Demographics of Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor recreation such as hiking or camping are indeed popular with mature Americans (Baby Boomers and members of the Silent Generation).  The Outdoor Foundation’s Special Report on Camping shows that a full third of participants in camping are over the age of 45 years old.  (However, their report shows only one person over age 30, and he’s on page 9.)

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association has reported that seniors are frequent day hikers; more than 1,524,000 Americans age 55 and older hike at least 15 days a year.  64.9% of American Hiker readers are Baby Boomers or Silent Generation members (50+).

And research completed for the Canadian Tourism Commission in 2003 pointed out that as Baby Boomers age, hikers will get slightly older on average in the coming years, with “almost 3-in-10 hikers/backpackers falling into the 55+ age group.”

For REI specifically, Quantcast estimates that a quarter of the visitors to their website are over 50 years old.  The average age of their catalog buyer has been reported as 44.  And as Brent Green has commented, 27% of REI’s business comes from Baby Boomers yet REI has rarely incorporated older models before these TV ads appeared.

Brent’s been consistently vocal about how REI’s marketing has missed the mark with Baby Boomers.  We’d love to hear if there are any outdoor gear companies out there you feel hit the bullseye.  Share their names and/or links below.

The REI Holiday TV Ads

Both new spots feature intergenerational groups.  In one, a group of hikers (including a sixty-something gent) wait for the rain to stop under a rocky ledge.  In the other, a mother and daughter enjoy a meal of peanut butter sandwiches on a cold mountaintop.  Both depict the outdoors as perhaps a little wet, cold or uncomfortable but still fun.

Holiday Hikers/Just Add Water (cave)

Mountain View/4-Star Dining

Tom Vogl, REI vice president of marketing, says “We hope viewers find them inviting, fun and authentic…”

Dan Neil of the LA Times says “I think the retailer just walked off a cliff.”

What did our team have to say?

She Said:  Boomers Love the Outdoors, Won’t Love these Ads

It’s only right that Kathy East, VP of Client Services Director and a Baby Boomer herself, starts our generational face-off.

What a missed opportunity!  And worse than that … The elders in both spots are TOTALLY IGNORED!  I’m not feeling all warm and fuzzy about that co-op I joined 35 years ago in Seattle.  Yes, 35 years ago when I was 2 years old 20 years old. 

There are plenty of statistics that prove that Boomers and “old cusses” love the outdoors.  Including hiking, fishing, backpacking, kayaking, camping and all other activities that REI sells, sells, sells. 

REI would be better off not including the “ole cuss” in the “Just Add Water” spot since he had no role.  He fumbled with his walking sticks and I don’t believe even got a nod from any of the younger (Gen X) group.  The viewer ends up feeling sorry for him.  He could’ve given the group a tip about a great spot/view…

In the 4-star dining spot, why not show how sharing an experience like that is a great opportunity for people to connect, even mothers and daughters.  Was she there just to make dinner?  Boomer mom probably had to clean up too.

I’ve sat – freezing – on top of a volcano to watch the sunrise and hiked in the rain numerous times and loved it all.  What is “cool” is that these spots show that some crazy folks think it’s actually worth it. That part I like very much.

He Said:  The View from a Beach-Loving Creative Director

Mike Stakem, Creating Results’ Director of Creative Services, is a warm-weather-loving guy who was born between the Baby Boom and Generation X (we call him a “gap kid,” but he’s very close in age to Generation Jones/the younger Boomers).  His take on the REI TV ads?

I agree with the LA Times guy for the most part.

Maybe it’s where you’re coming from:  I’m a beach-loving, warm-weather-craving, never-been-camping-in-my-life kinda guy.

I liked the emotional draw of the images, especially the peanut butter mother and daughter and the starry night.

The Cave image made me cold and sad.  Sure, the ad included an older hiker huddled with a group of younger guys from the rainstorm.  But, even if he was out actively enjoying nature, somehow I didn’t get the idea that he made any friends in that group.  He appeared uncomfortable and separate.  There was that awkward moment when the young guy turns to him to say goodbye and then turns back to shake the other young guy’s hand. And then the old guy walks off alone. Sad.

If REI’s target is the mountain-climbing thrill seeker, they may be right on target by keeping it real. If they want my business, they would need to show me images that don’t make my toes go numb.

She Said:  The Gen Xer (and apparent Pollyanna) Chimes In

Erin Read Ruddick, Client Services Director, is part of the cohort that bristles at its “Gen X” nickname.  She says:

I liked the way these ads were authentic – both in the situations they depicted and in the models they chose.

On first viewing, I thought woohoo!  Finally, REI is showing older people in their ads.  We’ve got a clearly Boomer mom and her daughter together on a mountaintop, and a Silent Generation hiker mixing with the Gen X youngers in the cave. (Of course, after listening to Mike and Kathy, now I can’t see him as anything but sad and lonely.)

In neither ad is there a point made about their age, they’re not the butt of jokes, they’re just part of the crowd.   The ads aren’t selling items specifically designed for old cusses; it’s not an ad for “hiker Depends.”  Rather REI is showing that any lifestyle product is good for an old cuss who’s active and fit. 

Most importantly the ads have an authenticity about outdoor recreation that I think will appeal to Boomers.  One thing that’s always annoyed me about outdoor catalogs is how everything’s so shiny, and happy, and clean and perfect.  The reality is far different.  Changing weather and conditions are part of what make camping and hiking an adventure – you never know what to expect!

In REI’s new TV ads, the products are not shown “hero-style” in pristine conditions, or their users as superheroes who can scale K2 without breaking a sweat.  This time, it’s wet and uncomfortable and real; that’s a true portrayal which should resonate with Boomers.

The last word, of course, is going to go to Boomer consumers.  But tell us – what do you think of REI’s new TV ads?

(Tomorrow, we’ll tackle the perhaps bigger question:  Old People Don’t Hike or Camp, Do They?)