Experiential Marketing Example: Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World

“Welcome Fisherman, Hunters and Other Liars”. This is written at the entrance of Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Denver, CO. This incredible Mecca of everything fishing, hunting and outdoors, is a great example of a company’s experience becoming their brand.

Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World locations reach sizes of up to 300,000 square feet and each of these locations features:

• An impressive hunting lodge and outdoors decor
• Huge taxidermy mounts of wildlife indigenous to that location
• A water feature filled with fish from the local area
• Professional angler demonstrations
• Regular classes in fly fishing, archery hunting (with a range right in the store), GPS navigation and even Dutch oven cooking

As a small fishing department in the back of a liquor store in Missouri selling homemade bait and worms, Bass Pro Shops incorporated in 1972. By 1974 they had become the world’s largest mail order sporting goods store. In 1984, construction began on the Outdoor World Catalog Showroom. Today, the have locations throughout the US.  These centers draw tourists from near and far to come experience all that these stores have to offer.  There is truly something for everyone, even if you are not a hunter or fisherman.

These stores not only allow visitors to shop for outdoor goods, they encourage people to experience the thrill of fishing, shooting, camping, or driving a boat or ATV. They immerse visitors and a fun and adventurous outdoor world.  This experience makes it fun and exciting to buy things from them. It also helps to create brand community, that is, a community of engaged people around their brand.  This community would rather buy from Bass Pro Shops than competitors who simply sell goods without this personal connection.  People using their gear and participating with this brand experience the thrill they enjoyed in store over and over again.

How to use this Information
Think about the products and services you offer.  Are you creating an immersing experience around how you deliver these?  Are you creating an engaged community of people who will take pride and remember fondly the experience they have when interacting with you?  Are you doing anything that would encourage people to talk about you and the experience of your brand.

This does not need to be a product-type sale.  The same goal can be achieved with the delivery of a service. If you take the right approach to creating an experience around your brand, whether you offer a product or a service, you should be able create a Bass Pro Shop experience.

If you could use some help identifying the key experiences for your business, please give us a call at 303-300-2640. We would be happy to show you how our proven programs help business create more impactful experiences.

If your business creates a great experience that you would like to share, or if you what to comment on this post, please share your insights with our readers (via your comments below).