Asheville, NC – January 26, 2021 – Darby Communications and Status Forward are thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2021 Stand Up Initiative. Launched by Darby Communications in 2016, the Stand Up Initiative provides pro bono PR and marketing services to environmental ...read more
Before Earl B. Hunter Jr. founded his marketing and consulting company Black Folks Camp Too, he was vice president of sales at SylvanSport—a business based in Brevard, North Carolina, known for its ultralight trailers. He was often on the road for his job, traveling all over the ...read more
The Multi-Channel Marketing Academy, a two-month digital masterclass for brand leaders in the outdoor space and beyond, debuted this May to widespread praise. Created by Verde Brand Communications founder and "Channel Mastery" podcast creator Kristin Carpenter, the course ...read more
The pandemic has created mayhem for all of us. Earlier this spring, at Formidable Media, we received more than one phone call from clients who wanted to put their plans on hold. Some needed time to assess the damage to their supply chains. Some wanted to defer payments to ...read more
In its fourth year, Darby Communications' Stand Up Initiative isn't slowing down. The small PR agency is expanding the pro-bono service by joining forces with another Asheville-based agency, Status Forward. Instead of one lucky nonprofit per quarter, the team will select two ...read more
The Fall/Winter issue of The Voice is coming together with must-read stories tackling our most pressing issues, like how can the outdoor industry beat Amazon? Get tips, tricks, and hacks from outdoor companies that are doing it right. Get your voice in The Voice and support ...read more
Uncommon Path is REI's new print magazine, publishing for the first time this fall. Stories will range from gear reviews to full feature stories, curated by the same editorial team that produces the Co-op Journal and created with HearstMedia. “Uncommon Path tells the stories of ...read more
Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with MJ Carroll and Alyssa Seemann, co-founders of Revelry Experience. Now more than ever people are spending money on ...read more
The North Face’s latest marketing stunt isn’t about elevating women or getting more people outside. And no, it’s not about public lands either. The highly-regarded global brand earlier this week bragged that it had found a loophole to crawl to the top of Google’s search results ...read more
It's summer break and a family of four with two teenage kids is driving to Yellowstone National Park. Noticing they need gas and knowing they need to stock up on a few camping essentials, the driver seat suggests that one of the kids find a good gear shop nearby. An ad for the ...read more
At a time when people are touting the benefits of social media breaks and Marie Kondo-ing their lives, Instagram is pitted as a villain. But if you're using it right, your account won't fall into the "unfollow" pile. After sifting through 30-plus outdoor PR and marketing ...read more
Up in quaint Ketchum, Idaho, Cassie Abel always has something to do. As the owner of women's apparel brand Wild Rye and founder of White Cloud Communication, as well as being an active skier, hiker, mountain biker, and dog owner, you can find her firing off emails and ...read more
Klaus Obermeyer, trade and tariffs, and creating emotional connection with omnichannel consumers are only a few of the topics on the agenda for Snowsports Industries America's (SIA) lineup of events before and during the second-ever Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. Over the four days, ...read more
At least one thing that retailers have over online sellers is the in-store experience, and showing off product in engaging ways does more than just sell. It persuades shoppers to return for inspiration, human interaction, and to be wowed. Enter Robin Enright Salcido, a ...read more
To put it bluntly, Supreme is the cool kid on the block. The one whose lack of effort seems unattainably chill, whose attention you’re dying to grab but can’t ever seem to figure out how to get. Even if you think you don’t know them, you’ve almost certainly seen riffs on their ...read more
It’s 3 a.m. and professional skier Eric “Hoji" Hjorleifson stands over the blueprint he’s sketching for a ski boot lever. An overhead lamp illuminates blizzard conditions through the tiny windows of the 12- by 24-foot basement-level workshop—but Hoji hasn’t skied for four weeks ...read more
As the title sponsor and education provider of the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2018 trade show, Outdoor Industry Association offered lunch-and-learn panels each day of the show. The topics varied, but were all informed by OIA’s three pillar focus areas: policy, participation, ...read more
Black Americans now spend $48 billion a year on travel and are among the fastest growing segments in the U.S., according to Mandala Research. And the strongest influencer of that trend is black millennial women. #BlackGirlMagic—a social media movement cultivated by black women ...read more
Courtney Matthews has been creating marketing concepts for outdoor brands since 1994. She's done stints at media outlets like BACKPACKER and Bicycling magazines, as well as at big brands like The North Face and Sierra Designs. Recently joining the Active Interest Media team as ...read more
What’s more important to today’s consumer—the product, or the story behind it? In a crowded outdoor market, the determining factor has increasingly come down to the brand’s background and what it stands for, says Sue Harvey-Brown. She has seen firsthand the power of brand ...read more
Specialty outdoor brick and mortar retailers are so much more than product pushers. Sure, you sell stuff, but the reason your customers keep coming back to you is the service and expertise you provide as part of the experience. Your Unique Value Proposition. Why UVP matters If ...read more
Take it from a millennial: Hashtags rule the Insta-universe. Slap a few popular hashtags onto your post, and BOOM, all of a sudden you’re getting “likes” from Instagram users all over the world. So how do you capitalize on the power of a hashtag to get your posts read by the ...read more
My name is Hannah and I’m addicted to Instagram. Lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) for me, my internship with SNEWS is supporting my addiction with this assignment: finding the most inspiring retailer shop Instagram feeds. As a millennial and outdoor newbie on ...read more
Many of us have what a lot of people would consider to be dream jobs. Sure, work is work, but a lot of what we do revolves on getting people outside. And we get to do a lot of that ourselves, too. We're curious how you got started in this great industry. Share your stories with ...read more