Alex's Random Thoughts

After all the mid terms, I finally have some time during the weekend, so I decided to review so of my shooting training videos.

Although I watched those videos more than 10 times already, I realized that during the whole video, it is all MARKETING of different brands of guns and accessories.

During the video, Art of the Tactical Carbine 2 by Magpul Dynamics, you can find all the big brands within the shooting community, such as gun builders like Knight Armament Company(KAC)’s SR-15s and Wilson Combat’s 1911s, and accessories providers like SureFire’s weapon light systems and Magpul’s products.

Magpul Dynamics is  part of Magpul Industries, a successful gun accessories designer and manufacturer, and the company is a successful example of how marketing works in the gun industry. Magpul is comparatively young company within the industry, but having created the strategic identity and web marketing pieces fir itself and having its products used by the US military on the battlefield, Magpul turned into a famous gun accessories provider within a few years.

During the show, the instructors, Travis Haley and Chris Costa, are also famous people within the community, so if other companies’ products appear in the training video, it will be a great chance to market its product, because most people who actually use guns and the gun accessories (targeted market) will buy the videos anyways, so the guns and accessories providers for the video can contact their potential buyers through the video.

In conclusion, the general marketing skills for the shooting community are having pictures or videos of the product used by some famous people within the shooting community or famous organizations(i.e. the military, especially US Special Forces), because it is the way to proof that the product can be used in extreme environments efficiently, which is what gun users are looking for.

P.S.: I just found a comment about Magpul’s market strategy on a gun community’s forum.

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=275961

“First, EVERY successful company markets. Though all do it, they do not always do it the same way – but none-the-less they market. If you have a website – you are marketing. The top banners of this website contains marketing from a variety of companies.

Some market by names associated with their weapon (EB, Special Forces, Wilson’s Spec Ops, etc.), others by having their weapons associated with particular departments (SA, FBI, etc.), others market by having a laundry list of accomplishments by some of their smiths (Wilson, etc.), and yet others market by allowing others to test their firearms in certain training environments, etc. Some use a combination of several methods. So yes, this is a marketing strategy by NHC.

There is nothing wrong with marketing – as matter a fact it is a tool for business survival. In marketing, the manufacturer/builder must choose, or be chosen, by the right advertising or marketing source – if not then it is all a waste of time and $$. You don’t see Mercedes Benz advertising their cars by giving them to gang members; RATHER you see them with royalty and successful people. Proper marketing targets potential buyers thru proper channels; moreover they utilize reliable sources and capable people, etc. NHC works with MPD because most consider Chris and Travis to be individuals with extreme taste, reputable backgrounds, knowledge, and experience. Moreover, Chris and Travis like NHC because IT WORKS! It is reliable, dependable, and accurate, etc. Call them for yourself and they will confirm it! (using their own words of course…).” by 1911OP