How to Get More Customers: Building Your Brand's Culture

How do we build a culture around a brand in a way that feels authentic and appropriate? First, we need to have a rich understanding of the culture we wish to appeal to. Miss the mark and it comes off as cringey or even offensive. Nail it and your brand will have lifelong dedicated fans! Let's take a closer look at culture and how it applies to brands.

The dictionary definition states culture as being "the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group." I find this definition lacking.

Culture can be broken down into a number of categories: 

How we talk

What we wear

Customs/rituals/traditions

"Sacred Knowledge"

Objects (art, tools, architecture, etc.)

Accepted deviations 

I will use the outdoor industry to illustrate how each of these builds/strengthens a culture. 

How we talk: Every culture has a way of speaking, it's own accent or jargon that quickly differentiates the members from the "outsiders". Here are some words "crown" "spine" "powder" "couloir" "exposed". If you can't instantly picture a conversation where those words would naturally come up, you aren't part of this subculture of the outdoor industry. 

What we wear: Here's a standard uniform for the outdoor industry. Flat-brimmed hat with sunglasses perched on top, either flannel or T-shirt, technical pants or shorts, approach shoes or sandals. Accepted deviations: party shirt. 

The way someone dresses is shorthand for how they see themselves. Apparel brands are able to facilitate a dialog of storytelling that would otherwise require a lengthy conversation.

Customs/rituals/traditions: Writing in the summit log, maintaining your Strava, exaggerated tales of your ski line. There are so many, and each subculture does it a little different. The purpose again is to see who is in the culture and who is out. 

Sacred Knowledge: this is the stuff you can't learn by watching a YouTube on it. It is passed from member to member. It comes through experience. What to pack on a backpacking trip, a hidden crag, how to navigate a section of whitewater. 

Objects: the tools of the trade and how to use them. Our objects say so much about us. Is it a 40L ultralight backpack or a 60L expedition pack? This category also includes art and architecture. What stickers are on a water bottle? Does the outdoor goer use an RV or a Durston X-Mid 1 Pro? The objects we use and collect say a lot about what we value, who we want to associate with and the type of activity we enjoy.

Accepted deviations: When and how can we break the cultural norms? With whom is it ok to share the Sacred Knowledge? In what circumstances is it ok to wear Oxfords instead of approach shoes? (the answer is never). How are the deviators treated? Like an outcast or like a Shaman?

All of these points are overlaid with a layer that determines the inclusivity/exclusivity of the culture. How open are we to new ideas? Are we open to lowering the barrier to entry? How do we react when we see someone "out of uniform" in the outdoors? How about when we see someone using a tool incorrectly? 

As a brand in the outdoors, knowing the culture and the acceptable deviations are key to successful brand building and marketing. But if it is left there, the industry stagnates. Challenge your brand to push beyond. Embrace the outsiders. Touch the sky! 

It's no secret, I love being outdoors. I want others to experience that raw feeling of being small that it brings me, regardless of who they are. If you are in the outdoor world or not, I would love to hear your perspective on culture! Maybe you would like to define the culture of your brand. Please comment or send me a message. Thank you!