I highly recommend a brand I seldom use anymore. This is a story of quiet quitting a great brand.
I started camping about 15 years ago. Nothing hardcore; my wife and I just wanted to get out of town and enjoy nature. So, I picked up some basic, quality Coleman gear at my local Walmart.
It was perfect. Exactly what we needed.
For a while.
We started backpacking, which is when I realized Coleman is too heavy and bulky to carry around. I started looking for other options, and I found REI. The company had some nice checklists, informative articles, and product comparisons. They really helped me navigate the backpacking space.
They also had some really good gear. I invested in some, and then I quickly invested in more. It wasn’t long before I quiet quit Coleman and became a die-hard REI customer.
With my new equipment, I was able to scale down on the weight I carried. I could hike further. Go longer. Do more. I was able to experience the outdoors in the way I wanted to. It was amazing!My backpacking values and aspirations evolved, and I naturally upped my backpacking game. Which made me wonder: Could I go even further? What dreams and mountains could I tackle next? And what gear would I need to do that?
I needed a brand(s) to meet me where I was. So, once again, I started looking for information. My answers led me, and my wallet, to some specialist retailers.
I didn’t plan to quiet quit REI. I mean, I love REI. It’s a great company. I still shop there, but they get a much smaller share of my wallet now. I recommend them, but I shop elsewhere. It’s a conundrum.
It’s also a story I see being played out every day in every industry.
So, let me boil my story and the entire marketplace down to a few key points.
Q: What is quiet quitting?
A: It is when a consumer decides to walk away from a brand. There may not be a glaring reason for it. It may not be intentional. It may even surprise the consumer as much as it does the brand management team.
It’s important to note that quiet quitting doesn’t necessarily mean the consumer has completely turned their back on the brand. But they are definitely spending less money on it than they did before.
Q: Why are consumers quiet quitting brands?
A: Another brand is doing a better job of authentically aligning its messaging with their values.
It doesn’t mean that Brand A is necessarily doing anything wrong. It’s just that Brand B resonates with consumers more. It speaks to them. Fits their personal style or ambition. Helps them be who they want to be, what they aspire to be, and feel how they want to feel about themselves.
It helps them Live Well™
Q: How can brands prevent quiet quitting?
A: Brands need to know who their customers are and how to engage with them in a way that speaks to their soul.
Brand management teams should ask themselves:
- What drives our current and potential consumers?
- What place does our brand play in their lives?
- Why are consumers attracted to our brand?
- Why are they attracted to our competitors’ brands?
Simple to ask. Hard to answer. Crucial to know.
Here is a promise: Brands that help people Live Well, that help people live as close to their aspirational selves as possible – those brands win in the marketplace.
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