Kodiak’s climbing strategy points to niche Olympic entry points for smaller brands

“Rock climbing is a booming sport seeing incredible growth and indoor climbing gyms are making rock climbing accessible to everyone,” Boman Farrer, senior director of marketing at Kodiak, said in an email, adding that “the partnership with USA Climbing was a natural progression in our involvement in the climbing world.”

Given the sheer cost of becoming a regional or worldwide Olympic partner (Toyota’s partner status, for example, cost it over $800 million across nine years), or even sponsoring official national teams, it’s clear to see the attraction of a pocket-sized, Games-adjacent partnership. Beyond the Games, marketers, dealing with social fragmentation, are diving into various niches to reach consumers.

“Niche sports, in general are an amazing place to be if you have real credibility in that space,” said Sam Ashken, senior strategy director at Interbrand. “If you’re seen as authentic in that world, the world’s your oyster.”

Kodiak’s not the only brand hoping to follow the ascent of climbing as a hobby and sport. Apparel brand Arc’teryx works with climber and creator Ben Fenton, for example, for a “Summer of climb” campaign staged this year.

Ashken notes that brands don’t necessarily need to be endemic to a niche sport to make a success of a sponsorship, official or adjacent. The official partners of the U.S. Olympic sailing team, for example, include both ropemakers and luggage brand Samsonite. Kodiak, after all, “aren’t making your belay device,” said Ashken.

Some kind of meaningful connection is necessary for media spend to have a real impact, though. Kodiak’s campaign emphasizes its range of protein balls, which are aimed at a more nutrition-conscious audience than its Chocolate Bear Bites, for example. But where a brand lacks an obvious place in the competitive side of things, Ashken suggests marketers interrogate how a brand can fit into its community.

“These newer sports, the one-time extreme sports are about community and culture, and being in the great outdoors, as much as they are about winning,” he said. 

Kodiak hopes to expand that niche into a larger foothold through the Olympic fortnight. As well as influencer activity involving Grossman and a roster of climbing creators, the company plans on running ads on linear TV and CTV.

According to Farrer, the brand’s media budget will be split 50/50 between linear TV and digital channels, though he didn’t share specific figures. 

“Our digital ads will run nationally, and our linear ads will narrow focus on the top 5 DMAs [“designated media markets,” regional TV markets], a term in the U.S.,” he told Digiday.

Sport climbing is only a recent addition to the Olympics, having been first included in Tokyo in 2020. Though the event might not be a major draw for broadcasters, the pursuit has grown in popularity in recent years and in Paris, the IOC is including a second medal event. 

In any case, Kodiak’s marketers believe climbers are among its core consumers, and the brand’s pursued an association with the sport for several years. Emily Harrington, a climber who was briefly in the public spotlight for a 2020 free climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, has worked with the brand for four years.

“Climbers are incredible athletes and nutrition plays a critical role in their performance. Kodiak was welcomed into the climbing community years ago since we have products that are well suited for rock climbers’ fitness and nutrition needs,” said Farrer.

As well as the TV spend, Kodiak plans to leverage its team of brand ambassadors. While not a celebrity, Harrington, for example, has a sizable Instagram presence that’s being put in service of Kodiak’s marketing aims.

Farrer said the company’s partnership budget increased 66% since last year, though didn’t say what its 2023 spend had been. “We’ve focused more of that investment into our partnership with USA Climbing and climbing athletes,” added Farrer.