Social Listening: PrAna! Does the athletic leisure company's sustainability move have teeth?

     #ClothingForPositiveChange. This is PrAna's subtitle and key slogan right now. PrAna is a clothing company and part of Columbia Sportswear Company. Based on their slogan, sustainability is a key part of their marketing and brand image. 

    Despite their focus on sustainability, fit and function are the reason I wear and promote PrAna pants. As a strength and conditioning coach, I want a professional yet flexible pant. I found that with PrAna's Brion pant. I can squat down, jump, lift weights with these pants but they also work well for more formal occasions like dinner with friends or work. Honestly, I wear them from my chemical engineering job and then right into my fitness coaching job. They serve both purposes really well!

    PrAna's value proposition revolves around sustainability. From the packaging or the materials used, PrAna is unique in that they make athletic leisure clothing with sustainability at the forefront of their mind. If this is important to their customers then they are the go-to clothing company. They promise to produce their clothing with an Earth-first mindset. Their competitive advantage is their quality of material, the sustainability aspect of their production process, and their strong values. It's clear to customers what PrAna is all about = Athletic Leisure Clothing in a Completely Sustainable Way.

    What are people on social media saying about PrAna on April 17th, 2021?

Searching "PrAna pants" on Twitter

1. First example is how much focus these two like the function and durability of PrAna pants. 

Ben McIlwain replying to @bromptonpete about PrAna Brion pants and talking about their utility for cycling.

2. Below, Marshall Turvey, with the support of PrAna Zion pants and purporting the durability and how they "last forever".

These two examples definitely align with my PrAna customer experience! Interesting though, no one is saying, I buy PrAna because of their sustainability! Quality of the product is definitely the leading conversation based on these couple of examples.

Searching "#PrAnaPants" on Twitter

3. Twitter user, imperfectpose, talking about how she can work in her comfortable pants and then drop down into a Yoga pose. This is likely a social media ambassador as she has multiple pro-PrAna posts. They hire fitness influencers to become ambassadors. 

Twitter User Comments on Amelia Boone, famous Spartan racer, about PrAna's Kara Pants and their flexibility and fashion.

4. Amelia Boone is a world class obstacle course racer and Apple lawyer. She has won Spartan Race World Championships. She was discussing how she hates jeans and another Twitter user called out PrAna Kara pants as a solution to her problem. Intriguing! I think this is huge because PrAna's target market should definitely be the adventurous type person. Spartan Racers are outside, climbing ropes, running, rolling in the mud. They seem like the adventurous type. The product, with its unique features, is marketing itself! It seems the right people are finding their product.

What kind of products/service is PrAna trying to sell?

PrAna focuses on their athletic leisure clothing. This is a hugely popular market with yoga pants for women, athletic pants for men, and their "lounging meets athletic meets fashionable" clothes. 

Is PrAna doing something remarkable with their products?

PrAna is creating their uniqueness with their social responsibility towards sustainability. They are gung-ho on sustainability even though it isn't their product. Yes, I believe they are doing something remarkable with their product. This is something that someone will start telling their friends about. Early adopters will start saying, I love PrAna pants and how they fit. They also are sustainably made, shipped, produced. This could spread the message. 

Does PrAna use social media best practices based on Gary V's "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook"? 

Micro-content, maybe. They are posting every single day.

But, diversifying and diving into the specific platform? No. 

See below how Instagram and Twitter are the same. From my intuition and reading through Gary V's "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook", Twitter should be used for little conversations and replies. Instagram should be the picture platform with longer-form text. 

Attentiveness and replying frequently, quickly, happily? Yes. 

See Twitter exchanger below on a giveaway where they are replying to the commenters. Then, see below that, how PrAna page is passing on a design request from a Twitter user. This shows good concern and quick attention to the customers and online users. This is great for PrAna's social media presence and engagement. 

*This also satisfies the question of did PrAna reply to users on their social media channels. The answer is yes. Here's another example of their engagement on Instagram.

PrAna's Marketing Challenge

    What PrAna is focused on is re-branding and focusing on sustainability. This tweet here shows the "ReZion" which is a newly designed Zion pant. Their designers used entirely recyclable material. This is their key challenge right now. They did not have this sustainability position in the past and have been going hard on it with their website and social media channels.

    They have done a great job being active with it. Albeit, I have not followed them as a company on social media. I bought their pants before because of their quality of product. I hope the quality of the product doesn't slip because of the recyclable material. Time will tell! I will definitely be purchasing these products in the future because of my customer and product experience thus far. I think the sustainability angle is a good one but I still think they should be purporting their products' benefits. Maybe, their over-emphasis on sustainability is a great marketing move. I'm not sure. But, there is good evidence that they are hitting a nerve with this angle.

    Climate change is hugely important to a lot of people. There is evidence a tremendous amount of people, 73%, will change their consumption habits if it is more sustainable. "With a growing number of consumers showing concern for the environmental impact of their purchases, retailers can increase trust – and sales – by incorporating more sustainable practices into their operations. For the bottom line, sustainability efforts can translate into improved sales and brand loyalty as consumers look for providers that align with their own values". So, PrAna may be first to the party and it may pay off big-time! https://www.retaildive.com/spons/consumers-demand-action-on-climate-change-and-its-time-for-retailers-to/572572/ 

PrAna Social Media Engagement: Are they doing it to their absolute best? What could they improve upon?

    If I were the brand manager for PrAna (sounds like a cool job when you have a great product and a great cause! Go PrAna!) then I would do a few things differently. 

First, the good. 

1. They are aligned on their messaging about sustainability. 

2. They have an adventurous vibe to their posts which caters to their target audience.

Second, the improvements.

1. Storytelling. I would incorporate more storytelling about customers and any ambassadors/representatives that love the product. This would really sell the product well. Firsthand experience and stories are powerful. I know I would love to be featured and just tell them how often, how awesome, how durable, how perfect their pants are for me and my lifestyle! I'm sure others are, too!

2. Product quality. I would emphasize how well these pants and clothing is built. Their durability and quality in their product is outstanding. I didn't see a single post about that! Maybe it is too boring of a strategy, the clothing company saying their clothes are the best. I guess that's too bland. I would twist it as to why. I might even do some tests like put the clothes through rigorous backpacking trips and measure thickness on the pants. Or, cycling across the country trips and measuring the thickness around the butt. People like science and stats. This would really sell a nerd on the quality compared to other companies. I might even have fellow cyclists on the trip where competing brands and do it like a Bounty commercial. I don't know. That's just a quick brainstorming session. I'm sure there are all kinds of creatives ways to go about it.

3. I would recommend the social media managers and social media team "hustle" harder. They should be replying to tweets with links. For example, the Amelia Boone situation was a missed opportunity. Amelia Boone is a popular Spartan Racer. If PrAna replied with a link to the other Twitter user's subtweet, they might have gotten a sale. And, if not today, they may get one in the future. These platforms leave trails. They don't go away. I stumbled upon it. Maybe, I would have clicked on it!

What did I learn in this assignment?

1. Companies do seem tapped into social media and understanding its importance. Gary Vaynerchuk wrote "Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook" in 2013. This was 8 years ago. Companies seem to be more likely to embrace the social media platforms nowadays.

2. I think PrAna is making a re-branding attempt with good intentions, first to market (sustainability-focused clothes company - haven't heard of it before), and active social media work. It seems like a positive change for the company. #ClothingForPositiveChange

3. PrAna isn't getting much buzz on social media not because of lack of customers or lack of enthusiasm around their products but, rather, because of their engagement, storytelling, etc. Some customers are sticking up for them and mentioning them. But, their PrAna social media accounts are not super active. I would recommend PrAna focuses on a "hustle" mentality and presence on social media platforms. Gary Vaynerchuk would be proud. They aren't doing "bad" but there is always room for improvement. 

4. Researching marketing of companies is fun! I went in depth on this one because I love PrAna as a brand and I feel like I know about this niche pant product that everyone should know about. That was all before their sustainability movement. Now, even more the reason to stick with and promote PrAna. Shoot, I'm going to try and be a Brand Ambassador for them on their website!