MISUNDERSTANDING OUTDOOR

On the misinterpretation of the market, the uprooting of identities and the

true heroes of our time. A White Paper by Julius Geis, © 2015

Extract

TABLE OF CONTENT

00 Prologue

01 The identity of the outdoor market

02 The formula of the markets

03 The distribution according to the formula "X- potential"

04 The change and the crisis

05 Pandora's Box

06 The consequences of the misunderstanding

07 A new path

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HOW TO READ THIS WHITE PAPER

Please keep in mind that this white paper presents a perspective related to the author’s engagement

within the German/European market. All research and collected datas within this paper need to be read

with that understanding.

oo PROLOGUE

The first time I came across the term “outdoor“ was at the 2005 Munich ispo. At the time, I was the

owner of a small distribution company, specializing in the board sports market. We saw ourselves as a

subculture with a strong influence on the mass market. Suddenly there was the hall

"outdoor" and everyone was talking about it. We had never before heard of this trend until now...

I still remember a conversation I had with a friend from the boardsport scene, and how we made jokes

about this new "outdoor" trend. Not so much about the sports included in the concept, but rather about

the term "outdoor". We could not understand – neither then nor now – what "outdoor" really meant. Is it

a place – I am outside? Is it an activity – I am moving outside? Or is it a statement – I live outside? In

the end we did not care and we left it to the outdoor enthusiasts themselves to find the right definition.

In 2013 I started working for a medium-sized outdoor company as a brand consultant. Back in the

outdoor industry, back in the land of„Confusios“.The term "outdoor" was still very present and for me

still as vague as before... The information I received about outdoor after my inquiries within the

european-market, its terminology, motivations and cultural habitat was very unspecific in my

understanding. I wanted the answer that was more concrete… So I set out to understand the meaning of

the word “outdoor“.

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01 THE IDENTITY OF THE OUTDOOR MARKET

First, I wanted to know the origin of the term "outdoor" and to do this I started to study other markets. In

an interview with an expert in the sports industry, I discovered a principle that was the simple, logical

answer for me. I learned that the sports market is divided according to indoor activities i.e. activities

that take place in buildings, such as in sports halls; and outdoor activities i.e. activities that take place

outdoors, such as on sports fields. Furthermore, the sports are also divided into categories, whereby

activities such as table tennis, squash and gymnastics are classified as indoor activities, while walking,

hiking and canoeing are considered outdoor activities.

The market term "outdoor" was created based on this principle and this terminology is solely used by the

industry and in commerce.

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INDOOR

vs. OUTDOOR

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With each passing year, the athletes interpretation of outdoor activities continued to grow and new

categories were added to the flat market. It made no difference whether these activities were chosen by

people for private or professional reasons. When the number of followers of a certain sport activity

increased, brand manufacturers responded and sooner or later the market met the demand with the

desired goods. This logical principle is subject to a simple formula that has a decisive influence on the

market: The good into the pot, the bad into the crop. That is how the market selects, and a very simple

formula suffices– a formula that decides whether a category is allowed to step out of the shadows and

take the stage on the market, or not.

So what is this formula?

CATEGORY > X-POTENTIAL = CATEGORY-MARKET

CATEGORY < X-POTENTIAL = GENERAL-MARKET

X-potential is the key that determines the advancement of a category. Potential – the great unknown

that is appreciated and valued by experts and trend scouts, and thus elementarily affecting the

happenings on the marketplace – just like the followers, who have in recent years had an exponentially

high impact on both brand trends and product trends.

I will briefly explain it using the example of football. Football could be classified as outdoor sports as

well as indoor sports. But since football is popular enough to have its own market, no assignment has

been made. Football (with all its facets) generates so much demand that the designated market has

named itself after the sport. In this case, the potential is therefore greater than X.

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