CAse study
Bringing gear to life with Justin Outdoors
Showcasing authentic product performance in partnership with Cascade Designs
Overview
The landscape of outdoor gear marketing is evolving. With consumers seeking genuine experiences and credible voices, traditional product placements are no longer sufficient. Outdoor enthusiasts are looking for real-life demonstrations and trusted recommendations from individuals who embody the spirit of adventure. On behalf of Cascade Designs, our team has established a close relationship with Justin Outdoors, a prominent YouTube content creator and Canadian outdoorsman, to showcase their gear in action. Justin’s channel offers thorough, trusted product reviews, and he has established a channel and audience that are highly dedicated and respect his expert recommendations and opinions. Cascade Design’s products (MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Platypus, PackTowl, and SealLine) resonated deeply with Justin’s audience, driving engagement and building trust in the Cascade Designs brand. Over the past few years, Justin’s channel has grown substantially, and today, he has over 100,000 YouTube subscribers.
Tactics
On behalf of the Cascade Designs brands, our Verde team has collaborated with Justin Outdoors to integrate their products into his wilderness expeditions, where he demonstrates their functionality and reliability in various outdoor environments, such as backpacking and camping.
Product Demonstrations: Justin provided in-depth reviews and real-world usage of Cascade Designs gear, highlighting its features, his honest opinions about the gear, and its benefits in his videos.
Authentic Storytelling: By sharing his personal experiences and adventures, Justin creates compelling narratives that naturally incorporate Cascade Designs products, making the content relatable, authentic, and engaging for his viewers.
Audience Engagement: Through comments and online interactions, Justin directly engages with his audience, answering questions about the gear and providing further insights into its performance.
During a multi-day backpacking trip, Justin showcased how Cascade Designs' lightweight, durable gear enhanced his outdoor experience, offering both convenience and reliability. His honest, unfiltered feedback resonated with viewers who value authenticity in gear recommendations.
Project highlights
Products Featured: NeoAir XTherm NXT, Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag
Views: 626k
Summary: This is one of Justin's most viewed videos of all time. This video in particular focuses on Justin's go-to winter camping sleep system for EXTREME conditions.
Products Featured: Platypus Bladder, Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag, NeoAir XTherm NXT, Whisperlite Stove
Views: 110.4k
Summary: This is a great example of a trip report from Justin and the experience he had and gear he relied on during a 3-day winter camping trip in the Remote Canadian Rockies.
Products Featured: Platypus Quickdraw, WindBurner Stove, PocketRocket Deluxe
Views: 191k
Summary: Justin demonstrates the ease of use and effectiveness of the Platypus Quickdraw, the WindBurner Stove, and the PocketRocket Deluxe, attracting significant viewer engagement.
Products Featured: Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag, WhisperLite Stove, Titanium Spoon, Platypus SoftBottle
Views: 21k
Summary: Reinforcing the positive reception of the Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag and WhisperLite Stove, this follow-up video continued to build trust and interest in these products among viewers.
Products Featured: MSR Core Stakes
Views: 36.8k
Summary: Featuring the durability and strength of the MSR Core Stakes, Justin highlights their importance in secure tent setup, generating considerable interest.
Products Featured: NeoAir XLite NXT
Views: 10.8k
Summary: Demonstrating the comfort and portability of the NeoAir XLite NXT, this video attracted a dedicated segment of viewers interested in lightweight and efficient sleeping solutions.
The Results
- Over 1,000,000 total views for Cascade Designs products across multiple videos. High engagement rates with positive comments and shares, indicating a strong interest and trust in the products. Justin's top 4 most viewed videos all feature Cascade Designs products.
- Increased awareness of specific products such as the Platypus Quickdraw, Core Stakes, WindBurner Stove, Whisperlite Stove, Polar Ranger Sleeping Bag, and NeoAir XLite NXT, leading to higher search volumes and website visits. As an example, videos featuring the Polar Ranger and NeoAir Xtherm NXT have each received 18,000 click throughs from Justin's videos featuring these products, driving viewers directly to product pages at retailers.
- Positive perception and reviews from a trusted influencer, enhancing the credibility of Cascade Designs’ products.
- The benefits of this influencer collaboration has been substantial, especially compared to other traditional advertising channels. High return in terms of brand loyalty and customer acquisition through authentic and relatable content.
- We trust Justin and his expertise, recognizing that he knows his audience better than we ever could. Therefore, from the onset of our relationship with Justin, we established the understanding that there are no set expectations in terms of the type of coverage he produces. Instead, we appreciate how Justin incorporates the products we've sent him for review on an ongoing basis (vs. the review sample's purpose being to generate one dedicated review of the product). YouTube relationships lend to ongoing coverage of a product and storytelling that connects with the audience in a different way. As such, when Justin talks about the gear he uses on real trips and in real world settings, these types of videos lead to more engagement and clicks to product pages.