Big Idea Day | Summer OR Recap

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On July 30th, the day before the start of the Outdoor Retailer show, Backbone hosted its first-ever Big Idea Day (BID). The concept behind BID was simple—bring together the most influential media outlets in the active lifestyle space and ask them to present their lens into the future of media, the outdoors and adventure. In a marathon of seven, one-hour sessions, Backbone met with Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, National Geographic, GearJunkie, Active Interest Media (Climbing, Backpacker, Ski, Skiing, etc), the Competitor Group (Velo, Triathlete, etc) and Mountain Magazine.

Backbone isn’t stopping there, and we already have plans to follow the same format with partners like Wired, ESPN, The Atlantic, Rodale, Demand Media, Google, Sports Illustrated and On the Snow to name a few. Below is a summary of what we learned. 

Partnerships

  • Without question, publishers are eager and open to partner with brands in new and creative ways. Almost every media partner now offers video production capabilities. Many are building slick, customized branded content for big and small brands alike.
  • For example:
  • Brands used to rely on media to deliver audience and scale. Now, through social media, many brands have their own audience that rivals the reach of many media outlets. The unique value proposition media offers today is engaging content with third-party validation.
  • A buzzword for 2013, Native advertising is advertising that is done in a style or format that is indistinguishable from editorial. This means greater collaboration between brands and media.
  • Regardless of whether it’s the brand or the media partner delivering content must be authentic in order to be valued.

Content

  • While short stories, slide shows and lists like Buzzfeed delivers are driving a lot of digital content, there is still a demand for long-format journalism, especially if it incorporates multi-media elements and a beautiful presentation. For example this 5,500 word story on Outside.com is one of the most popular on the site right now. 

Urban, Fitness, Technology

  • Obstacle racing, Cross-Fit and exercise in general continues to be a major U.S. trend. In many cities, people are using social media to schedule large scale fitness meet ups – or fitness flash mobs.
  • Marketers need to point their ideas beyond the outdoor niche. Consumers are becoming more urban. How can we engage and excite this segment? Whether it’s running, yoga, or SUP—there are many urban adventures to be had. Several media partners offer popular urban outdoor events.
  • Bike commuting is exploding in the U.S. Cargo bikes are everywhere. Ally cat races, gran fondos and gravel grinders are proving to be popular alternatives to traditional road racing.
  • Half marathons continue to be the fastest growing race segment but the explosion of fad runs (color runs, rave runs, neon runs, zombie runs, etc.) is unmistakable.
  • No longer is it a debate of whether technology belongs outdoors. Fitness is changing along side technology with the introduction and increased usage of mobile apps like Strava and Map My Run.

Social — bridging the social conversation to reality 

  • Use and create local events to create a 1 to 1 relationship with consumers. Bring people with common interest together for an afternoon run, happy hour, scavenger hunt — something that fits your brand’s voice.
  • Scalability: Don’t cross your fingers and hope that people attending actually capture the moment with the right hashtag. Instead, make sure you have the right people and partners on the ground to capture the moment and distribute your branded content beyond the event.

Thank you for your interest in our Big Ideas. For more information please check out these posts:

 

Posted in: Case Study, Client News, Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology \ Tagged: , ,

Backbone Media Presents: PR and SEO 101

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Backbone’s Greg Williams and Brian Kinslow explore the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization and how they relate to PR and Marketing.

Five Key Takeaways

  • Be authentic
  • Design for users and readers
  • Organization comes from a relevant, authentic, and targeted set of keywords
  • Web pages need a technically correct foundation first. SEO is then primarily driven though coverage, 3rd party links and digital/social conversations.
  • Social media (all channels) is important and can drive SEO

Resources

Slideshare link to download powerpoint presentation.

For more information please contact Brian Kinslow at brian.kinslow@backbonemedia.net

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Backbone Big Idea Day and Rolling Stone’s Chris McLoughlin

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Media is constantly changing.

Case in point  – three weeks ago when we shot this interview with Chris McLoughlin he was Publisher for Men’s Journal. Today he holds the same post at Rolling Stone. 

Chris speaks about trends in custom content in multi-media formats, the shift from scale to content on social platforms and gear.

Chris, Greg and JLD atop Steort’s Ridge

Congrats to Chris for the move to Rolling Stone and also for surviving a multi-pitch climb in Big Cottonwood canyon with Backbone’s all-pro team of Greg Williams and John Dicuollo.

Chris relaxed mid-climb

Danger is where you find it!

 

 

 

 

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Eddie. Set. Go.

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Two weeks ago, Backbone helped bring Eddie Bauer’s new tagline, “Live Your Adventure,” to life with a media trip to the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington.  A brand born and bred in the Pacific Northwest (Eddie Bauer himself was is from Orcas Island), the San Juans were the ultimate backdrop to debut Eddie’s Bauer’s new Spring 2014 Collection.

With an all-female cast of top-tier journalists, along with Eddie Bauer guides Lel Tone and Julia Dimon, the group assembled at Kenmore Air’s Lake Union terminal to head out on the trip, and did so in the only way that made sense: via seaplanes.

Seaplaning (yes, we turned it into a noun a la “yachting”) was a first for almost everyone and far exceeded our expectations. There really is nothing like landing directly in a harbor, surrounded by water and the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and million dollar yachts.

Day two kicked-off with a preview of the Spring 2014 collection, during which we allowed the journalists to choose their favorite pieces to use and test over the course of the trip. Decked out in new Eddie Bauer garb, the team met down on the harbor to pick up rental bikes to cruise from Roche Harbor to Friday Harbor, an 11.5-mile route through the interior of the island.

That evening, we enjoyed the sunset during a private BBQ. We even got a call-out during the island’s “Colors Ceremony,” a daily list of announcements in the harbor covering island happenings. This tradition includes the lowering of the flags and all of the docked boats in the harbor blowing their horns.

We started the next morning by circumnavigating neighboring Henry Island in two and three-person kayaks. Sightings of sunbathing seals and lunch on private beach punctuated the paddling trip. With a short break in the afternoon, and a pit-stop for some gin and hard cider at a local distillery, we gathered at the docks to be whisked away for a sunset sail aboard the Spike Africa – an 18th century wooden sailboat replica. With wine, snacks, and sea tales from our captain, it could not have been a better way to cap off the trip. Next time we plan a trip to exotic island. Borneo Eco Tours can offer great option for those who want to see some of the world’s most unique wildlife wonders and enjoy a true tropical paradise, so that’s what we plan to do.

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Trip Reports \ Tagged:

Active Interest Media’s Jon Dorn talks about multi media content and remote journalism

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Here is another snippet from AIM’s Jon Dorn taken from Backbone’s Big Idea Day.

Jon speaks to the relevance of channel-specific content curation and growth of satellite technology in terms of remote (really truly remote) location journalism.

If you get mesmerized by Jon’s sunglasses tan it is because he rode his bike from Steamboat Springs to the SLC Summer OR Market with the SmartWool crew.

The SmartWool ride is a great annual event. This year’s riders including Mark Satkiewicz, Lance Armstrong, H Mavis Fitzgerald, Steve Rendle from VF, OIA’s I Ling Thompson, writer Aaron Bible, SmartWool’s Steve Metcalf, Andy Clurman and Eric Zinczenko from Active Interest Media, , Elizabeth Averbeck from SNEWS and  journalist Ben Cramer.

Cool event, terrific crew and a reminder that relationships and working with exceptional people is at the heart of active lifestyle biz.

 

 

 

Posted in: Videos

Fortune(ate) Thinking

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Last week, Nate, Greg and I attended the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen.
Fortune Brainstorm is an annual conference hosted at the Aspen Institute, with speakers including big names like Katie Aronowitz, Design Director at Facebook, Neil Ashe, CEO of e-Commerce at Wal-Mart, John Donahue, CEO of eBay and Jennifer Dulski, President of Change.org. The conference also included some emerging voices in the tech world such as Ben Elowitz from Wetpaint.com, Alex Ljung from SoundCloud, Steve Stoute from Translation Advertising and Ryan Holmes from Hootsuite.

See Rogues Gallery here

Attending conferences can make your head spin in terms of new learnings as well as reinforce the obvious. It is amazing how central themes such as authenticity, (important, yes, yet not so easy to execute) and mobile continue to dominate the topline discussion.

Here are three highlights we left with:

Greg:
1 – Nothing ground breaking, it is all about MOBILE. Even Walmart, the largest brick and mortar retailer globally, sees mobile as a central and key driver of new customers and additional revenue with existing customers.

2 – The largest potential impact to retail is the very real possibility of Amazon same day delivery. It is currently in beta and working in Seattle. Once the model is perfected, it will be a game changer.

3 – Everything comes back to a quality consumer experience end to end, which includes content to ecomm. Even today there are relatively few brands getting it all right.

Nate:

Authenticity, authenticity, authenticity.

(When Nate was prodded – dude, c’mon you gotta do better than that…)

1 – The distinction between social media and social networks. Social media is the shared content. The network is the infrastructure to share.

2 – The fact that even in a room full of tech icons, representing huge brands and leading media, everyone is still struggling to mine actionable, real-time data from the social web. Many are working on it and making progress (including Adobe which surprised me) but no one seems remotely satisfied with where we are today in terms of analyzing and leveraging social insights.

3 – To paraphrase Jeff Zucker from CNN “we want to be more essential to more consumers more often.”

Penn: the hardest part about going last is not copping out and agreeing with what has already been said.

1 – Art and music are pure forms that shape society and culture. People aspire to adopt cultures that resonate with them personally. The best brands understand this and realize the rate of product acceptance is tied to brand relevance from a cultural adoption and community perspective.

2 – From a marketing standpoint collaboration and the need or lack thereof is directly related to the size of the opportunity.

3 – To paraphrase Steve Stoute, ‘Samsung did not care about Jay-Z holding their phone they cared about his content flowing through their phone.”
See you out there.

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Running the Roaring Fork

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Trail running; it’s something almost every Backbone employee loves to do in some capacity. Whether they’re escaping into the Tetons, taking lunch runs on Colorado’s front range, or running ultra marathons across the High Rockies, Backbone employees have a certain place in their hearts for scenic single-track. There is, however, one individual on the Backbone team with an unparalleled love for the sport and her name is: Elinor.

One of the Roaring Fork Valley’s foremost experts on the topic, our in-office guru represents Newton Running, talks running shoes with media all day every day, and offers sage advice to untrained trail-running rookies. Elinor also brings Backbone’s running culture to the next level having accomplished such feats such as the Leadville 100–one of the longest and toughest races in the Rockies–and most recently, the San Juan Solstice 50 miler. When not hustling for her clients or exploring the Rocky Mountain wilderness on foot, Elinor will occasionally author a piece about the virtues of trail-running.

In her latest freelance assignment for Apsen Magazine, Elinor profiled the world-class trail running scene that exists just outside the Roaring Fork Valley and the athletes that revel in it. Check out some excerpts from her piece below, or visit Aspen Magazine to read the full story. (Images and text courtesy of Aspen Magazine)

 “When asked why trail runners gravitate to long, relatively remote routes like the Four Pass Loop or the relatively mild Conundrum Creek–which offers a very runnable and scenic 9-mile jaunt to a natural hot springs–the answer is about tapping into the sport’s ‘Zen-inducing’ effect that isn’t achieved in road running.”

“With so many trails here–and up and down the Roaring Fork Valley–Aspen’s trail-running community can seem to be small and dispersed. It’s not until races such as the Ute Mountaineer’s Golden Leaf Half Marathon, held each September on the Government Trail from Snowmass to Koch Lumber Park, that trail runners congregate here in any great number.”

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Colorado, Interesting Read \ Tagged: , , , , ,

PR, Social and Media – 8 things to know

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A good friend told me the other day that we should share more insight into the gory details of what we do here at Backbone. He had a good point. At times we are misunderstood.

“So you guys just write press releases and send out product?”

Umm, not exactly.

Heavy boxes and light bikes

We started Backbone 16 years ago as a social experiment to see if we could create a company that provided skilled professionals an environment that blended their outdoor lifestyle with challenging, engaging work.

We strive to deliver best-in-class results in public relations, media planning, social strategy and branded content. Our roots are in the active lifestyle segment—outdoor, snowsports, hunting and fishing, travel, nutrition and beer; and we proudly represent a portfolio of over 50 brands large and small. We work with brands in which we believe, we partner with people we respect and we seek out clients that will push us to be a better agency. Yet beyond these overarching themes, it is the more tactical stuff that makes Backbone work.

So what are some of the nuts and bolts? Here are four mundane daily tasks (at the risk of sounding boring) and four more progressive trends we’re following (at the risk of sounding buzz-wordy).

1. Communicate – Duh? Right? We talk to our clients aiming to provide the best customer experience using media as a channel. This is an everyday process. With the media we’re pitching targeted, newsworthy and relevant stories that will appeal to their readers. With clients, we’re creating strategies, developing tactics and crafting stories. Regardless of the recipient, we work to keep our communication professional, succinct and on point.

Carbon oars, a proto ski, boxes to ship and a crash pad couch

2. Action– Every client asks us to THINK BIG, but to get those dream editorial placements or launch an innovative media program it takes a daily grind.  Pick your favorite quote: “A goal without a plan is just a wish,” Antoine de Saint-Exupery or Jay-Z: “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business… man.”

Action, everyday. We pack lots of boxes. We chase down the UPS truck to ship product. We build action plans and then we execute them. We create content and we share it. We put a ton of stock in the blocking and tackling of daily tasks, making sure we have a list and we’re performing against it to achieve our goals.

3. Incubate – This one is a tough one–but we encourage people to get away from their computers and think. We have a ‘quiet’ conference room with overstuffed couches where our team can collaborate. Even better, we urge people to get out and exercise–ride their bikes, run, hike, to process and think.

A view beyond the espresso machine and keg – into the comfy conference room

4. Measure– building the media side of our business has made our PR work much stronger. Why? Media is metric driven. It’s acronym central. But looking at your KPI’s to maximize your ROI and CTR’s has helped us challenge subjective and intuitive rationale to become more defined and objective with our PR strategy and measurement.

So to get just a little more buzz-worthy–here are four more progressive themes we’re focused on:

1. Channel segmentation – social media is becoming a more complex matrix. The Facebook lemming effect days are over; brands and influencers have to win their followers with true value proposition. Instagram just added video. Zuckerberg tours Samsung. Vine integrated into the marketing for the upcoming Monsters University film. Within each channel there are sub strata that need to managed individually but that ladder up into the overall brand ID.

2. Frequency and relevancy – in all marketing the frequency and relevancy is critcal. These metrics have always been primary to a paid media plan but now we’re using them to evaluate our PR strategies as well.

3. PTAT – people talking about this – (sorry I couldn’t resist at least one of these). PTAT is a metric derived from Facebook that tracks engagement and thus quantifies WOM (word of mouth). Good article here in terms of how it is measured.

4. Endgame – perhaps the most common mistake we see consistently is the loss of focus on the absolute goals that pertain to a business. Disciplined systems help counter the fast paced nature of business as does a dogmatic adherence to the endgame. The common mistake is to campaign instead of sustain. Beware of the trend to make a big splash and move on.

The last example here comes from our friend Jason Kintzler at PitchEngine. He was researching a brand by spending time on their site. Wanting more he went to their Instagram feed. After a quick run through their photostream he knew everything he needed by seeing what the brand’s users had posted.
The takeaway is that a new school social media channel gave him what he needed more effectively than the traditional model. Through imagery he clearly understood the brand he was reviewing was better represented by its consumers than by the brand itself.

Posted in: Musings, Social Media, Technology \ Tagged: , ,

5 Things We Learned at the GoPro Mountain Games

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It’s taken a few days to adjust back to reality after a hugely successful and high tempo-ed GoPro Mountain Games in Vail. Looking back, this was easily the biggest and best Mountain Games in the event’s 12-year history.

The crew from Backbone spent four days hosting and supporting media at the event, working with some of our old friends (looking at you Regenold, Metzler, Pattillo, Sturtz, Dwyer, Buchanan, Carberry, Blevins, Krogh, Rogers, Martindell, Ellison, Clark) as well as lots of new ones. One of the highlights of the weekend was hanging out with former NFL player and TV host Dhani Jones, who was in town to shoot for SpikeTV’s Playbook 360. Dhani is an incredibly nice guy and we had a blast showing him around the event. Kara helped Dhani with his fly-fishing.

Timmy O’Neil explained the World Cup Bouldering comp to him

He went nom nom nom on some Honey Stinger Waffles

And we even got him to go rafting (and subsequently go swimming) with our friend Seth from the US National Whitewater Rafting team.

We can’t wait to see the episode he shot at the Mountain Games when it airs in July.

Anyway, here are five things we learned this weekend.

1. GoPro is much more than a camera company.

Adding GoPro as the title sponsor clearly elevated the event to a new level. GoPro is a cultural phenomenon, and the company’s influence was clearly on display in Vail. Everywhere you turned someone was wearing a GoPro. Even the dogs got in on the action.

2. Slacklining is the real deal.

What started as a downtime activity for climbers at Camp 4 in Yosemite, has grown into full blown sport—a fascinating mix of balance, strength and gymnastics, set to a decidedly Euro techno-dance beat. We decided to get our gymnastic mats from https://www.fit2bmom.com/gymnastics-mats/tumbling/. The World Slackline Championships during the GoPro Games were a crowd favorite, drawing thousands to cheer on the skinny-jeans wearing kids bouncing and flipping on a “trickline.”

3. The kids are all right.

A 12-year-old won the women’s kayak freestyle competition. A 14-year-old won the slackline championships, a 20-year-old won the mountain bike XC and a 21-year-old won the slopestyle comp. The future generation of adventure sports athletes is here.

Kids were everywhere this weekend. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the GoPro Mountain Games is the most family-friendly event in the country. From the kids mud run, to a kids mountain bike race, to kayak, SUP and zip-line demos, the Mountain Games caters to kids of all ages. By Sunday afternoon, my kids were so exhausted they could barely stand.

4. Josiah Middaugh is the man.

Seven-years in a row he’s won the Ultimate Mountain Challenge. That’s an amazing feat of consistency. I’m biased because he’s a friend and an incredibly nice guy, but I think Josiah is the strongest all around athlete in the country, bar none.

5. For four days every year, the GoPro Mountain Games is the center of the outdoor universe. The Gear Junkie summed it up nicely. If you haven’t been, you’re missing out.

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Client News \ Tagged: , , ,