The outdoor media landscape is constantly evolving, much like the broader industry itself. If you're anything like me, you're curious about where it’s all headed. Which brands will emerge stronger? What types of content will lead the way? And what’s the future of video, storytelling, and content creation? At Port Side, these are questions we ponder often. We've had the privilege of engaging in insightful conversations with industry experts, which inspired us to create an ever-evolving database of quotes and insights. This resource serves as inspiration not only for our own work and clients but also for the broader outdoor marketing community. Feel free to share this article and check back regularly as we continue to add more insights.
“The single word that comes to my mind right off the bat is congested. Everybody's trying to talk over each other. It’s really hard for brands to break out, especially newer ones.”...“I think brands need to do a better job of explaining not only just like ‘oh we are inspiring you to get outside’ but what do you stand for? What are your ethics? What are your ethos?” - Kristin Gavin, Director of Production at Cotopaxi
“Engagement is kind of the big measure of success versus, say, conversion, right? Uh, so when we look at social media specifically, um, we tend to look at data. Data is kind of the big, the big, uh, milestone when it comes to why we're making content and content marketing as, as a, as a strategy. Um, but right now, um, that data tends to dictate a lot of creative. And so we get led a lot by trend. And trend, um, is very interesting. 'cause trend and creative don't always go hand in hand. And so right now, when we are, say, at an outdoor retailer or an outdoor brand, it can conflict with brand, um, look and feel. Uh, so when we get a lot of TikTok dances, when we get a lot of TikTok challenges, uh, or Instagram, um, uh, trends, uh, it's hard to track kind of success because we're kind of jumping on this bandwagon. So where does the risk aversion [of media] take us? Well, it's a race to the middle. Um, and we're, when we're all in the middle, uh, no one stands out” - Kevin Knutson, Senior Art Director at Eddie Bauer
"So if you look at that, there's this big level of upheaval on a lot of different sides, and it's harder for creatives to know what to do, and it's harder for people that want to connect to audiences and customers. So it is, it's a tricky moment where I think it's less clear of what do I do or how do I spend my money? Or where do I put my energy? I think it's a trickier moment in time than I've personally seen actually out of the three moments of big transitions...I think there's, some people look at this and because anytime there's sort of confusion and chaos, there's opportunity. So I think there's some people that are charting courses that are like, okay, what am I doing and what am I trying to do? And I think for me, that's been, to me, I've been, the answer doesn't, it's weird. It's both on a business and on an emotional level. And it's funny to think of those two things actually like aligning. But what I'm banking on the way I'm going is that I don't believe more is more. I don't think that that's the solution. I don't think that just it's to do that. It's not sustainable. It's not on a personal level, it's not sustainable for teams. It's not really sustainable from a budget standpoint. And it's like you might game the system for a little bit, you might be able to do that, but ultimately it's a pretty hollow endeavor when you're always just thinking about more. And I think for me, what I'm trying to think about is deeper is I'm trying to figure out ways to do that where I'm like, Hey, I might be willing to give up some audience to have a deeper and arguably better connection with more people. Does that make sense? I'll give up volume for quality. What are you going to tackle or three years or two years ago? And instead of just being like, what's happening in spring of next thing with this jacket line? Think about the bigger picture, the bigger stories that you need to tell. Maybe there's an opportunity to do that and to set yourself up for that next chapter where it's a little less chaotic, it's a little less clear. And yeah, right now you don't know whether that money is going to be going to, I don't know, do an awesome project with a YouTube creator, or you don't know whether that money is going to be sponsoring an awesome, doing incredible work. You just don't know where that money's going to be going. But if you think about where you want to, if you think about that brand story, you're going to be in such a better position a few years from now." - Fitz Cahall, Creative Director at Duct Tape Then Beer, Host of the Dirt Bag Diaries
"I don't know if it's about storytelling per se. We hear a lot of talk about storytelling, and that kind of assumes that people care what you have to say and people have the time to interact with it. And I think that that's quite presumptuous. But that said, getting people talking is the point. And so whether that's through the context of a story, whether that's through observing or witnessing a human feat or a human emotion, that I think is important. At the same time, it's about making product and finding ways to amplify the relevance of that product for individuals and for people who want to participate in the sport by celebrating how it actually fills a need for folks. But the documentary format in action sport is something that absolutely moves people and of course, helps to mainstream sports. And a recent or relatively recent iconic film in this regard is Free Solo. And I mean, it won an Academy Award. And I'm not suggesting that people take risks with odds like this. I'm just suggesting that more films that celebrate human achievement in the outdoor industry would be good for the sport because people, they really don't forget that the outdoors is all around us with each landscape, of course, offering unique and incredible experiences, but it's easy to ignore and push off and not take advantage of the wild spaces that are near us. And so I think films like that really do a great job of reminding us to get out there." - Drew Pautler, Founder at Good Fortune Collective
"It puts us right back to the one thing that will not go away. And it's to tell stories that are meaningful, that are relevant because at the end it's what we do. We either tell good stories, we tell bad stories, and with bad, I mean stories that aren't relevant or we do not tell stories. And I think there are ways in today's digital landscape to downplay the need of telling stories a little bit. But a majority of brands out there have to do and tell great stories as we move on because it's the one thing that will not go away from us human beings. And it is the one thing that almost makes us human to a degree...So that means when the stories that connect with your audience, it's the day to start amplifying hard. But I would not suggest that anybody amplifies until you've gotten to a point that you know have a story and a concept overall that connects to a very specific audience. And the more narrow and the more niche that audience is, the better it is. Because mass will always look into the smaller niches to smaller cultures and be interested and try to figure out what's going on there and want to be part of it. So don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to address the few. It makes it intriguing and powerful and interesting. And then you push the amplification buttons and that's in how" - Niclas Bornling, Outdoor Industry Veteran
