Building An Adventure Lifestyle Brand: Interview With Passenger Clothing Brand Manager
Add another exciting brand to the list of adventure lifestyle brands like LL Bean, REI and Patagonia. It’s UK-based Passenger clothing, launched in 2012.
As a brand strategy + activation firm focused on health, wellness and active lifestyle, we were excited to connect with brand manager, Richard Sutcliffe. We talked about brand positioning, connecting with customers and about social media. And Passenger is using social media in new and exciting ways – as a platform to build communities around like-minded consumers, stretch brand meaning beyond clothing and create a distinct culture.
Tell us about your brand Richard…
Passenger originates from the South Coast of England near the New Forest situated a few minutes from the coast and the forest. Both of these elements are a constant source of inspiration. Our Ethos is very simple. We aim to share what we as a team are passionate about and unite like-minded people through a sense of community.
We are dedicated to developing products that reflect everything we live for. We have a unique style that is based around balance, the balance between simplicity and functionality. We aim to really push the boundaries when it comes to quality and bridge the gap between style and the outdoors.
A big part of the ethos for Passenger is being in or around the sea, it’s at the heart of what we do along with the music that inspires us, the places we see and experience as well as the people we meet along the way. We live for the outdoors, art, photography and adventure.
There are so many people that endure the rat race everyday, but like us, are constantly seeking adventure and the freedom that can bring. We want to inspire people to find their own paths, push their boundaries and embrace their own journey whatever that might be.
What role does social media play in your overall brand strategy?
Social media plays an important role for us and our like-minded customers. Beyond being able to engage directly with them, it helps reassure them of our values, lets them know (based on their interests and desires) what we’ve been up to as far as trips and adventures, lets us showcase new products and gives them a look at what’s going on with our brand.
As a lifestyle brand, how do you authentically engage your customers?
Being an adventure lifestyle brand we try and engage our market by actually living the lifestyle and ethos. We are a fairly small team and most of us in our free time can usually be found on a surf adventure, exploring the wilderness and generally living the life we showcase. This enables us to have a good understanding and relate to our audience as we love what we do. We often share posts and content from our own adventures and this resonates with people and helps us connect on a more personal level. We really love communicating with people who share similar values with, and who are inspired by, what we are doing.
How do you feel social media can connect you to customers who may not find you through traditional channels?
Social media has such a big reach globally that we can directly impact individuals we would not be able to reach otherwise. It also allows us to reach a more defined market that potentially could be interested in what we have to say. It allows people to interact with us, and we can answer questions, share stories and information and connect a network together who share the same passions such us adventure lifestyle
Each platform (whether Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.) has its unique strengths based on what we’re trying to do. We personally like to work closely on Instagram. Photography is a big part of our brand, and it enables us to use images to tell our story and engage with our audience.
Final thoughts…
As a brand we are passionate about sharing stories, adventures and inspiring people. So please do say hi to us. As you’ll see, we’re more than just a UK surf brand or adventure clothing brand. Also, we have recently launched our Waves and Trees Project. These are the two elements that continue to map out our adventures, drawing us to explore new destinations and inspire us, being surrounded by both at our home in The New Forest, England. We’re actually in discussions now to make this part of a wildlife and conservation programme in our local area.
You can find Passenger online:
passenger-clothing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/passenger-clothing
Instagram: @passengerclothing
Twitter: @passengerwear
All photos courtesy of Passenger.