Recently, I have noticed somewhat of a backlash against what was once perceived as a “cool” product or service; there has always been an undercurrent of resentment against the more expensive gear in any market segment, but this movement seems more mainstream. Aided by this “quickmeme” thing, anyone can create condescending images like this one:
I’ve seen others that poke fun at those who’ve, for example, taken carbine courses, and so on. Some of the folks passing these along seem pretty involved in that, for lack of a better term, “world.” I’m not saying that we shouldn’t poke fun at ourselves, because I often mock the robotic manner in which I come across in videos.
However, they provided some food for thought, and I think I’ll discuss the marketing of a few companies in the industry. Maybe I’ll gain a few enemies here, but oh well. By the way, several of the companies listed have sent me thousands of dollars worth of equipment for T&E (BCM and Spikes).
Bravo Company USA/Bravo Company MFG
Bravo Company makes great ARs. Their marketing appears to be directed at the law enforcement, military, and private military contractor market, with things like a well-produced video of military-looking guys protecting a Pashtun-looking family on an Afghan-looking mountainside. They also have the “BCMGUNFIGHTER” line of apparel (and stickers).
As I said, they’re marketing their wares towards that particular segment, but I would not be surprised to learn that most BCM products are bought by regular civilians (I have no data on this, nor do I see a problem with it). Are they buying BCM stuff because it’s awesome, or because of the marketing push to connect BCM with professional gunfighters?
If there’s anything that would be ripe for a Willy Wonka-style mocking meme, a guy who’s never been in a gunfight putting a “BCMGUNFIGHTER” sticker on his car is it. Regardless of the reason behind most purchases – I would venture a guess that it’s some combination of the two above factors – the success of the company speaks for itself.
Spike’s Tactical
Spike’s Tactical also makes great ARs. It’s not as easy to pinpoint who they’re marketing to. For sure, they target the LE market. They seem to be more civilian-focused than Bravo, which makes sense in a way, since there are more gun-owning civilians in the US than there are law enforcement officers or military personnel or PMCs.
I have to say that a lot of Spike’s marketing turns me off. I’m not in the tribal/tapout crowd, and it seems like that’s what they’re going for. The brashness of it is not appealing to me. The spider logo doesn’t really bother me that much, but some of the more “thuggish” apparel isn’t my thing. It seems too poseur. As a pretty tough friend of mine once said, “everyone wants to say they’re training for UFC, but nobody wants to get punched in the face.”
Spike’s seems to be doing very well, which is good, because they make a great product. I suppose someone had to reach out to this market segment, I just kinda wish it wasn’t a company I like so much.
(edit: I once made a print advertisement for Spike’s, but it was positioned a little differently. Of course, I only did the one advertisement, so I guess it wasn’t very effective.)
AAC does clever stuff like give out earplugs “for when your friends don’t have silencers” and put up billboards proclaiming that “silencers are legal” (at least, they pretend to do so in some online ads I’ve seen – I don’t know if they actually did that).
I like a clever ad campaign or trick and will take a look at the company’s products if I see one. The products still have to actually be able to perform, but something funny will at least draw me in.
I have in the past made the statement that Glock’s “Perfection” tagline is one of the biggest jokes in the industry. There is nothing perfect about a Glock, whether it’s because they’re ugly, or some of their models might get you killed if you tried to use them out of the box to defend yourself, or because they’re shaped to fit only 3% of the population – I fall in to that 3%, by the way.
But “Perfection” sells a lot better than “Utilitarian” or “Some Of Our Guns Suck, Others Are Awesome.”
I carry a Glock 19.
Remington/ATI/Any Turkish Firearm Company
Here’s where I complain about “booth babes.” I appreciate the female form, but I would rather hear about the merits of a product or company, or at least see a clever and successful marketing campaign, than simply be expected to approach a company’s booth at a trade show because they hired a few models in skimpy clothing (It seemed that Remington had half a dozen at the 2012 NRA show).
What makes this worse is that if the models are actually holding firearms, it’s perfectly obvious that they have no idea what they’re doing. Why should I spend time looking at your product if you’re marketing it in an amateurish manner? “Look, boobs?”
I recently saw a photo shoot with a female model for some 1911 grips. The actual grips were in an underexposed portion of the photo, so it was hard to tell if they were effective, decent looking, etc. I couldn’t really see anything that would sell me on the grips, other than the fact that a woman was holding the pistol. I’m sure that’ll sell a lot of grips – or at least posters. Sex sells, just not to me.
At the risk of sounding toolish – If I’m buying a firearm or piece of gear, it’s going to be used. I may depend on it in the field. I’ll be thousands of miles away from that “hot” model, literally and figuratively, and the vacant expression on her face as she stared at the camera or signed posters at a trade show isn’t going to help me come home.
At the NRA show, I found it unfortunate and distressing that there was a line to get autographs from the peroxide blonde at the ATI booth, but people were walking past Julie Goloski-Golob without paying any attention to her – and, astounding shooting prowess aside, she is a very attractive woman in her own right. She was also very pleasant to talk to.
But I always keep in mind what a businessman I know said – he was actually referencing a completely different topic at the time – “We’re not marketing to the Andrew Tuohys of the gun world.” This brings me to my next point…
I have told friends in the past that I appreciate a product that is sold on its merits, and I really can’t think of a better example of this than Elzetta flashlights, which are marketed with advertisements that discuss the technical details of their lights. While this is exactly the sort of thing that appeals to me and I find refreshing, it does not generally seem to have a huge splash in the marketplace. I’m sure that one photo of a blonde shining an Elzetta light off-camera while wearing a tank top and parting her lips would gain a lot of attention, but that’s not how those guys roll, and that’s exactly why I like them so much.
Unfortunately, the end result of this is lost profits.
Tru-Spec/Extreme Shock/Counter Sniper/Hell Fighter
It may be a little unfair to lump Tru-Spec in here, but this group is composed of companies whose advertising promises way more than the product delivers, and that’s a fair description of a Tru-Spec booth I saw at the NRA show. It featured a quote from “Gunny” – R. Lee Ermey, which read, “Only the very best products earn my stamp of approval. Tru-Spec makes service attire that’s simply outstanding.”
I don’t know what his definition of “simply outstanding” is, but every professional organization or unit I’ve encountered that uses Tru-Spec apparel has cursed the bean counters that cursed them with such poorly made “service attire.” Rips and tears seemed to be the norm, not the exception, and some garments became unserviceable at an unacceptable pace. Not exactly what I’d call “simply outstanding.”
The others use flashy photos with explosions and tactical dudes in black tactical gear with tactical accessory-laden tactical firearms doing tactical things, like pointing guns off camera. They also use taglines like “the choice of elite military and law enforcement agencies around the globe.”
This goes with the above Tru-Spec point – a lot of crappy gear is foisted upon good agencies or units, only to end up collecting dust in a quadcon or storage locker. An ironic factor is the inclusion of the American flag to sell products not made in America or used by any professional organization in the United States. “Around the world” generally means “a few third world police departments at various points on the planet.”
I recently picked up a few Arc’teryx LEAF jackets (an Alpha and a Bravo, thanks to my friend Jim at Deliberate Dynamics). The image of Arc’teryx in the firearm industry is linked considerably, and perhaps unfortunately, to Chris Costa. As a result, Arc’teryx apparel seems to be perceived as more of a popular item or status symbol than something that’s actually useful.
That’s unfortunate, because both jackets (one made in China, one made in Canada) are outstanding at what they do, which is protect my body from the elements. I have some cheap Chinese-made jackets and some older American-made stuff; the quality, design and craftsmanship of the Arc’teryx apparel compares favorably to old American-made apparel. The cheap Chinese jackets work, but they aren’t as well made and are perhaps not as good in terms of keeping me warm. Some people will buy one type, and others will buy another.
I don’t know if Arc’teryx should be blamed for how they are perceived. Then again, they price their stuff really high, so they should expect some pushback or resentment. To be honest, I don’t know if I would buy a $700 jacket. I think the Berry-compliant models are mostly intended for agency purchases – still, the $370 Bravo jacket isn’t the sort of purchase I would make lightly.
Outside the tactical and/or gear world, most people just see them as jackets.
I Guess That’s It For Now
I have come to the end of my thoughts on “tactical” and firearm marketing, at least for now. What are your thoughts?
You didn’t name a single tier 1 company there with maybe the exception of Remington/AAC for their issue bolt guns and suppressors. Otherwise, all of those company make mass market crap. Their customers are civilians.
I added Glock, Arc’teryx and Elzetta.
Good additions but what’s the point of this article? You’re kind of babbling on and not offering any real analysis.
In the case of Arc’teryx, should they be blamed for who uses their stuff? Yes, especially if they are giving it away. High end military and LE customers were using Arc’teryx long before Costa had even heard of it. He uses it because it makes him look like them and it’s free.
Elzetta builds a great light. Their comic book marketing has been well, “interesting.”
Glock? You either love them or you hate them. They’ve done a great job of covering up all of their BS. Marketing success.
The point of this article is that it is an honest analysis based on my opinions, it took me less than 3 hours to write, and will get the blog literally ten times the exposure that any firearm review would have gotten. That review would have taken literally ten times as long to complete and would have cost me literally several thousand dollars in lost work.
You ask, I answer.
Good post. I agree with most things here. I refuse to purchase AAC items because of their less than ethical business practices. They have some super-slick marketing though.
I was not aware of any less than ethical business practices by AAC. Please elaborate.
Im also curious about the business practices, if you could give us the info that would be awesome.
I read it like the advertising is clever and funny, that’s all.
No pictures of the models?
I love your screen name, it made me smile.
I thought that was a GREAT Up Take on Marketing of’TacticalGear”.I have been too a couple gun show’s hwar and there and somtimes i buy little thing’s from them(Magazines,cleaning stuff and what not)But I wont buy FROM any one that claim’s one thing then sales another.At least give me the benefit of common sense that I can READ.If I want made in china,korea,hong kong ID Buy it.I want AMERICAN MADE,when i go to Gunshow’sor any where else I check For Manufacturer,I’l buy AMERICAN first,Russian second and so on.I also go to the booththat has the the most litature.I like too read…
I’m going to guess you posted this on a Chinese made consumer electronic item, own a Chinese made TV, an “American” made car composed of Chinese made parts, a Chinese made phone, and drink beer from a company owned by a South African conglomerate.
Good for you for buying a couple of consumer firearm or outdoor gear related items made in America. However keep your eyes open about where the majority of your dollars are really going.
+1 for the creative capitalization though.
Zing!
Seriously though, protectionist propaganda reveals a dearth of economic understanding.
Love how you said, “I like too read….”
Clearly, spelling isn’t on the list of things you like.
That wasn’t necessary.
A note on the robotic thing you mentioned, it’s in no small part because your videos on have your head and shoulders in them and you generally seem to keep your arms to your side as you talk, moving only your head. A few simple gestures, not too overboard that you look like a car salesman, would make you seem more animated and involved in what you’re saying.
I tend to like booth babes, IF they actually know what they’re doing and talking about. Females have a different way of talking about things that is a break from the usual gun salesman approach that most of us are familiar/bored with by now.
Finally, apparel. I tend to stick to what is both functional and relatively inexpensive (most brand marketed gear is too expensive for what it effectively is, a shirt, a hat, whatever) and have absolutely no interest in wearing gear that advertises me as a gun guy, since I carry concealed and don’t wish to offer anyone any clues that I’m packing.
Having just graduated for a Communication Design program and having been in the graphic design business for a number of years, I agree with a vast majority of what is said here.
I think BCM’s website and marketing are excellent. They chose a market and go after it in a convincing manner. It also has the effect of making guys like me feel like they are getting a high-value, professional quality product for our money.
Spike’s stands, marketing wise, at the opposite end. They market to tough guys, mostly posers, and distract from any quality and value there product may have. The message feels like expensive range toys instead of quality rifles.
I find it peculiar that the girls that you see at trade show booths are so often “babes” when there is an ever growing class of highly competent women in the “gun world” who also happen to be rather attractive. maybe that the reason that booth babes are being used is that these women have too much self-esteem to be positioned like that.
On the other hand, there is a growing group of men in the field that are being positioned in a smiler fashion. If you think for a second that Travis Healy, Chris Costa and others are so visible is ONLY because of their exceptional skill then you are missing a vital point in marketing.
Being in the field I find your thoughts to be refreshing. It is nice to know that someone else thinks that sophomoric is not necessarily that best way to market firearms and related products.
I actually added a bit about Julie Goloski-Golob thanks to your comment. And I find myself to be in agreement with essentially everything you said as well.
I think a lot of men in the “gun world” would rather see woman as objects to be admired (“admired” may be a stretch) than partners to be thought of as equals, or, worse, betters. I’m no psychologist, but I think some guys feel threatened by a woman who could outshoot (or out-anything) them.
I’ve never been to a gunshow but based on anecdotal comments by competitors at 3gun and sporting clay matches I suspect you are correct. 🙁
A large segment of the “gun world” is populated by a peculiar breed of men who unfortunately fit the stereotype the anti-gun zealots apply to gun owners as a whole. It’s because of this that I purposely bring first time shooters, especially liberal women, to my gun club at 7am so as to avoid contact with any other shooters; extra sad as I belong to a club in a very liberal yet very gun friendly state.
My wife was just saying this to me as we were discussing this article. She is encouraged by this outlook too.
My general impression of the gun industry right now is of a very old good-ol-boys club who has just awakened to find that the of the future market if full of female shooters
A. Endless YouTube videos aside, many women are serious about shooting well
B. The cheesecake gimmick may someday lose you as many customers as it gains
C. slapping pink furniture on a rifle is not the same as innovating to fulfill the needs of that target market.
The first company that figures this out will secure a lot of profits for themselves, but for now the industry seems to have largely missed the statistical trend lines.
I like my Northface Jacket… I can definitely understand where you are coming from though tru-spec is for airsoft and paintball.
Trust me on this, because I am ex-military guy and like to have the right gear and to use it for what it is actually intended……guns to shoot, apparel to get wet and muddy, etc….. and not to just play dress up. But I also run a small business and we sell everything from Aimpoint to Arc’teryx. Everyone starts out wanting to sell exclusively to the guys doing the job, real-deal gun fighters, and the like, but this is not who buys the most or who makes up the masses. We are the guys that want a “bro discount” on everything we buy and are the biggest pain in the butt to work with. The guys that want to have the “Chris Costa” jacket are happy to pay $800 for a barry compliant Multicam jacket if you can get it to them before their buddies have it. There is nothing wrong with running a business to make money, that is the point. If not then it is a hobby, not a business.
I will caveat that with you have to always take care of the operator first, and make sure what you sell will work in that capacity. Once you do that, everyone else can buy whatever they want.
As for the marketing of it, I don’t think I could ever have pictures of guys swinging through windows with MP5’s and laser sights dressed in all black (think blackhawk) and look all my buddies in the face……”never go full-ninja”!
You mean like when I asked for a discount?
yeah, I do too. The good ole boyz never want to pay full price, mostly because they don’t have to.
Every commercial endeavor will have to cater to the masses, and not the annointed few. (Otherwise it’ll go out of business. Seen it happen before, will see it happen again.) When I go to a seminar taught by a high end instructor, the vast majority of students there will be hobbyists. They aren’t interested in combat or full contact fighting, they’re just getting some exercise and being cool. That said, without those guys, the instructor couldn’t afford to teach the seminar. Those guys are the ones keeping him in business. So while I may make fun of those guys privately, I don’t begrudge them their slot at that seminar. Their money spends just as well as mine, and it allows me to have the quality instruction I want without having to spend 10x as much to get it.)
Stepping off topic a bit, I hope that Andrew will forgive me.
I recognize that there is a vast gulf between the operators and the rest of us. The real deal guys deserve our respect and in most cases our thanks. Speaking strictly for myself, they have it.
You are right in that the rest of us bring a lot of money to the industry to practice our “hobby”, money that keeps the prices down for those that really need it. From where I sit in my safe design studio I see four distinct groups, three of which take a lot of guff from the forth. Group one are the so-called posers, a group of people who try to borrow respectability and toughness by buying what the real tough guys have. In a lot of ways they deserve the disrespect that they take.
Second are the game shooters. The 3-gun, IPSC, IDPA etc. Shooters for who the hobby becomes a sport and a way of life. Just like auto racing, this is where products can prove themselves and innovation can happen. They will never kick in a door (unless that is what they were doing before getting into gaming) but they do not deserve disrespect because of what we learn from them and their equipment.
The third group are the, for want of a better term, the wannabes. These guys are different that the posers because they Want To Be skilled shooters and develop the ability to defend their homes and families. They will never kick in a door either, but want to be able to stop the criminal kicking in their door. These guys deserve a little respect too. They labor to improve their skill in an environment that is not always hospitable and well outside of regular training.
Being one of the third group, I do understand we can be hard to distinguish from group one by the forth group, the real pros. I understand, but I do take offense when the real deal guys are so derisive of the rest of us because we fill a different niche in the world then you and are training to add some of your skills to our repertoire instead of being full time. We follow your lead because your are the pros and on to many occasions have to put up with insults for our efforts. More related to the subject at hand, what if there was a graphic designer/marketing guy who was trying to understand this area who could change the way products are marketed, but some others make us unwelcome and unable to develop a better understanding of the products and services involved. Feel free to make fun, but keep in mind all of the possible outcomes.
In the end, there is more then enough room for all of us and we all have something to learn from each other.
Ric, don’t get me wrong, I’m on the low end of anything even remotely high speed. I also make fun of my department’s SRT team for completely different reasons. (We should all make fun of each other and ourselves, it is healthy!) But seriously, keep the products and services coming for all of us, viva capitalism, and long live the republic!
First, please keep in mind that I was speaking in generalities, your post just gave me the chance to say something that has been in the back of my mind for a long time. I don’t know you personally and would never just call you on your behavior base on one post. There is actually a good bit of wisdom in what you say.
I used to read and post on a number of firearms related message boards, did so until about a year ago. I stopped because of the behavior of the people who put themselves out as pros and their treatment of the regular guys. The only board I still read is “Get Off The X.com” because the guys there seem to realize that being elite puts you in a small community and some of us regular guys would like to learn from what they have to say. The guys on the rest of the boards, in a very general way, are who I am talking about, not any one person.
I will tell you that as a self-acknowledged, fully realized low-speed, high-drag guy who just wants to develop the skills necessary to protect my home and family, and have a little fun on a safe range in the process, I know that if you are training any where near an SRT then you are on a higher plane then me already. Anybody that steps into that breach to protect the rest of us deserves my respect.
You are also right, we should be able to laugh at ourselves and with each other. Especially when we do something funny.
To me, you are a real deal gun guy if you USE your equipment and get out there and shoot. My point is guys that have a ton of gear and guns, and have never used anything anything but sitting in a safe. Nothing wrong with that, each to their own, I am just saying that a lot of those guys have to have the same new Aimpoint that Green or Blue and need the night vision model, even though they don’t even have NVG’s or will ever shoot with it other than beer cans. Those guys buy a lot of gear and products, because it has been vetted by tier 1 SOF units. All I am saying is it is a major mistake to not realize who is buying products and why. Product placement is huge.
They only phonies that drive me crazy are the Forum nazis that think because they have 2 million posts and you have 15, they know all and can talk to you anyway they want safely from the other side of a computer……man I hate those guys
I get a bit of a laugh out of the guys that have a lot of gear but never use it. If they get enjoyment out of having the gear in the safe and taking it out to look at every once in awhile, more power to them. I just don’t get it.
I think that tier 1 guys are one of the best marketing tools this demographic has. For instance, Magpul has one of the best marketing tools out there, Magpul Dynamics. When you watch the videos, you see prominent placement of the product in the hands of highly competent trainers and you see the equipment in use over two days of training. That’s good marketing.
I don’t read forums any more for just that reason, the signal to noise ratio is too high. There are people who post that have useful info and like to help out a fellow user, but for every one of those there are at least 100 asinine loud mouths that get in the way. I can not even begin to tell you how many times I have read the “real” info only to find upon further investigation that it was all wrong. The only forum I have any use for anymore is Get Off The X.
yup, fighting or martial arts is a prime example. I used to train at this place in southern cal and the guy that taught the Muay Thai/ MMA used to want to spar all the time and like training hard. It was good, but none of the BJJ students would want to come over and train. They would come to the class once and realize they didn’t like getting punched in the face. But it was tough to tell him, fighters don’t keep the lights on, guys wearing affliction Tee’s and Tapout hats do. There are 50 of those guys for every one guy that is down……sometimes hard to get through to people when their business is also something they love and the 2 are in conflict.
You are right on Andrew.
Quality or not, Spike’s seems marketed towards a combo Tapout/Mall Ninja crowd.
And, I’m glad you appreciate the funny/clever angles to much of the AAC stuff, as I’m proud of much of that.
Oh, that’s you? Hah. Good job dude.
Thanks, by the way.
It’s funny that the one company listed that I’ve actually done advertising work for was Spikes – not tapout oriented – added a link to it in the article.
I’m kind of suprised that Magpul wasn’t included on this list. They have been a wildley successful company, who makes good stuff (I LOOOVE my Magpul Iphone case), but they do occasionally pander to the internet operator. To be fair, I did buy my Iphone case cause it was tactical, so I’m just as guilty. Nice extreme shock reference.
Funny story, I had lunch with a friend and business associate who had an iPhone in a Magpul case. Internally, I thought, “Ha, he follows the crowd. I’m so cool with my Android.” Through an extremely weird turn of events, by that evening, I had an iPhone 4S in a Magpul case.
Hah Hah! Nice.
The Magpul case is awesome though. You can’t beat a quality product that’s $10.
without the commercial market and 99% non-shooters, virtually every company that the 1% likes and makes use of would go right out of business. Like it or not, we need the barfcom netards to keep these companies afloat and innovating. If they don’t come out with a new rail you won’t replace your old rail and they can’t stay in business just by selling rails to guys new to the segment.
But I agree re: Spike’s and AAC, and I have always wished BCM had picked a different name for their in-house products than “gunfighter”. I had an Ed Brown Special Forces and it annoyed the piss out of me that it said that down the side of the slide (they later made the text optional).
Speaking of mall ninja stuff, whatever happened to that supposed line of Steven Seagal tactical products? I hope that never comes to be…
Good Lawd! The Horror!!!
The amount of mall ninja Tactistupid on the market far outweighs real gear that is meant to be used.
I’ve posted about it on my forum and received horrible backlash from those that call themselves “Capitalists”; they say that more is always better, and good on them for making sales.
I say that saturating the market is not always a good thing, even if it “makes more gun sales” or “creates more gun-owners”.
I’ve always held balance to be the core of anything, in a working, healthy idea. Creating more mall ninjas that arrive from the process of video gaming; realizing they can buy firearms; buying firearms and acting like they are toys to be used in the same manner as they play their video games; this is never healthy. I don’t care if it creates more gun owners.
More is not always better. I was called a non-capitalist and I quote “intellectually dishonest”, because I couldn’t “prove that it caused unsafe gun-owners”.
I don’t need to prove anything. I RO at 3 ranges, monthly. And and any idiot who is stuck at a public range knows of the tactifaggotry that leads to unsafe gun-handling. The proof is when you pull up to the range. It’s just sitting there, waiting to aim a loaded gun in your direction.
That’s cool though, go ahead, make more useless, breakable products and label them tactical. Capitalism says you should be able to sell them to idiots. And you do.
May I ask how you would propose to curb this overabundance?
I am not sure less stuff would make for less of those guys, the guns pointing at you would just look more similar to the ones their buddies pointed at you the day before.
I agree with your whole list. I’m posting just to praise Elzetta. I bought one of their lights based on many positive reviews including yours, and it makes my Surefires look cheap, and my Streamlights look like imported junk. Just a whole higher class than anything else I’ve used. I’m 100% satisfied with their product and their no-BS advertising approach. The only problem? Their product is so good I only need to buy one more and I’ll have about all I will ever need. Which reminds me of the apocryphal story that supposedly GM’s Electromotive (railroad locomotive) division put itself out of business by building a locomotive that had no real flaws and lasted about forever. Sadly, sometimes building the best product at a fair price is not compatible with staying in business long-term.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on Noveske’s marketing and perhaps VLTOR’s marketing (or lack thereof).
Its always nice to see a “Zombie Edition X” its the equivalent of jumping the shark in my eyes, I make a conscious effort to avoid these companies.
Also this picture comes to mind
http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/How-males-and-females-take-pictures.jpg
Its really irrelevant when it comes to the object I am potentially staking my life on. I feel this way about, brakes, motorcycle equipment, guns, anything that could save my life. I care nothing about how the girl looks, get out of the way and tell me average stopping distance!
Its always nice to see that I am not alone in this line of thinking.
I don’t think I’ve ever read anything negative about Glocks. I’m relatively new to the shooting world so the only exposure I’ve had has been online personalities.
Just a few comments….
The target audience definately influences the marketing…duh.As far as the opinions go, I agree with most of those as you posted.The “Hot Chick” angle will always work on the teeners and younger 20 something males- biologically we are hard wired for that, no way around it. It can be aggravating though, and we can’t help but look.
Females in the business…I think a female that can shoot well is awesome , and have no issue with learning from a female when the ability is there. They seem to care more about “getting it right” without the posing/posturing that we males are so guilty of because once again ..biology;we are “competing” even when we don’t think we are. A hot chick that can shoot….is REALLY HOT! It is just really hard to escape biology here, BUT, a bikini has never sold me a gun, tac pack, holster etc. I tend to see it as an advertising gimick personally(so the product must not be able to sell itself…makes me go “hmmm”)
Military/LE “REAL DEAL” angle…a no brainer, if the “blah blahs” use it…it must be good kit, (OR for the poseur
crowd…I will look like a “blah blah” so I will buy it. The greatly super hyped “milspec” goes in this category as well. This is very effective if not “overdone” as it automatically implies worthiness for “battle”, if coupled with FACTUAL SPECS and real references.
The “civilian “market…seems to draw lots of resentment. Well, funny thing here, all of us have been,shortly, or will be again…civilians. I have a much greater purchasing power now as a civilian than I did in the military(several AR’s and a few HK’S I’ve purchased as a civy,were way out of accessable price range in my military days), most of us will spend more time as a civilian then not, and probably the largest segment of the population is civilian. I can’t stand an armchair know it all “poseur” , and that is not just restricted to the poser “Special Ops” gang,-thats across the board…but they will always be a market share. I never dreaded going on leave to play civilian,I can promise you that. Aside from the actual military vendor crowd, this is where the bucks are.
Do alot of the marketing strategies bug me..hell yes. Remember, all the marketing people…are civilians, many with no military experience, so “dumb shit” is unavoidable per say. I know what I’m looking for quality wise in equipment I may need to stake my ass on , and if its missing from whatever kit I’m looking at…well, no amount of BS IS GOING TO PERSUADE ME TO BUY IT. Like Alex said!On the flipside though , if it is a quality
piece of kit , I’m NOT going to NOT get it because a “nice pair” is helping sell it.
What about Condor Outdoor Apparel? Has anyone had any experience with this stuff? Is it in the same category as the True-Spec crap?
It’s worse than Tru-spec.
Its not quiet on the True Spec teir. If you want a TAD jacket but don’t want to drop $400, the condor jacket will work. Their ranger hoodie has a weird cut that makes the internal pockets stick out when the jacket is worn open. It doesn’t quiet keep you as warm or as dry but for $40 none of my friends with them mind for the price.
I don’t know about the apparel, but I have two of the bags, a backpack and a shoulder bag, that have held up pretty well. They are not, by any stretch, “Operator” quality, but for a civilian looking for something inexpensive to haul stuff from here to there they are not bad products. Just don’t stake your life on them.
The way i look at it, whatever gets the firearms industry more exposure to the general public, the better. For years now, guns have been taboo in society. You can’t talk about it in public, they’ll paint you as crazy or dangerous. Slowly and more recently that has been changing for the better, the stock prices of all the firearms companies prove that.
Now i don’t think they should be brightened up as toys either, but it’s better than gun control advocates taking away more rights. Funny that we fight for freedom overseas, but politicians just want to keep taking away freedom back here.
So in summary, no matter how they market it, it benefits our second amendment rights with more exposure and gun accepting “tacticool” society.
Great write up. I’ve been thinking for quite some time now that this type of marketing hasn’t been doing the industry any favors. One thing I think that’s worth mentioning also is that some online stores (cough, cheaper than dirt, cough) have been sending out catalogs with countdowns to Dec. 26, 2012, the day the world is supposed to end by way of some Mayan voodoo or John Cusack or something. I have to say that I think this is a far more insidious marketing ploy than even the booth babes (which I do agree are at best sexist non sequiturs in almost every instance). I’d personally like to see the recreational aspects of shooting played up more in ads and across the industry as a whole. Seems like everybody is starting to forget that for the overwhelming majority of people this is supposed to be fun.
Well, TruSpec isn’t crap. It isn’t tier one expeditionary grade, either – I bought a M65 in MC knowing it would do the job I needed done and not break the bank. Mostly keep me warm during deer season.
When you look at a lot of the stuff on the market, it will serve the owner, who isn’t likely to spend 30 days incountry crawling thru mud and rock to get one shot off at a target 1100m away. If anything, it might see 30 days all year long at a range or across the fence on a wood cutting trip.
Tacticool or whatever, boys buy the stuff to be identified with a certain social group. Like, Camaro owners, or Harley riders, or those that wear Rolexes and think the “ring lock” inscription means something. In one degree, it’s all tribal – associating with a image group because society won’t let you tout ethnic, religious, and now, monetary status. We’ve raised generations that have been taught not to base self image on skin color or kissing a potentate’s ring because we’ve been taught it’s “wrong.”
And reaped exactly what we’ve sown, a society that now stratifies based on commercial interests, not ethical or regional ones. Human nature is going to do that regardless, we’ve just change the criteria. Now it’s all about Brandinistas and “if you don’t own this stuff you are s%^t.” And in complete denial they are blowing wads of money and only getting a small incremental increase in performance – which they aren’t skilled enough to take advantage of.
Like one customer I have who is absolutely sold on MSD ignition products, he’s willing to put up with the continuing soap opera of cascading system failure running them on a 4,500 pound family four door bus just to have the stickers on it. It puts his junk above the herd. Or so he thinks.
It’s largely bling now, not value. Trick out the gun, dress the part, say the words. What looks cool on a screen, even if you put up the video. The real warriors are being left out again in the rush to look like a warrior, and it’s all sponsored by Brand Name Here.
This has kinda rambled some. I think Andy has a point to a great extent. When we first started getting kit, there was only so much that was approved by the CSM for field use.
The original 5.11 pants, with the ‘biner pocket on the right, were rock solid kit. TNF made great fleece and rain gear. Didn’t knock em cause we didn’t have better and they were on GSA scale. Then Patagonia made their kit for us. And it was sweet. Still is.
I didn’t get much stuff “free” or heavily discounted either white or black side. Especially end items.
But we all got that buddy who seems to fall in to all kinds of sweet deals!
Now that I am retired and shoot for fun I shop a little bit more. I got a long time friend named Larry who reminds me buy cheap buy twice. It seems to work for gun widgets as well as boots n pants.
I personally attend lots of trade shows & industry conferences. I like to see eye candy in booths, mainly cause I am tired of seeing retired gun slingers or SOF/SEAL/Recon haters posing in too-small polo shirts with combat kickers drinking piss-poor coffee telling war stories we all heard 100+ times. C’mon, tell me you aint seen the same thing!
I think there is some relevance to the marketing for the upcoming crack/earthquake/hurricane/zombie apocalypse scenarios. We all saw the pure pandemonium post-Katrina. While some of it is tongue in cheek, I know a few guys who were preparing for the worst for a couple of weeks.
Granted I buy crazy shista for my 12 yr old and he has more kit than most NSW posers, he is safe on a range and has all his .22’s replicated with airsoft to keep him (& me) entertained when the wx is too bad to pop caps.
Maybe we are being a little to self-critical? Buyer Beware?
V/r
Mike
Something I think people always seem to overlook in terms of tactical/performance-oriented clothing is that fabric is one of the biggest aspects. Seam placement, patches, colored zipper pulls are all important enough but at the end of the day, your body is covered more by fabric than by seams and velcro. I hear every day on forums, on YouTube, on Facebook, and in person testifying as to why Arcteryx and TAD apparel is amazing. To preface this, I own plenty of tacticool pieces from both companies and enjoy them quite a bit, but I grew up using clearance, end of season technical equipment/clothing so these high-quality pieces aren’t all I ever use. The Arcteryx and TAD pieces are great. TAD is cut well and looks good to regular, non-tactical civilians, which is rare in the tactical market. To me, that explains why peace-loving hipsters as well as adamant gun-owners like the brand. Aesthetics. Sure, they’re pocket placement or armpit-holes are good, but they don’t warrant so much fervor and mindless loyalty (you should see their Facebook). Arcteryx is similar. Their gear is often touted as addressing small issues that are often overlooked and being innovative in design. I agree. I don’t know another company that bothers to care enough to sew a little piece of fleece where the hood touches my chin. But again, that’s a $600 shell. Then why are these prices unfair? Because in the end, these companies all use the same fabrics. My Arcteryx Beta Paclite shell is made of the same stuff as a buddy of mine’s Mountain Hardwear shell. Same color, same material, almost identical. His even has pit zips and mine doesn’t. Yet mine is almost four times as expensive. Everyone always raves about how TAD or Arcteryx clothing is worth the price because it’ll last so long and how the build quality is unmatchable. But GoreTex PacLite is GoreTex PacLite. These jackets aren’t going to come apart at the seams, the fabric is going to wear out. Hell, the Mountain Hardwear shell is even seam taped and the Arcteryx isn’t! My TAD Rangers are made of Polartec WindPro. So are North Face Denalis (those quintessential fleeces with the abrasion-resistant shoulders everyone and their grandma has)! Yeah, the North Faces are made in China, but come on, it’s not like we’re going around tearing jackets apart at the seams. It’s the fabric that pills and wears out, and the North Face will last just as long as a TAD Ranger. Fabric is fabric, guys, and Arcteryx and TAD use the same ones as everyone else. I like their stuff because it’s tacticool or whatever, but it’s not going to last much longer than something half the price if it’s made of the same fabric. Crye Combat pants are made of 50/50 NYCO. You can get Multicam 50/50 NYCO pants from Truspec for $50-$80. The Crye pants have cool knee pads and stretch panels and pockets and velcro, but they’re not about to last any longer than Tru-Spec pants made of the same material sourced from the same mill (Duro).
So… It’s all about the advertising not telling the consumer the actual specs of the product.
Then everyone and their overseas cousin make up mostly exaggerated opinions based on hearsay, hype, cost/exclusivity and tacticoolness.
And when anyone wants to buy something it’s a looooong dive down into the bowels of the Internet in search for The Truth?
I know that feel.
Well written. I agree 100%.
Just to throw in my two cents about Arc’ Teryx:
I don’t own any of their tacticool LEAF line items, but I do own a couple of their packs, one being 15 years old, and a couple jackets. All the stuff I own from them was made before they began shifting their production to China (07/08ish if I remember correctly), so it was all made in Canada. The quality is excellent, but like all things when used hard they will develop wear and tear. I had seams coming apart in the 15 year old bag’s shoulder straps and on one jacket, both used extensively on long backpacks. I contacted Arc’Teryx and they had me send them back so they could repair the items for free under their lifetime guarantee. In this day and age, having a company honor something like that and return the items to me in almost new condition was really fantastic. Arc’Teryx may cost more, but I think you are getting more as well, and before that experience I didn’t really appreciate that.
But I’d still stay away from the made in China stuff. . .
The china stuff is actually really nice, seems like the QC is still top-notch….but I guess time will tell. The main thing is that they still stand by their product and will always make it right and the attention to detail on their products always surprises me.
Disclaimer….I (deliberate dynamics) sell Arc’teryx, but I chose to carry LEAF because of the quality/ customer service, I didn’t give my opinion BECAUSE I sell them. If that makes sense.
Full disclosure – I’m an Arc’Teryx fan, and I’m also in the technical soft goods industry as a product designer. In fact, the reason why I am such a fan of the Dead Bird is that I know a bit about what goes into designing and making these sorts of things. To put it bluntly, Arc’Teryx serves as an inspiration for a lot of us.
I can also definitively say that, with the exception of the origin tag, it is impossible to tell the difference between identical Arc’Teryx jackets made in their Burnaby BC plant or one of their Chinese plants.
– Both jackets will be made out of fabric that came out of an identical mill in China.
– Both jackets will be cut on Gerber CNC knife tables driven by identical DWG files.
– Both jackets will be made on the same Brother and Juki sewing machines, with Coats and Gutermann thread.
– Both will be sewn by a raven haired Asian lady who’s level of competency with that machine will be extremely high.
It is this last point that drove Arc to move much of their production (about 70%) to China. The Vancouver area is simply not able to supply the level of skilled sewers needed. It takes *years* of learning to run those machines on low end clothing before you can get competent enough to start reliably sewing extremely expensive, high precision, synthetic technical fabrics in a production environment.
In the end, it was not a move I think Arc did to save money, moving production to China simply became something the business had to do. To be perfectly honest though, if it wasn’t for the tag, I would bet $100 that nobody would be able to point out a difference in quality between the two production centers.
+1, I think the key to all of that is qlty control, if that is done and the raw material is the same, I don’t see why one would be better than the other, they are both made outside the US.
I have a BCM Gunfighter sticker on my car and I’ve never been in the Military or a firefight (but have pulled my gun in a self defense situation). I certainly don’t pretend to be a military guy, sheepdog or a tapout/mall ninja, I’m just an average guy. I do train with my rifle, and I do so for my own purposes. That said, I paid the money for the parts, I’ll use the the free sticker without shame.
I don’t see why anyone would have a problem with anyone buying a product that is actually good. My brother sold me on Arc’Teryx long before I saw any Magpul Dynamics videos. All of my Arc’Teryx stuff is non-LEAF (although that new “wolf” color they’re doing the in LEAF line is pretty awesome), I bought it because it’s very good. It’s much better to pay for something expensive once than pay for cheap shit over and over.
Usually the best stuff costs serious money. There are exceptions to the rule, but they’re few and far between. The gear the pros use filtering down to the average joe isn’t exclusive to the firearms industry, it just seems the firearms industry has the largest percentage of people that get sand in their vagina about it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen some barely computer literate person packing around a 15″ MBP to Starbucks so they can look cool. It’s just the way it is.
That said, the companies that make crap products deserve scorn.
Very, very true about skanks at the SHOT show. What the hell does a hot blonde (with bleached hair) have to do with how reliable/well made TAPCO’s products are? Very, very stupid, keep the hoes elsewhere and show me the gun gear.
I’m curious as to how the quality of garments and bags, all of which blow stuff that most people use from Walmart, are somehow “don’t stake your life on it” items. Could you simply not live if your IFAK pouch failed? How about your plate carrier? It’s a wonder who men fought, and won, before we had “Tier 1” designer crapola. Also, the insurgents seem to be doing a pretty good job with rusty AK’s and Chi-com webbing from 40 years ago. When did gear become a substitute for fight? Give me a hand full of change, and I’ll use it to win if I have to. Sillyness.