Marketing outdoor recreation to millennials and their kids? Combine convenience and values

Outdoor recreation has been a major component of human culture for thousands of years. As we progress into the 21st century, there’s a growing generation of young parents who want to share the joys of an outdoor lifestyle with their own children.

This doesn’t mean that millennials want the same thing from the outdoors as their own parents did. If you want to market camping or other outdoor recreation to millennials, you should account for these changes in your marketing.

Outdoor recreation participation is growing

People of all ages are spending more time outdoors than they used to. Recent research from Winnebago Industries indicates that nearly 90% of outdoor enthusiasts plan to spend more time outdoors in 2023 than they did last year.

While older generations tended to flock outdoors for adventure or to experience crowded outdoor festivals, millennials and younger members of Generation X are far more likely than their parents to go outdoors for privacy, peace and quiet, and stress relief.

One of the other reasons behind the rise in outdoor recreation transcends any generational gap: parents across the country want to promote an outdoor lifestyle and share their love of the outdoors with their children. As millennials’ children begin to come of age, the millennials whose parents took them adventuring in the 1980s and 1990s are in a prime position to introduce their own kids to the same experiences.

Millennials want more from an outdoor lifestyle

In general, millennials have a different attitude than their forbears regarding the outdoors. Even as they seek peace and quiet, they tend to look for a curated experience, with logistical support and planning.

Other factors that matter to millennials include:

• Ease of planning: Are there classes or activities at the destination? Apps to guide campers?
• Connectivity: Millennials know that “getting away from it all” doesn’t necessarily mean disconnecting from the world. Many campsites integrate Wi-Fi now for this reason.
• Sustainability: Is the experience a net benefit for the environment?
• Accessibility: Can the millennial and their family even access the experience, or are there institutional barriers such as wheelchair access that would limit their enjoyment?

Many of these services are easy to implement into an outdoor experience. Others will require more planning and a more concerted effort. However, with millennials quickly outpacing other generations with their spending power, neglect this demographic at your peril.

Marketing to millennials matters

Thanks to the Internet and social media, consumers are better coordinated than ever. Millennials are the first generation to come of age in this connected environment, and they innately understand the power that this reach gives them. In many cases, they use that power to inform their network about the values of the companies they work with.

Moreover, millennials are at the age where they want to share these values, including a love of the outdoors, with their own children. They may take a different view of the outdoors than previous generations, but they still share these core values and want to instill the world’s youth with similar values.

This different view of “the outdoors” is critical to understanding the millennial mindset. Instead of thinking of it as a separate place, many millennials consider it a simple part of their everyday life. This mindset was described by global design firm IDEO as long ago as 2013, and it remains powerful today.

Reaching millennials: All you have to do is try

The outdoor recreation industry has historically not had much success reaching millennials. However, this is beginning to change. REI had great success reclaiming Black Friday with its #OptOutside campaign that started in 2015, and other companies have taken note.

The first and most important step to reach millennials is to be authentic. Social media is a powerful tool, but the most successful brands among millennials are the ones that combine a strong social media presence with word of mouth.

Try hosting workshops and classes and ensure that they’re friendly to beginners. Make sure to offer a suite of affordable options—this can be a great way to test new products and brands. And finally, don’t forget the power of traditional media.

One way or another, millennials are outdoors

Millennials are spending more and more time outside. Whether they choose to go through your company is largely up to you. Outdoor recreation companies cannot afford to neglect the millennial market, and the most effective way to reach this market is through messaging that aligns with the generation’s changing values.