If you’re not from the Northwest, you probably don’t know what a tragic waste lies at the heart of this story.
G.I. Joe’s has been a temple of Oregon manliness since it was founded as an army surplus store in 1952. Over the decades it turned into a store for the average Oregon male (and un-average female) who was interested in hunting, fishing, cars, coolers, tents, tarps, tools, and things outdoor – at a reasonable price.
And over the years since I first got into this business in 1989, agencies in Portland have longed to build G.I. Joe’s into a powerhouse of a brand. The response from the leadership at G.I. Joe’s?
No thanks. We don’t need your branding crap. We’re doing just fine.
And they were. Until the big national competition came to town. (Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.) And now they’re filing for chapter 11.
Is this solely because they didn’t bother to build a sustainable, rich, and meaningful brand that could withstand the test of a hot new thing showing up in a low-cut blouse and tight jeans? Absolutely not. The economy…well, you know.
But the smugness of the leadership at G.I. Joe’s over the years – their personal macho hubris – blinded them to the value of building a brand rather than just shouting slogans and advertising product and price. And every agency that tried to lead them to brand building was completely frustrated. I don’t even know if they’ve been working with a real agency lately. But they have succeeded in letting whatever brand they had slip through their fingers.
Dennis, my partner, says he used to love G.I. Joe’s and his wife used to hate it. Then, over the years, she started liking it more and he started liking it less. Why? Well, read the Oregonian story and you’ll see that G.I. Joe’s started to go upscale with their products. No longer were they the bastion of reasonably cheap man stuff.
They also changed the name by dropping the “G.I.” and going with just “Joe’s.” That was a strong signal of change. And, apparently, not for the better, at least to a lot of their die-hard target audience.
They lost their clear purpose, and their brand was no longer a part of their audience’s identity. It was just a place to shop. And suddenly there was competition. Joe’s had no deep relationship that could keep a guy from wandering over to the new hot thing and offering to buy her a drink.
All their advertising had focused on price and products with a slogan thrown in because they didn’t need that branding crap, right? They were the only man’s game in town. Until they weren’t
Why build a brand when you can use your marketing dollars to drive sales? The story of Joe’s might be an answer to that question. Not that a rich, engaging, and sustainable brand culture would have protected Joe’s completely, but maybe – just maybe – it would have given them that edge to keep them solvent through the competition and hard times. Maybe if they had developed a true ongoing conversation with their audience they would have held onto their brand, rather than letting it quietly slip away.
– Doug
Good story, Doug.
In my experience, purely from a consumer’s perspective, G.I. Joe’s has blown it the past four times I’ve been in the store. I always leave feeling unappreciated and pissed off.
But the last straw was this past December, about five days after the major snow storm. Remember the snow storm?
After being stuck in my house for several days, I got into my car and crawled to G.I. Joes for something. I forget what it was, but it was important enough to put myself and my car in peril driving there.
The parking lot was full… of snow, slush, and water. The management had done NOTHING to make walking from the parking lot possible without getting soaked, or even slipping in the snow.
It was treacherous, everyone was slipping as they tried to walk, and I was thinking, “Of all places that you’d expect to clear their parking lot, because they have tools to do it…”.
Of course, there were a bunch of young, strong employees just standing around doing nothing.
After that, I vowed never to shop there again. Seems I’m not the only one.
Also, after that, I went to Costco, whose parking lot was COMPLETELY CLEARED. I thanked the manager and proceeded to spend a lot of money.
If you want to read the history of G.I. Joe’s and the brand that was created, go to the http://www.GrowingUpWithGIJoes.com website.
You are so right. I have to think it started right before they changed the name to joes. I never understood that, and I’m probably one of the women that actually liked the store. I had my eye on a particular ‘spensive gun safe. *some day*
But I remember going there 10 years ago and finding a used (yes USED!!!) workman’s outfit. They sold used and NEW stuff (boots, etc). And I felt the staff were pretty knowledgeable about all things manly. And, being not that knowledgeable of a lady, they didn’t worry about my fascination with hollow tips.
But then I went there right after the joe’s name change and it was as if they were trying to be REI with guns in the back. And they had no more used Workman’s suits! I can only tell you that it had lost that feeling. Even the employees no longer carried forth that “feeling”. I knew it was dying then, and I am surprised it made it this long.
Now I am really terrified about where I am going to get a replacement for my workman’s onsie.
Wow, great personal take on this whole Joe’s thing. I hope someone over there reads this.
– Doug
Janna,
yeah, that’s a really cool story. Glad you called it out.
– Doug
Doug,
Very interesting website! Branding, belief, and I would also add character. For instance, do you think there is a “Northwest Character?” What works in the Northwest that would not work in the South, for instance?
I guess you could say that belief influences character.
Janna Orkney
P.S. Please feel free to share http://www.GrowingUpWithGIJoes.com.
Janna,
Glad you find our blog interesting. In some ways I definitely think there’s a Northwest character – a set of qualities or characteristics that are particular in their mix to this place. And I think a lot of people from other regions of the country find it appealing, generally.
I’ve heard so from many visitors. And I was just in Atlanta and found the Southern character to be very appealing. And different. It was like I suddenly had all these best friends I didn’t know about.
But if you’re talking about character as in being honorable and principled and such, well, generalizations can be tougher. I’ve found that kind of character both present and absent in every corner of the country.
I think the level of anonymousness vs intimacy among neighbors and within the community has more to do with it than any particular region. And upbringing. This kind of character is more about the values people hold, I think.
Big topic. I do it injustice with brevity. Thanks for bringing it up.
– Doug
Jackie,
wow, talk about illuminating the customer experience. And we always (and rightfully) attribute the experience to the essence of the brand. If it’s good, the brand must stand for good things. And vice versa.
Branding is all about actions.
– Doug
It just gets sadder. I heard on the evening news last night that when G.I. Joes was purchased a couple of years ago they issued a press release and insisted no one refer to them as G. I. Joes — just plain Joes. When local news did indeed refer to them as “G.I.” Joes all local media received a “cease and desist” letter with threat of lawsuits from Joes’ attorneys. The newscaster actually talked about what that did to their brand.
In relaying this to my husband later that evening, he said, “you know, it was about two years ago that my relationship with the store really changed, but I was never really able to put my finger on it.” NOW he gets branding (or ruining a brand) and my passion for what I do for a living.