A New Breed of Marketing Firm
WildernessPros Marketing Isn't Firing the Same Old Rounds
RALEIGH, NC. (January 25, 2006) — WildernessPros Marketing, LLC, (WPM) is a niche Advertising & Marketing firm that has been quietly providing its "great ideas for the great outdoors" philosophy to some of the biggest (and smallest) names in the outdoors marketplace. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC with a satellite office in Magnolia, TX, WPM has begun popping up in more and more places as the word gets out about their highly unique and creative approaches to outdoors-related advertising and marketing.
"The industry is continually changing," said Bob Steddum, VP Marketing of WPM. "In my opinion, today's marketplace presents the largest set of challenges the outdoors industry has ever faced. For example, the average age of today's hunter is 46+ years old. By this age he already has a ton of products in his home. How then is the industry positioned to encourage him to keep buying what he's already got a ton of? And furthermore, how are we going to effectively lower the skill set barriers that will encourage new participants to try the sports of hunting and fishing? These are just two very important questions that need to be addressed. I know I speak for everyone in WPM when I say that we're very focused on this issue and are noting what's happening in both the industry as a whole and in its varied market segments."
WPM began back in 2002 as an offshoot of WildernessPros, Inc. (WPI) which developed the patent pending M.O.S.T. (Multiple Option Search Technology) outfitter search system that is currently being used by such top industry brands as Nikon®, Berkley™, CVA®, Leatherman®, The Outfitters Associaion of America™, Quaker Boy® Game Calls, and many more. It was through the unusual marketing facets of M.O.S.T. that the WPI partners discovered the need for a new and unique advertising and marketing entity within the industry.
"There were people who were ahead of us," said Dave Jeffries, President of WPM, "but simply upon reviewing the end deliverables we saw trendy, all-to-similar campaigns dotting the landscape. To our surprise, what we did not see was an overabundance of efforts designed to engender the trust of the outdoorsman or really provided him with a "reason" to buy. Now, I have to say that one recent exception to this assertion (that I really like) is the Realtree™ campaign that was put together by Grey Loon which had the message of "Friends, Family and the Outdoors…It's what we do. It's a nice, straightforward approach, and by adding Bill Jordan doing the "Cabbage Patch" up in a tree stand (in one of the television spots), they provided just the right amount of humor to get the message remembered. I'm sure there are others, but that one really stands out in my mind as cutting through the marketplace clutter."
Currently WPM has focused its efforts on small to medium sized companies that are in the brand building stage of their business cycles. While having provided such top brands as Mossy Oak®, VA Dept. of Tourism, and Wayne Pearson's Outfitters Association of America, among others, with press releases, contests, and multimedia marketing efforts, print campaigns, PR initiatives, etc. for the past 3 years, WPM has recently re-focused its efforts on the new, emerging market contenders and those established companies who have seen significant brand erosion. "It's a good thing for us," added Jeffries. "Building a brand and seeing the results of your work is ultimately satisfying, while just keeping a brand at or near the top is kind of like mowing the lawn…your work looks great, but what have you really accomplished? You've tidied up what has already been seeded, and just speaking for myself…that's not what gets me out of bed in the morning."
Mark Bernegger, who heads up Southern Outdoor Technologies, makers of the Sportsman's Condo, said of WPM; "I came to WPM on the referral of a friend, and in the first year of working with them, I have seen a triple-digit increase in my bottom line. I'd like to think that it was all due to the fact that we do build a superior product, but I realize that without someone continually putting that message out there in a compelling and innovative fashion the chances for year-over-year growth are minimal."
For more information about WPM, their clients or their capabilities, please call Bob Steddum at 281-252-4409 or go online and visit www.wildernesspros.com
About WildernessPros™
WildernessPros Marketing LLC was created to satisfy the needs of a dynamic marketplace whose clients demand innovative new strategies to let them reach a growing number of outdoor enthusiasts for their products and services.
While many of today's outdoor advertising and marketing agencies provide initiatives that appear to be doing the job, the key question lingers: are they developing messages that only speak to an already avid population of outdoor enthusiasts, or are they helping their clients reach beyond to acquire and grow the customers of tomorrow. At WPM, we specialize in providing common sense solutions that will not only appeal to existing adventurers, but will also encourage and inspire new generations of potential explorers in taking their first steps into this wonderful new frontier.