PROBLEM: As any surfer knows, it’s almost impossible to haul around a standard camera while riding, especially in the big waves. Nicholas Woodman, founder and CEO of northern California-based GoPro (goprocamera.com), knew he had a solution: the company’s Digital HERO 3, the first compact waterproof camera designed especially for surfers. But a great product doesn’t sell itself. It calls for effective sales prospecting techniques. Woodman needed to perfectly position the camera with his target market.

SOLUTION: Woodman understood that surfers have specific needs for a camera, and the integrated marketing communication strategies used by big companies wouldn’t fly. So he brought the camera, which is worn on the wrist, out into the waves, where surfers could put it to the test. He also went to surfing trade shows and visited surf shops to get retailer feedback. These aggressive sales techniques provided critical details that allowed him to effectively communicate with surfers.

Woodman then looked to other extreme sports — like mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking — and their buyer demographic groups. “Because surfing is so demanding from a usability and environment standpoint, our product also worked very well for other adventure sports,” he says. “Traditional cameras are not designed for surfing, skydiving, or riding a bike, so people could only capture the famed ‘parking lot photo’ before and after the event.”

When adapting a product to a new sport, Woodman goes into the field and asks people to use the product, beat it up, and give feedback. The approach has paid off in differentiating GoPro, allowing the company to become a niche marketing leader. “We don’t ask our grandmother what she thinks about our [motorsport camera and mount],” Woodman says. “We ask race car drivers.”

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