Are You Encouraging Your Consumers to #OptOutside?

REI has our potential consumers pegged - have you seen their ads? They are awesome. Even if you don’t like to be outside - these ads make you want to strap on some hiking boots and head for the Great Outdoors.

Three years ago - in a particular moment of genius - they rolled out their #OptOutside campaign, where they closed their doors and encouraged both their employees and customers to choose a day outside, instead of one fighting the Black Friday crowds. And to be honest, we can’t think of a campaign that better fits RVers. Now, just because REI came up with this idea doesn’t mean you can’t attempt the same thing - getting some of the great exposure for your dealership with minimal effort.

While you may not be willing to close your doors - even just for the one day - you can easily take to social media to chat with your followers about the #OptOutside campaign and openly encouraging them to hop on the bandwagon. Just doing this will show your followers that you are in tune with popular campaigns and trends, as well as their lifestyle and interests - giving you a level of credibility and relevance, particularly with the millennial audience.

If you want to kick it up a notch - you could encourage your customers to share images with you as they actually opt outside. Again - this is a great way to get some consumer generated content without having to develop a whole campaign from the ground up. You know your followers are out there using their RV - so have them show you how they are using it this holiday season! Last but not least, you could even give away a prize for the best picture depicting what it means to opt outside. This gets a little more complicated because you’ll want to be thorough in developing the rules and regulations for a campaign like this - definitely check in with your legal team - but the engagement you could get from this type of campaign could be huge.

All in all - we just love REI’s campaign because it really feels like the core of our industry. We all want to find more consumers who are turning away from having copious amounts of material things in favor of great experiences outdoors. So whether you want to truly capitalize on this or just help raise awareness for what's already been set in motion, we encourage you to embody the lifestyle you sell - your customers new and old will thank you for it.

The RV Buyer: A Deeper Dive - Brand Loyalty

We all want to think that consumers are loyal. To manufacturers and to us. But the reality is - they aren’t. Not in the RV industry at least. And while you may hope this isn’t true, the statistics don’t lie:

● Overall - only 10% say they are searching for a specific brand or manufacturer
● 82% said that as a first time buyer they were not loyal to a specific manufacturer
● 86% said that as a repeat buyer they were not loyal to a specific manufacturer

So why is that? As you can see from the statistics - brand loyalty doesn’t grow over time. You would think that it would - that only first time buyers would be unsure of which manufacturer they wanted to go with - but despite having a theoretically good experience with one manufacturer - second and third time buyers are also non-committal when it comes to their next unit.

There’s a simple answer.

Consumers’ top priority is getting the amenities they want for a price that fits their budget.

Sure - maybe they like to dream about that high-end unit with amazing floors that look like something out of a museum, has an outdoor TV and a high-end manufacturer name - but the reality is that this amazing unit might be outside of their price range. And because of that - they would rather switch to a different, less expensive manufacturer to get all the things on their wishlist, rather than give something up just for a name on the bumper.

Think about why these buyers are interested in the RV lifestyle to start with - great adventures, more time with family, exploring the outdoors, spending less money on vacations or even house payments. They are interested in getting out there - and they want whatever unit will help them do that comfortably and for a budget they can afford.

This doesn’t mean all hope is lost or your branding efforts are in vain - you just have to be smart about it. Keep these insights in mind when you market these units to consumers. Highlight the lifestyle they are getting when they commit to a particular unit - and in some instances a manufacturer - and make sure it's all about them and not you. This is the ticket to making the sale.