in the framework of the
hero’s journey or their motivations and needs, plays the key role here, too.