It’s that time of year when we start to see an explosion of winter sports campaigns hitting us from all sides to inspire shoppers to act.

From brand new products and fresh takes on well-loved items to new striking packaging, advertising and store designs. If you’re leading the way in the winter sports arena this is the time of year for putting your brand in the spotlight.

We’ve scoured the brightest and best to share our top 5 winter sports campaigns, showcasing the winter sports market at its best.

Rossignol – Collection Minions

It seems that no industry sector is safe from the reach of these little yellow characters. Whilst bedspreads and cookies may be predictable, extensions of the IP, Rossignol have released a slightly surprising and incredibly cute range of Minions kids’ ski products.
What’s new about this is that it allows Universal Studios to stretch the market for their licensed products from just toys, to additional sectors which will be especially important as Christmas approaches.
For Rossignol, it gives an additional reason for the consumer (kids) to pester the shopper (parents) to pick their product out of the catalogue. What young snow sports enthusiast could resist this colourful, yet cool new line?

Burton – Rail Days

It’s a cliché, but snowboarding is more a community than just a sport.
Whilst snowboarding is part of the X Games and Winter Olympics, brand coverage at those events excludes a huge part of the target market, who are more comfortable with skateboard-style competitions that have a festival or event vibe.
Burton has been running their own events for some time – alongside sponsorship of X Games and Olympic teams – that cater better to that audience, incorporating music and a more creative atmosphere. Hence Rail Days, which has become one of the largest street snowboard contests in the world. This year they’ve taken the contest to Japan, which is reflected in their marketing materials and seamlessly pools the world of street snowboarding with the orient.
This not only gives the brand a huge amount of content to share for months to come, but leaves consumers in doubt as the quality of their products.

North Face – The Other Way

Using spectacular photography and subtle, unobtrusive web design, the webpage for North Face’s reimagined Summit Series is beautifully presented.
It focusses on the scenery and challenge of genuine mountaineering to show that this is a serious range of products, rather than fashion clothing masquerading as mountaineering equipment. Muted colours throughout show that these are products conceived with practicality and functionality in mind.
All of this makes for an inspirational feel that makes you want to start planning your next expedition.

Bauer – ‘Own The Moment’ store design

While Ice Hockey has never been huge over here in the UK, throughout Canada and parts of the USA it’s big business.
Bauer is one of the leading brands in the sector, and certainly leads the way in store design. Their new ‘Own The Moment’ stores are temples to the religion of hockey. Products are presented on plinths in a way reminiscent of Apple’s presentation of their products.
The stores even feature an indoor ice rink so you can try products out in a realistic setting. In terms of shopfitting this is no doubt a massive expense, but cements Bauer’s brand position and lets consumers experience the products rather than just looking at them.

Belstaff – Outlaws Film

 

Winter in the UK doesn’t always mean snow and ice. More often than not it means cold and rain, so a proper waterproof jacket is a sensible investment.
To raise the profile of their London Fashion Week show, Belstaff produced a short film starring David Beckham as a stuntman haunted by the memory of a beautiful trapeze artist. As a premium brand with strong style pedigree and a history of producing motorcycle clothing adored by celebrities, this is a sensible fit and created no end of press coverage.
All of this puts the brand front of mind at a time of year when consumers are drawing up their Xmas lists.

Like all of these brands, we are committed to going the extra mile to inspire shoppers to act. Get in touch if you’d like to talk about how we could help build your brand.

James Kay, Account Manager, The Behaviours Agency