A retailer built on adventure should sell the destination, not just the gear. Sun & Ski Sports, the Houston-born specialty outdoor retailer with more than 30 stores in 12 states, brought WWC on board to elevate and fine-tune its brand and image across every marketing channel. WWC developed the positioning "The official outfitter of wish you were here," a nod to the classic postcard sign-off that ties the gear to the getaway, then carried it through the retailer's full media mix. Ongoing advertising and design work spans direct marketing, regional print media, ROP, outdoor, television, e-marketing, and POS and collateral design, including the product catalog that puts the whole assortment in customers' hands. One voice now carries a multi-state retail brand, consistent from broadcast spot to store shelf.
Every new store is a chance for a brand to drift. Founded in Houston in 1980, Sun & Ski Sports has grown into a specialty outdoor retailer with more than 30 stores across 12 states, carrying over 350 brands for snow, water, cycling, and running. A footprint that size comes with a sprawling media mix, and a voice that can drift from one channel to the next. Sun & Ski asked WWC to elevate and fine-tune its brand and image across all marketing channels, so a customer sees the same retailer in a catalog, a television spot, and a store aisle.
WWC started with the idea before the media plan. The positioning "The official outfitter of wish you were here" reframes Sun & Ski as more than a gear store. It is the brand that equips the trips people daydream about. That idea now shapes work in every channel the retailer uses, from direct mail and regional print to ROP, outdoor, television, e-marketing, and point-of-sale and collateral design. The product catalog anchors the program, presenting the assortment with the same voice and craft as the brand campaign. Every piece has a clear job, whether it drives a store visit, moves product, or builds the brand, and all of it holds one consistent look from mailbox to checkout.
The clearest measure of the work is what it returns. WWC's engagement has delivered a 25.7:1 return on investment and $5.1 million in matched sales for Sun & Ski, while the scope has grown from brand refinement into the retailer's entire marketing program, including a back-to-school digital campaign and an augmented reality project. More importantly, it gave a brand with more than 30 stores one consistent identity, so wherever customers meet Sun & Ski, it feels like the same invitation to get outside.
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