GOPRO: BE A HERO

HISTORY

A few businesses produced inexpensive POV cameras a few years ago. Even
though their quality was quite poor, they allowed sports aficionados to capture
their experiences firsthand.

A brand-new stills camera system was unveiled in 2001. The wrist-mounted

waterproof film camera, known as the GoPro, made it possible to capture
action photos in locations where most cameras couldn't go. Its distinctive
pivot action mount, which allowed the camera to be held up to the eye
without being removed from the wrist, served as its key selling point.

The camera was created by Nicholas Woodman when he was still in his mid-
20s, and it now brings in about $350,000 annually. Now that we look at
GoPro, it all seems to have happened according to plan. Woodman, though,
had not had it simple. It took him nearly four years to release the first GoPro
stills camera system on the market after he was involved in several
unsuccessful businesses, including a video game company.

After a few years, the business created the GoPro Hero in standard definition,
and that's when things started to get interesting. Woodman understood that
this little, adaptable camera could empower individuals in a manner that
earlier video cameras just couldn't. The first fully high-definition POV camera
was produced by the company in 2009, and the rest, as they say, is history. In
other words, things got fascinating.

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After the HD Hero was released, the business made $64 million in just one
year. Now in its fourth HD edition as the Hero3+, the camera is utilized by
both amateurs and pros worldwide.

Importantly, the name GoPro has come to be associated with action cameras.

GO PRO BUYERS' PERSONA

These kinds of analyses, in my opinion, are particularly pertinent right now,

given that the action camera industry appears to have bottomed out following
a sharp decline over the past few years. For instance, the price of GoPro
stocks fell after 2015, and even if it has stopped, it hasn't yet recovered (as
we can see in the graph below).

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Three key buyer personas were found during my research. A fourth is also a
possibility, but I'll talk about that later. These are the 3 buyer personas:

• Type A, sometimes known as the "adventurous" type, falls between the

ages of 20 and 40. He enjoys athletics and is constantly seeking a
challenge to demonstrate his athletic prowess. Although he most likely
prefers more dangerous, adrenaline-filled pursuits like skydiving,
snowboarding, and mountain biking, he also appreciates wandering in
the woods and connecting with nature (you can probably find him
swimming with sharks or climbing mountains at the weekends). He
seeks a machine that can keep up with him, so he looks for a camera
that is impact-, waterproof-, and durable-resistant. In addition, the
camera must also have great video quality, with options like 4K
resolution, image stabilization, HDR, slow motion, time-lapse, and 360-
degree video. Type A is a target of a higher price range than the
average consumer because he wants to provide the best quality proof of
his performance to like-minded people on forums and blogs. The GoPro
Fusion, which can capture 360o films at the best resolution available to
GoPro, would be the perfect device for him.

• Type B, or "business owner," is between the ages of 25 and 50. He

participates in social media and wants to use high-quality videos and
images to improve the marketing campaign for his company. He is
emphasizing another benefit of GoPro: GoPro cameras are incredibly
user-friendly and still offer superior performance than the typical
smartphone camera, which is needed in a more professional setting.
Type B doesn't have a background in photography and may not have
ever used an editing program, but because of GoPro's user-friendliness,
these abilities are not required to capture visually appealing footage.
Type B seeks a solid price-performance ratio for its product but is willing
to spend what is required. He would be priced in the mid-to-high range,
Choosing a GoPro Hero7 Black, the best-performing member of the
recently announced GoPro Hero7 family, might be a good choice.

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 • Type C, as in "casual," is comprised of people aged 18 to 40. He wants
to enhance the camera on his phone instead of purchasing a
professional camera, which is frequently very expensive, complicated,
and delicate. He enjoys travelling, is quite active on social media
platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and probably has at least one
animal. He wants a camera that works well and is affordable while still
being durable and simple to use. He can select a GoPro Hero7 Grey,
which has 4K resolution capabilities, or the less expensive GoPro Hero7
White, which is the most affordable Hero7 model. You should be aware
that every Hero7 model is compatible with the GoPro app, enabling it is
now quick and simple to share images on social media (as compared to
most professional camera models).

The primary buyer personas for the brand that we found are as follows. Up
until this point, GoPro appeared to want to offer a family of products that was
widely diversified and catered to all three consumer personas. Given that
GoPro competes with the majority of high-end smartphone brands in terms of
photo and video quality, and because market pressure is, in my opinion, more
upward than downward, the company may decide to continue focusing on
offering top-of-the-line products at a premium price while maximizing some of
its strengths, such as the high video quality and advanced video modes. One
intriguing avenue for growth could be the drone industry, where GoPro
previously tried unsuccessfully to establish a presence with its GoPro Karma
model.

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Unfortunately, the Karma was beset by technical problems (perhaps caused by
design errors), the entire range of goods had to be returned, and later
production was discontinued. Working with flying drones is challenging since a
few seconds of less-than-stellar performance means a $1,000 is now rapidly
approaching the ground.

At the start of this, I've foreshadowed the possibility of a fourth

buyer persona. I introduce to you Type D:

The DoD, or Department of Defense, might be GoPro's fourth potential

customer. In recent years, the DoD began collaborating with what is now a
thriving ecosystem of software and hardware startups, VCs, and private
companies in a field that is perceived in many other nations as being
predominantly dominated by the public sector. In a "Defense Innovation
Marketplace" established by the DoD, GoPro might promote its selling points
to a different client. For instance, weight is one of the most important

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specifications for a civilian device because no one wants a bulky or heavy
smartphone or camera. However, in the military, this specification is less of a
concern because soldiers are specifically trained to carry much more weight
than the average civilian.

BE A HERO!

First of all, GoPro exhibits a high degree of consistency in its messaging

throughout all of its social media channels, notably Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram; as well as its website, all of which successfully communicate the
following:

Vision: “We dream. We have passionate ideas about what’s possible in this
world. Our passions lead us to create experiences and realities that expand
our world and inspire those around us”.

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Mission: “Enabling you to share your life through incredible photos and
videos by capturing, creating and sharing the world’s most GoPro perspective
with versatile cameras”.

Values: “Meaningful experiences”, “sharing” and “more fun”.

Slogan: “Be a Hero”.

Let's see how this is being accomplished on GoPro's social media channels:

SOCIAL MEDIA

The same message to clients, "GoPro is the world delivered to you... by you,
in which you are the storyteller," has been successfully communicated by
GoPro through the usage of all of its social media platforms simultaneously.
GoPro shares this message by encouraging users to post original material
they've created with a GoPro on the company's different social media
platforms. By taking this move, GoPro was able to establish a very strong
brand community in which users are continually exchanging and engaging
with one another's material.

GoPro has successfully promoted the value of its products through the use of
social media. The goal is to make you feel heroic as you appear in your own
picture or movie taken from your own viewpoint. It inspires creativity, fosters
a sense of community and fun, and enables the sharing of memorable
experiences across the globe when customers are given the opportunity to
create their own content, share it on GoPro's various social media platforms,
and then have it featured as the photo or video of the day.

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Facebook ‘Photo of the Day’ feature

Source: [Link]

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Twitter ‘Photo of the Day’ feature

Source: [Link]

Additionally, GoPro leverages its social media channels to showcase the

features and uniqueness of its goods. For instance, GoPro primarily produces
its marketing content by using the GoPro itself to take its own unique pictures
and videos, which are then shared on its numerous social media sites. The
great picture quality, camera adaptability, and distinctive GoPro perspective all
stand out in the shared photographs and videos, which are all distinctive
product features the company wants to convey to its customers.

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The GoPro Perspective

Source: [Link]

Now let’s take a look at how GoPro is communicating via its website:

Website

The "Watch" portion of the GoPro website, which is further divided into
"GoPro Awards" and "Videos & Photos," is a key feature. These two features
of the website cover the full brand and demonstrate how strong the GoPro
community is.

Source: [Link]

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Customers can submit their own images and movies taken with a GoPro in
specific categories, such as "tales from the road" and "capture difference," in
the "GoPro Awards" section. The top submissions, chosen by GoPro, will
receive a $1,000 prize and be displayed as the day's video or photo on the
website and across all of its social media channels. All of the video and photo
entries that were chosen as the best material under the "GoPro Awards"
segment may be found in the "Videos & Photos" section.

The "GoPro Awards" program creates an emotional connection with

consumers by letting them feel like a part of the brand. Additionally, it
encourages users to represent the GoPro brand by sharing their content and
doing so.

GoPro: Kitesurfing Icebergs in Greenland

[Link]

Second, GoPro has developed a strong emotional bond with its audience,
which has contributed to brand resonance. The steps in the brand resonance
pyramid shown below can be used to analyze GoPro's brand resonance:

1. Brand Salience- By creatively employing film shot with GoPro cameras

as its main method of brand promotion, GoPro has successfully
communicated the most salient features of its goods via its social media
platforms and website.
2. Brand Performance- By promptly responding to any queries,
grievances, or ideas from customers on all social media channels, GoPro
effectively makes sure that its goods are satisfying their functional
needs.
3. Brand Imagery- GoPro portrays itself as producing memorable,
enjoyable experiences that can be shared. When customers use the
GoPro camera to take their own photos and movies, they can feel similar
emotions.

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 4. Brand Judgments- Because of how the company presents itself to
consumers, GoPro users are aware of the quality and advantage its
cameras have over those of rival brands. The brand emphasizes both
the high quality that its products capture and how exciting your life may
be thanks to the products.
5. Brand Feelings- The sheer volume of photo and video contributions
from people all over the world demonstrates that GoPro users have a
degree of attachment to the products. Using GoPro, people wish to
share their life experiences. Customers may now express themselves in
a fun, innovative way thanks to GoPro.
6. Brand Resonance- GoPro has reached the brand resonance level
because of its strong customer involvement on its website and social
media pages. This has allowed the company to successfully forge
relationships with its users.

Overall, I think GoPro exemplifies a strong brand orientation and

integrated marketing strategy because it has effectively communicated
the distinctive qualities of its product, highlighted its functionality,
illustrated the value it adds to customers' lives, and built a strong
relationship with them that has led to the highest level of brand
resonance as a result of their constant engagement with it.

One industry expert has noted, “Some of the most amazing companies of the
coming few years will be businesses that understand how to wrap technology
beautifully around human needs so that it matters to people.” How does this
quote apply to GoPro?

This remark does, in my opinion, apply to GoPro for a variety of reasons.

GoPro "helps the world to capture and share itself in immersive and
fascinating ways," according to the company's website. We are a positive
force that encourages individuals to follow their passions by celebrating
everything good (GoPro). They are encircling the idea that people will always
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wish to encourage one another and share their experiences. One reason is
that, even if it ever did, social media is here to stay. Customers will still want
to share their experiences since it is currently a requirement for many people.
Therefore, GoPro should be successful in the upcoming years provided it
continues to offer incentives for users to want to upload and share their
experiences.

How does the GoPro story relate to the major concepts of consumer
behaviour?

The manufacturer of wearable and gear-mountable cameras, GoPro, serves as

a great illustration of how various theories of consumer behaviour work in
practice.

• Consumer Needs and Wants: GoPro addressed the demand for

consumers to record their experiences in high-quality video, whether
they were adrenaline-fueled excursions or regular moments.

• Perception: GoPro marketed itself as a high-end camera company,

highlighting its robustness, adaptability, and capacity for taking excellent
photos.

• Attitude and Evaluation: Based on their personal experiences and

assessments of the features and advantages of the product, consumers
developed favourable views regarding GoPro.

• Learning and Experience: As users of GoPro, consumers gained

knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses, which had an impact on
their decision-making in the future.

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 • Influences on Consumer Behaviour: Personal, psychological, and
societal factors such as consumers' exposure to social media, personal
hobbies, and recommendations from friends and family all had an
impact on how they adopted and used GoPro. GoPro's success may be
largely credited to its capacity to recognize and respond to the
requirements, desires, and behaviours of its target market through
efficient marketing and product design.

Although ambitious, I believe that this new market might revitalize the action
camera industry, and GoPro could grow in this new market (without having to
make expensive modifications to its core business) by using its strengths,
which have always been quality, dependability, and durability.

References:

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