8 Tips for Marketing Activewear Brands
Consumers are bombarded by choices when shopping for activewear, further complicated by the extremely high but still rising amount of brands in the space. Emerging activewear brands find it increasingly difficult to reach their target consumer today, and ultimately struggle to compete for a share of hearts and wallets.
Whether you're an entrepreneur or a seasoned brand manager in activewear, you've put tremendous passion into your product, and now it's time to build a loyal customer base.
As end-to-end supply chain experts, we know what it takes to successfully go to market.
This article will serve as your roadmap for successfully marketing your activewear brand, including how activewear consumers behave, where to reach them, and 8 strategies to win your customer's business.
How Do You Market Activewear Brands?
Successfully marketing an activewear brand starts by pairing consumer purchase intention with proper social media channels or influencers. Activewear consumers are significantly influenced by perceived behavioral control and positive attitude, where lifestyle and similar past purchases hold sway.
Motivations of Activewear Consumers
A revealing study on activewear purchase intention uncovered the significance of all four of these purchase levers; perceived behavioral control, attitude, lifestyle, and past purchase behavior.
Among them, perceived behavioral control and attitude are the two larger groupings that motivate activewear purchases; consumer lifestyle and past purchase behavior are both supportive groupings within attitude.
With some further context, here's what the study found related to purchasing intention of activewear.
Perceived Behavioral Control: Specific to activewear, consumers with abundant resources (think bank account) and few barriers (self-confidence to rock leggings for example) are the ideal activewear customer.
Attitude: Activewear customers' attitudes, whether positive or negative, are directly attributed to whether they intended to checkout or not. In its simplest form, this can be the appearance of the apparel item, where it's sold, what your website looks like, or even if they think the price compared to the quality is a good value.
Lifestyle: Lifestyle accounts for personal habits, values, and traits. For the activewear consumer, there's a strong affinity with consumers interested in health, as well as sustainability, the latter a global trend agnostic of the apparel vertical.
Past Purchases: A bit expected or obvious, but this study found that consumers who have previously purchased activewear had a significant impact on purchase intention. This can be useful from an advertising perspective where a brand can target a customer based on lookalike models or even purchase behaviors in some instances. Additionally, it's useful in understanding forecasted demand.
Marketing Channels to Reach Activewear Consumers
Social media platforms are incredibly important for activewear brands, especially ones where eCommerce or DTC (direct-to-consumer) models are employed. Although some social media advertising has lost its edge due to Apple's targeting restrictions, social channels are still critical.
Across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or any of the relatively newer channels like TikTok or Mastadon, consumers still congregate on social channels.
Reaching them there just requires a different approach than in the past, one that's outside the boundaries of advertising alone.
Today, the best way to reach customers is on social media by building communities, posting quality content, and paying influencers. Solid precedence exists for each tactic, which you'll find in greater detail below.
With a general understanding of activewear consumers and an even broader direction on where to find them, let's focus on the practical application of these concepts, using 8 detailed tips and a long list of brands who have successfully marketed their activewear as guidance.
8 Tips To Successfully Market Your Activewear Brand
Whether you're a global brand director, small business owner, or just starting your activewear brand, there are many ways to boost your sales.
The tips listed below can help increase customer engagement and make them want to buy from you instead of another company. Implement the following tips to increase customer acquisition and boost sales; once you find a winning strategy, stick to it and watch your business grow.
1. Stick to Your Roots
Lululemon, one of the most successful activewear companies in recent years, has a surprisingly simple take on marketing; that's because Lululemon doesn't really have a marketing strategy.
They shun the marketing and advertising approaches we've come to expect of brands their size. They don’t take out Super Bowl ads, nor do they spend money on flashy billboards. Instead, Lululemon has built an online community over the years that trusts its product. And this started at the company's inception, something they've stuck with over the years that’s done remarkably.
Founded in 1998 in Vancouver, Lululemon was originally geared toward the yoga scene.
While still heavily associated with yoga, the brand's original singular intention was to make incredibly comfortable pants that women could wear to yoga classes. Lululemon combined high-quality materials, minimalist design, and a price tag to signal premium as a result, which ultimately created valuable differentiation in the market.
Over the years, Lululemon has continued to dominate the yoga pants market. They’ve expanded into athleisure and men's activewear, but continue to find success with their original product.
Their ethos of quality, style, and premium cues continue to resonate with Lululemon's customers and exemplify how the brand sticks to its roots.
Where other successful activewear brands like Nike and Adidas started as shoe companies and expanded into athleticwear empires, Lululemon steered clear of the footwear market, going all in on apparel, with relevant product extensions along the way.
Now they’re one of the most valuable clothing brands in the world.
2. Lead With Product Distinction First
Lululemon has a definable niche: yoga pants. Their stitching, fabric choices, and design are geared toward their customers.
As the activewear market gets more and more crowded, you’ll need to lean into whatever makes your product technologically different. This is a crucial artifact of distinction that can separate your brand from others.
Stitching and design are important in the activewear and athleisure markets. With brands capitalizing on innovation and customers paying more for quality products, you can no longer skimp on materials (unless your target price is cheaper and your customers want that).
Some brands target cold weather or hot climates. Others go for moisture-wicking, stain-resistant, or scent-neutralizing clothing.
Consumers want different things, and it can help to position yourself as one of the leaders in your niche by highlighting the technological innovations in your clothing.
In the clothing industry, your fabric choice isn’t the only thing that can make you stand out technologically. Don’t forget about distribution, manufacturing, and logistical technologies.
Your brand could gain an edge over the competition by focusing on business fundamentals. Innovations in these areas could mean better prices for consumers or more consistent supply lines, giving your business a technological edge.
3. Find Your People
It would be nice if everyone on earth could buy your clothes, but chances are you’ll have to start with a small segment of the population and focus on making them happy.
Demographics are the tip of the iceberg. Sure, young women from North America seem to be the most active purchasers in the activewear market, but that's still not a deep enough dive into your target demographics.
A group of students from Portland State University presented a mock case study for a Nike brand, focused on how to target three unique customer profiles, a classic exercise that every brand should take.
The profiles included two men and one woman, the PSU students built up each profile, ideating where each customer might work, the weather conditions they might face, their ages, how they prefer to exercise.
Stating that one of the profiles was a runner wasn't sufficient depth - so they would get more nuanced, asking how far the profile runs, or whether they run competitively. The answers culminated in a robust customer profile.
The point is, instead of building a broad idea of who the customer was, they went two steps further. Don’t be afraid to cater your brand to a target segment, even if they’re not as abundant.
While most activewear brands see success marketing to women, other brands are diving headfirst into the men’s activewear market.
Take Rhone for example. They’re a men’s-only activewear brand that targets athletes and office-goers with exercise and athleisure clothing. By holding fast to its strategy and keeping its target market in mind, Rhone has built a sizable activewear brand in a competitive field.
4. Build Out Your App or Website
Technology is a must for most businesses. If you have a physical location, customers might still look at your website or location online before coming in.
Many will use this experience to decide whether or not they’ll buy your product before seeing it in person - this is consumer attitude in practice.
If you're debating brick-and-mortar or eCommerce as your flagship, you should know that activewear brands are thriving with online direct-to-consumer models. But opting for one business model as a focus doesn't prohibit using the other. Either way, your website, and mobile presence can boost sales.
Take REI for instance.
They’re an outdoor clothing giant that overhauled its technology. Sure, you can buy clothes and outdoor equipment on their website and mobile app just like any other retailer, but they went one step further and used this tech to create a better experience for customers.
REI developed things like hiking guides and trail running guides for their customers to use, free of charge. They also made a guide to national parks.
In exchange for an incredible customer experience, at no cost to the end-user, REI learned more about its target market in the end. They’re an example of just how powerful technology can be if you’re creative with it.
So sure, it's easy to focus on marketing with social media, and that's still an important part of the marketing equation, but styling your digital approach with creativity a la REI creates a unique offer that will help your brand truly stand apart.
5. Social Media is Your Friend
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok all have a gigantic user base. Millions of people log onto their platforms every day.
On one hand, this is a gold mine of customers. On the other hand, it can be daunting to try to reach someone when they’re inundated by so much content. Still, a social media presence will be well worth the effort.
The biggest benefit of marketing your product on social media is that you don’t have to pay to post content or interact with consumers. The apps are free to use, making them a great place to start your marketing campaign.
Instagram is one of the best places to market your product, particularly if your intended audience is women aged 18-34. This segment is highly active on the app, which has millions of daily users.
Your social media strategy should rely on quality content and customer interaction. A thesis published in Arcada on Instagram marketing for activewear brands found that there are a few strategies that work well, including:
Utilize Instagram stories to reach customers.
Engage with users, using mentions and tagging as means.
Focus on quality, not quantity; prioritizing a goal of adding value to users' feeds
This builds trust and can position you as an expert. Plus, you can build a community by posting about things that your customers care about.
High-quality pictures and videos can help you stand out, as well as more long-form, text-like blog posts. If customers feel like you’re only trying to sell a product on social media, they’ll be less likely to interact.
There are some cautions to social media marketing because, at an organic level, the biggest downside is that you don't truly own anything.
At any given moment, your page or channel can be shut down. The social platform can change its algorithm and decrease your access to your community, which has happened countless times as these platforms age into advertising monetization.
And worse yet, you never have unfettered access to consumer data; you don't own any component of data, the channel, or anything in between.
This is important to consider when building out your marketing strategy, as you'll want to incorporate organic social, but not overly rely on it.
6. Influencers and Athletes
Building a community of customers is the holy grail for activewear marketing. If you’re having trouble gaining traction with your target segment, it might be time to pay an influencer or athlete to promote your brand. Chances are they have a rather large following that trusts them, which can help you gain traction.
The first step is to figure out who best represents your brand and has sway over your target demographic.
Gymshark, a popular activewear brand that mastered and pioneered influencer marketing, sent out free products to influencers who represented their target market. Some people were so appreciative that they posted about the brand on their accounts for free.
Although this example is from some time ago, influencer marketing is still one of the best ways to bring activewear online. You can choose to show advertisements on websites and social media platforms, but paying an influencer can be more effective, credible, and genuine.
Open Publications of UTS Scholars investigated how customers respond to influencers versus traditional advertisements. Consumers were much more likely to engage with influencers, even if the post was tagged as sponsored.
That’s probably because they like to have a face they can trust behind the brand they’re purchasing. It’s almost like word-of-mouth marketing. Customers are internet-savvy and can tell when someone is advertising a product.
Rather than trying to hide it, your influencer posts can be transparent.
What matters is that you find someone who represents your target market. If they like your product enough, they might advertise it organically.
You can also target athletes to represent your brand, which is a more traditional way of marketing activewear. This is helpful if your clothing is designed for a niche group of athletes, like rock climbers, pickleball players, or ultra-marathoners.
7. Make a Slogan
When you hear the words “just do it,” what do you think of? Nike, of course! Those three simple words are recognizable worldwide and account for at least a part of Nike’s marketing success.
A slogan can help your brand stand out from the competition by raising customer awareness. Another slogan that’s made an impact is “never stop exploring,” from outdoor activewear company North Face.
The genius of these campaigns for activewear brands is that they can help you reach your target audience by connecting with an emotion that fitness enthusiasts share: motivation.
Both slogans are motivational and can resonate with someone who exercises or enjoys outdoor activities.
Your slogan should speak to your customer and your brand. Keep it short and sweet. Just look above in this article for inspiration - both slogans are three words in length, but yours could be shorter.
Simple slogans are memorable and powerful, helping you connect with your target market.
8. Competitions
You don’t want to alienate customers by creating insane sporting competitions (unless your target market is elite athletes). However, a simple competition can go a long way.
Take Fitbit for example. Their competition was basic enough that even non-fitness enthusiasts could enter.
Their device tracked step count, and they made it easy to start competitions with friends or coworkers to see who could get the most steps in a given timeframe.
Competitions can promote your activewear brand because they target fitness-minded people. You can target people who are likely to buy your clothes and make the competition specific to them. For example, if your brand specializes in runners, you could do a running challenge.
To make the competition more effective, give a prize to the winners, such as free product.
This can heat the competition and make it more attractive to enter.
If you decide to do a competition, leverage your social media to attract more participants. Grab their email or contact info when they sign up, so you can remarket to them further down the road.
How Should You Spend Money on Activewear Marketing?
While it would be great to incorporate all 8 tips into your activewear brand today, you most certainly have resource constraints. Perhaps time, but most likely financial constraints.
So, before you start pouring money into a marketing strategy, consider all options available. Most brands can start marketing their product for no cost by using social media. All you need is a phone capable of taking photos and videos, and a social media account.
Spending on Tech
Social media should be the first thing you explore for marketing since you can experiment for free to find your target customers and see how they engage with your product. At a certain point, you might need to invest more money into managing and growing your social media presence.
If you’re busy with business operations, consider hiring a social media manager. You can also pay for relatively affordable software to manage posts for you. You’ll also likely want some form of email marketing software, which can vary in price.
Other costs include paying influencers to promote your brand. You can send them products for free, which means you’ll just have to eat the cost. Alternatively, you could pay influencers to promote your products, which can run anywhere from hundreds to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, depending on how popular the influencer is.
Setting up a website or a mobile app is important, but can be costly. However, you can completely customize the experience of your site or app, which can be worth it if it attracts customers.
Traditional Ad Spending
Reference Nike’s ad spending for an idea of how to allocate your marketing budget. As one of the most successful activewear brands on the planet, they provide a useful model. Their biggest expense is Facebook advertising. These campaigns require entire teams to design and deploy.
Their next-largest spend is on TV broadcasts, which is still only half of the amount that they spend on Facebook. They spend about half as much on cable TV advertisements as they do on broadcasts. However, TV spending might be out of your budget. After broadcasts, advertising on Snapchat is their biggest spend.
Online video and various forms of print advertising are lower on their advertising budget. You can see that digital advertising makes up the bulk of their ad budget, which might be where you want to allocate most of your funds.
Get Your Brand Out There
The activewear market seems daunting at first. Titans like Nike and Adidas are fighting to retain a giant share of the market. Formerly up-and-coming, brands like Lululemon, are now established and continue to grow. And a whole new class of activewear brands is emerging with gusto.
Take solace in the stories of other founders who started in the same position as you. Put your customer and product first, making sure you have something that can stand out in the activewear market. Then, scale your product to the larger community.
Start small with your marketing plan and gain some traction. You can even start for free, thanks to social media platforms. Once you build some momentum and start seeing some of the well-deserved results, look back and remind yourself the importance of sticking to your brand's roots.