Part
01
of one
Part
01
I would like a marketing-focused analysis of GoPro. In the last 12-18 months, what have been their 1) marketing campaigns, 2) their use of "influencers", 3) their use of professionally produced (not user-generated) video content, and 4) events they sponsor.
Hello! Thanks for your question requesting a market analysis of GoPro in the last 12 to 18 months. The short version is that GoPro's marketing campaign, Capture Different, is focusing on making itself more appealing for daily use. GoPro has also continued to maintain its relationship with athletes and athletic events. Below you will find a deep dive of my research/findings along with all the details for how I came to this answer.
METHODOLOGY
I searched through a number of third party analytics sites, as well as marketing forums and industry websites. I was careful to not include anything before 2016, and prioritized information that was the most recent. I found, overall, that most information from 2016 was around three things: GoPro's marketing shift "Capture Different," their third quarterly net profit loss in a row for 2016, and the myriad of troubles surrounding GoPro's first attempt at penetrating the drone market: GoPro's Karma. Below I explore these and other marketing strategies related to your query in more detail.
MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AND USER GENERATED CONTENT
GoPro continues to market to their consumer base: athletes and other adventure seekers. However, in 2016, GoPro found that its revenue was down by 40%, and shares were down 34% by the end of the year. As one marketing analysis remarks: "...it's clear the brand has reached a maturation point in which the explosive growth and popularity based on action sports and fun stunts has leveled off." GoPro began confronting this tapering off by the launch of their new campaign: "Capture Different." It launched on November 10, 2016 with its first ever scripted TV ad, which although professionally produced, still incorporated some user-generated content at the beginning and end, capitalizing on GoPro's image as a leader in user-generated content in marketing.
Capture Different is GoPro's biggest marketing campaign to date, targeted at making 1.4 billion impressions on a global scale. It capitalizes on the recent trend in the media and pop culture of "being in the moment," asking potential customers why they would "get themselves out of the moment" by taking a phone out to record precious moments, when they could record with GoPro's hands-free camera technology. A market analysis by Campaign US found GoPro's flagship Capture Different ad to be the highest scoring of all GoPro ads; falling within the top 3% of camera ads the group had ever tested. The ad was particularly effective for the 21 to 35 year old demographic.
GoPro planned to launch 32 short-form shows throughout 2016 and 2017. Some of the titles currently planned include the travel-related spot “Beyond Places,” the music-themed “Off the Record,” and the family-themed “This Is Gonna Be Fun” and “Kids Save the World.” GoPro has been producing this content in-house, with the help of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners ad agency. For 2017, GoPro has plans to target their broader audience with different 30-second scripted ad spots across different media platforms. According to AdWeek, "a future video in Australia will be aimed at getting teenage girls thinking about how to upload and share their lives with GoPro. A spot in Germany will target fathers in their mid-30's who want to catch their daughter's soccer games."
GOPRO'S INFLUENCERS
Although GoPro has made a major shift in the last year to targeting a broader non-sports oriented audience, many of their individual "influencers" still remain within the sports world. As of 2016, GoPro sponsored 140 athletes from around the world in a variety of sports. Little is asked of the athletes except that they capture footage occasionally and post it on Instagram and other social media sites to target each athlete's fan base, as well as provide the footage to GoPro. The GoPro Ambassador program's current list of sponsored athletes include free runner Jason Paul, BASE jumper and skier Matthias Giraud, stand up paddler Izzi Gomez, and kayaker Dane Jackson.
SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIPS
One of GoPro's main events they sponsor is the GoPro Mountain Games, Which happens each year in July in Vail, Colorado. On the website, the Mountain Games describes itself as "...the country's largest celebration of adventure sports, art and music..." This continues to target GoPro's original audience of sport and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. As well, for the first time in 2016, GoPro became a presenting sponsor of the 2016 US National Drone Racing Championships. Despite GoPro's first drone Karma's multiple problems (including a late release and then a widespread recall), GoPro is beginning to signal its investment and interest in drone-related events. GoPro continues to sponsor a number of athletic events, such as the 2016 event VANS US Open Surfing Competition.
As well, in 2016, GoPro solidified partnerships with several other companies, including renewing its contract with the National Hockey League, and contracting a new golf deal with the PGA and Skratch TV. In 2016, GoPro also partnered with the Grammy Awards to advertise and promote GoPro cameras during the event.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, in light of recent profit losses, GoPro began to market, with the launch of its 2016 campaign "Capture Different", to a more general audience, and less to a sports and extreme adventure market. In the "Capture Different" campaign, there has also been a significant shift away from user-generated material to professionally generated content. However, most of their partnerships with "influencers" are still concentrated in the sports world, with some 140 athletes participating in their GoPro Ambassador program. GoPro has solidified several corporate partnerships in the last year, including with the Grammy Awards, the NHL, and the PGA. GoPro continues to sponsor sporting events and competitions, including the VANS US Open Surfing Competition and its own GoPro Mountain Games in Colorado. GoPro has begun to sponsor drone racing competitions, and other drone events, like the US National Drone Racing Championships, simultaneous with the release of GoPro's first drone Karma.
Thanks for using Wonder! Let us know if we can help you with anything else!