Background
Owned by JD Sports Group, Go Outdoors is the UK’s largest outdoor retail store network. As a predominantly out of town based, and destination retailer, there is a constant need to keep the brand top of mind when it comes to outdoor clothing, equipment and kit.
The Challenge
Back in 2013, With the launch of a new brand building strategy, GO Outdoors needed to be able to justify the value of marketing spend to the board and give guidance on future marketing strategy.
Our Approach
A continuous brand tracking study was designed to monitor brand equity and brand creative among both a national audience and GO Outdoors shoppers. An initial scoping phase used path analysis to identify four key strategic pillars with the most impact on brand choice. These were then monitored over time within a competitive brand context, and also through media diagnostics to evaluate how well campaigns deliver against objectives and enable course correction if required. The study has been running continuously ever since its initial inception in 2013. The survey metrics have been validated against sales data by using unique variables and individual sales, enabling us to identify which metrics are directly linked to sales.
The Outcome
Our initial work found a need to drive relevance and appeal of the brand among the mass market – a large proportion of people who do not consider themselves to be particularly ‘outdoorsy’, and who perceived GO Outdoors as catering more for ‘experts’. An overhaul of the marketing plan to ensure relevance with broad reaching communication focussing on inspiration alongside more targeted communications that encouraged greater cross-department selling and increased average basket value. The study continues to monitor ongoing creative & media effectiveness, as well as checking market drivers alongside competitor positionings.
