a:Marketing Athletic Apparel

A summary


By Alex Strzetelski
A few decades ago the apparel industry was trumpeting the beginnings of a new era. The 1970s’ era of the polyester apparel fiber was dying and a few other precursors of advanced fibers were searching for a niche to take advantage of. Apparel items, and other aspects of daily life were about to change. Synthetic fibers, including polyester in differing forms, were ready and waiting for the opportunity.

New and amazing synthetic fibers, that could do everything but spin themselves, were beginning to find their way into products of every type. There were body hugging apparel items for style, and a demand for outdoor products that had to be ready for the worst. In the first years of the 21st century, these new materials have established themselves as must haves and continue to find new and interesting uses.

Athletic apparel and fashion

As synthetic fibers began their steady march into the minds of fashioniestas and athletic apparel users there was a collective “huh?” from the shopping public. Shoppers would ask what the heck is CoolMax?, or why would I want to use Lycra?.
Today, it is rather strange that somebody would think to say something like, what is Coolmax? What is even stranger is that synthetics used in apparel, and athletic apparel in particular, have changed the entire way that the fashion and athletic apparel markets are structured, advertised and marketed.

Before Lycra and a handful of other synthetics the fashion and athletic apparel markets had to rely on a fairly limited range of fabrics to accomplish their end goals. With advances in synthetics, and variations on each, these goals were met if not surpassed.

Athletic apparel market structure

With the continuing penetration of these new materials marketing strategies needed to change and develop along with the times. Add internet shopping, a whole new line of materials and usage, a newly active shopping public and the time was right for new marketing methods.

For example: you’re going to go camping and you need everything. Heading for the camping isle or camping store is the way to begin, right? A very large wrong if you’re shopping for an active activity in today’s marketplace. One used to be able to hit the local sporting goods store for all the right stuff. Now there is the footwear store, the camping store and the apparel gig for fashion and practicality. This is not to mention all the accessories or other athletic products like biking, kayaking or hiking that can be part and parcel of going “camping.”

Oh course there must be specific items just for that added activity as well, and there are. Today’s marketers have come up with a way to market these individual athletic products and materials so that each can be sold as unique to an activity.

Product diversification in marketing

At one point athletic apparel and athletic products marketers would sell product as a larger category within a particular segment. There were wet weather gear categories, running categories, hiking boots, and winter wear to mention just a few. In today’s marketing of athletic apparel and products each area is divided further and then divided again. Given the general nature of the activity this is not needed . However,with the advent of relatively new materials such as synthetic type materials it has become a need to separate product from product in an ever increasing battle for the consumer’s attention. Ten different categories for the same general product is commonplace.

Elements of diversification

For the most part, athletic apparel and athletic product manufacturers have taken their respective products and divided them into a few categories within which they can work to make their product stand out. These categories may include:

Breathability
Wet weather
Stiffness
Hand or comfort
Cold weather
Measurement

Breathability

Perhaps breathability is the biggest strategy in selling to the synthetic material-general athletic apparel fashion/athletic conscious customer. Breathability can be used alone or in combination with these other elements. Its use can be found in products from women’s panties to running shoes, winter jackets to summer tops. Breathability is the new material marketer’s holy grail of marketing opportunity. Just add a new synthetic materials trade marked name and the breathability adjective of choice and a new product launch is born.

Running gear, skiing gear, fishing gear, gym gear is so many applications it makes the head spin. Footwear from Van’s to back country hiking boots or ice climbing inserts. It just does not stop.

Stiffness

This particular category is a bit more advanced and is not one marketed to the consumer lightly. Sure the lower level user of an athletic product thinks a product must be good because it is made out of an “anium” or “on” as in titanium or carbon but the avid user knows what it really means so materials have to reflect the end users ability level or away goes the higher end buyer.

These products are actually higher performance products like racing bikes or mountain bikes, tennis rackets, golf clubs or fishing rods. Each area is about the primary product but, in general the real money is found in accessories, which brings us back to athletic apparel and, what else; breathability, comfort and hand.
Marketing diversification

All professional activities have to stay abreast of changes in the marketplace. Lord knows the pencil had to adapt to the typewriter and so on. Marketing has had to do the same, and in far more differing ways than any product has had to change. In the athletic apparel marketplace it was athletics as a leisure activity at first, then came a little social change with men forming social activities around the athletic activity. After that, a small jump in technology brought a glimmer of a marketing change to address the issue.

The beginning of the 1970’s came along and the first sea change called Billy Jean King. Women in athletics were a title wave for marketers. Now we have new and established materials and marketers are on the case. They have segmented product categories right down to the “skivvies”, literally. Athletics are the happening market and customers want the best and the cheapest. As China and India wrap up the low end where the upper end will pan out is anybodies guess, but there will be a segment waiting for it.




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