How I Pitched This — Helping to Launch an Award Winning Tent

Decathlon is the world’s largest sporting goods retailer. That’s right, the world’s largest sporting goods retailer. Thus, I was nervous when I came onboard at OutsidePR, with a B.A. in communication and a dream, and found myself on a conference call with Decathlon’s head of communications. I was still learning the language PR people speak, still getting used to the manic pace at which PR people work, and had never spoken to a client as big and important as Decathlon. I remember my palms sweating, and my voice shaking as I introduced myself to the team. 

Of course, everyone was perfectly kind and willing to help me get my bearings in the industry, and to craft relationships with the brand’s representatives. To start, I handled Decathlon’s lower-level needs — inputting data, placing product orders, and sitting in on weekly calls. But as time went by and my familiarity with Decathlon’s work cadence and goals grew,  so did my responsibilities, until one day an opportunity presented itself. 

One of Decathlon’s biggest challenges in 2018/19 was a lack of brand awareness in the United States. Despite the fact that the brand is, again, literally the biggest sports retailer on the planet, Americans aren’t particularly familiar with the French-based retailer. So we were constantly working to establish the brand and earn the media’s trust.

But in 2020 Decathlon launched a revolutionary new product that vaulted them into the spotlight.

The 2 Second Easy is an innovative, budget-friendly, car-camping tent that takes (literally) seconds to set up and  break down. No fussing with a fly, or even poles, because it works like magic, and by magic I mean five solid years of engineering and testing.

Decathlon wanted OutsidePR to help them launch the tent in the United States, and they wanted me to help. *Gulp*

I had pitched gear before, but I had never helped launch a product — let alone a groundbreaking product meant to help define a brand’s image for an entire country. It felt like a balloon was swelling in my chest. This brand that had helped me find voice in the outdoor industry was trusting me to help them with a national campaign. I was proud. I was also nervous. In other words, I didn’t want to get zero responses on product pitches, or improperly describe the product in a press release, or, well… I didn’t want to fail. 

I set to work crafting a press release to help prime the media and public for the tent’s launch. I also researched media in the space writing about innovative, sustainably crafted outdoor gear, and tapped into every resource at OutsidePR’s disposal. I asked my wizardly coworkers for contacts and advice on pitching this incredible product. I also spent some professional development trainings (provided by the company and the generous spirit of Kelsey McGrew) editing and re-editing a pitch that I could send out alongside a sample/test tent offer. We also spent hours on the phone with the Decathlon team discussing strategy, news angles, design features, and launch goals. I wound up with a long media list, a thrice-edited pitch, two press releases, and a head buzzing with possibility. 

Leading up to the launch, we published a small series of press releases detailing the tent’s defining features and innovations, and sent a flurry of pitches to some of the most important media in the outdoors space. Most importantly, we submitted the tent for one of Outdoor Retailer’s coveted innovation awards. 

The response was overwhelming. We received a massive call for samples from media ranging from GearJunkie and Outside Magazine, to Popular Mechanics and SELF. Everyone wanted to cover the tent’s launch. We saw a massive spike in coverage, and the response from testers was staggeringly positive.

Then in December of 2020, an email popped into my inbox from the folks over at Outdoor Retailer. The 2 Second Easy had outperformed hundreds of other products, and won OR’s highly-coveted Innovation Award! We had exceeded our high expectations for the tent’s launch, and had succeeded in increasing Decathlon’s brand awareness. 

Working with clients like Decathlon is a thrill, because it is an opportunity to help craft a brand’s identity, to learn about the industry that’s given me so much, and to craft relationships with people I admire. I look forward to continued challenges and successes with Decathlon, and more of the outdoor industry’s incredible brands.