Surefire Marketing

I am doing a small project about Surefire's marketing and advertising. I would love to use some of your opinions in my report if I may. These are the things i am looking for:

What is their public image? How do they present themselves to their customers, and How do they brand their product.
What aesthetic choices do they make and how does it relate to how they want to be perceived?
What is the message behind their logo, if any?
Is their advertising deceptive or manipulative in any way?
Do they engage in product placement or stealth marketing in any way?

If anyone can help me at all, as a flashaholic, i would be very very appreciative. I dont know how i convinced my group to use Surefire for our project but man was I happy! :twothumbs This is both for me and Patchncn

No problem.


What is their public image? How do they present themselves to their customers, and How do they brand their product: They put themselves out as a manufacturer of lights for people with tough occupations who require excellent gear regardless of the cost. I think they try to emphasize the regardless of the cost point.

What aesthetic choices do they make and how does it relate to how they want to be perceived?: Their lights are pictured outdoors, in caves, and being used by the military and police. They're trying to back up their tough light image.

What is the message behind their logo, if any?: I don't know about the current logo, but the old Laser Producs logo included a laser icon similar to the one used in the warning symbol.

Is their advertising deceptive or manipulative in any way?: Yes, but I believe most if not all marketing is deceptive and manipulative by it's very nature. Look at how SureFire has influenced perceptions on the practicality of a flashlight as a self defense tool.

Do they engage in product placement or stealth marketing in any way?: SureFire products are used in movies and TV shows (Transformers, CSI Las Vegas), but I don't know if that was the choice of SF's marketing department or not.

There's my opinion. Hope this helps.

that is exactly what i am looking for. thank you! im kind of using my project as an excuse to really get to learn about surefire from people that really know...

Climberkid, if you haven't downloaded the 2008 SF catalog, it has a lot of great pictures and description that should be able to help you out with your project. Good luck.

cool. i will check that out now. thanks :thumbsup:

xcel730 said:

Climberkid, if you haven't downloaded the 2008 SF catalog, it has a lot of great pictures and description that should be able to help you out with your project. Good luck.

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I'd also like to add something: I think that they are trying to sell a niche product to many people. Ultra-durable flashlights don't have too much appeal to the average citizen, so they have to resort to 'mall-ninja' marketing to make money.:shrug:

e2x2e said:

so they have to resort to 'mall-ninja' marketing to make money.:shrug:

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I don't think I've seen any evidence of that.

Regards,
Tempest

I think their ultra-reliable niche market lights are more tailored towards the military, LEO, and outdoorman in general. :shrug:

When there is some sense of elitism associated with a product, you will likely have a wannabe interest or following as well as the hard core "user", IMHO. The amateur or weekender will buy the gear the pros use. If expertise or superiority is associated with a product, there will be those of us wishing to purchase superiority or expertise.

This seems to hold for all that is perceived as "tactical" or rugged or extreme or what have you. I would imagine that many marketing departments realize this and may cater to this additional demand or interest. I understand that the Airsoft (sp) market is quite significant for tactical add ons and gear. Does SF actively pursue this market or leave it to their distribution chain to do so? :shrug:

I think the SureFire name is a very clever one and has implications on many levels of interpretation. Fire can signify flame or light and it also signifies discharge of high energy of explosive and directed force. To be sure of fire is no doubt a good feeling or confidence booster. I am cracked up at how many plays on fire we see in the names of other manufacturers and lines these days! In a place that will be unnamed, a group of heady, if not misguided, CPF members worked collectively on the design of a FartFire light for some time but as the name implied, it never got past the vapor stage. :nana:

McGizmo said:

n a place that will be unnamed, a group of heady, if not misguided, CPF members worked collectively on the design of a FartFire light for some time but as the name implied, it never got past the vapor stage. :nana:

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Sorry, Don, but that project stunk!

that is exactly what i am looking for. thank you! im kind of using my project as an excuse to really get to learn about surefire from people that really know...

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So you're going to call SF directly?

Surefire advertises a lot in Popular Mechanics and Popular Science magazines, but I've only seen a picture of one of the ads -- it targets cavers:

www.pbase.com/cavertim/image/71131079/original

Surefire cave advertisement
Keystone River Cave

This image appeared in the following magazines: National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Backpacker (plus the Gear Guide 2007 issue), Field & Stream, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Men's Journal, Hooked on the Outdoors, Inside Outdoors, and Four Wheel Drive & Offroad. It was also the cover for the 2006 Surefire lighting products catalog.

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The ad text says:
"If a work of art 300 million years in the making takes your breath away, you should see what happens when your light quits.
It's a feat just to get to a place like this. Which means you want a light that lets you see what's really there. It also means, if your light quits, you're dead. Because this far underground, you can't move safely, you can't find your way out, and nobody will hear your screams.
surefire.com"

That's some of the most 'tell it like it is' advertising I've ever seen.

That reminds me of a get-together a few years back when a bunch of us (including PK) went to the Sequoia National Park and Crystal Cave. The park guy told us he had been doing tours of the caves for several years (8, I think? :thinking: ). He had the standard Maglite and was attempting to do his regular tour thing by shining it into parts of the cave to show us different points of interest. Of course, we all pulled out OUR lights (think many, many Surefires of varying sizes) and the guy actually admitted that we showed him parts of the cave that he'd never seen before. He put his Mag away and let us give HIM a tour...

Greta said:

That reminds me of a get-together a few years back when a bunch of us (including PK) went to the Sequoia National Park and Crystal Cave. The park guy told us he had been doing tours of the caves for several years (8, I think? :thinking: ). He had the standard Maglite and was attempting to do his regular tour thing by shining it into parts of the cave to show us different points of interest. Of course, we all pulled out OUR lights (think many, many Surefires of varying sizes) and the guy actually admitted that we showed him parts of the cave that he'd never seen before. He put his Mag away and let us give HIM a tour...

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That's an awesome story. Man, that must have been quite a scene with the cave lit up by multiple high lumen lights. I bet the cave guide uses a different light today, or at least he should be after witnessing such overwhelming lumen power.


As for the marketing, there are many that "try" to emulate SureFire by naming their companies/products to sound similar to SureFire and even putting out designs to "look" the part. I guess imitation is a form a flattery or coattail riding?

:lolsign: very interesting story Greta.

Greta said:

That reminds me of a get-together a few years back when a bunch of us (including PK) went to the Sequoia National Park and Crystal Cave. The park guy told us he had been doing tours of the caves for several years (8, I think? :thinking: ). He had the standard Maglite and was attempting to do his regular tour thing by shining it into parts of the cave to show us different points of interest. Of course, we all pulled out OUR lights (think many, many Surefires of varying sizes) and the guy actually admitted that we showed him parts of the cave that he'd never seen before. He put his Mag away and let us give HIM a tour...

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I've actually seen quite a few surefire ads in "Outdoor" magazine, and Tactical Knives magazine. Some of them are pretty neat. If I could find them, I'll scan it and post them up.

greenLED said:

So you're going to call SF directly?

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I thought about it, but i think i would be too intimidated talking to surefire. Haha!:shrug:

Climberkid,

If after you're done with the report, if you could post it up or PM it, that'll be cool. It will be interesting to see the information you gathered and the results from your research.

xcel730 said:

Climberkid,

If after you're done with the report, if you could post it up or PM it, that'll be cool. It will be interesting to see the information you gathered and the results from your research.

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I'd like to see it too.

Absolutely. Because it is a group project and there are 6 of us we split things up. Luckily there are 2 flashaholics in our group (me and patchncn) and the other 4 seriously dont care. so the flashaholics are gathering the information, 2 other less creative individuals are putting together the body of the report, and the other 2 are putting it into a crative medium. possibly a .mov presentation with surefire pictures and quotes and just have the paper attached. i will let you know when i know! thanks again so much.

Ahhh.. the good ole' days of me bringing in my flashlight stories for busness cases. Andrew W was used in some classes also (ethics class of course LOL)



best of luck! What is the class you are taking?

My family and I went to a cavern near Talladega, Alabama. I don't remember the name. Anyway, the pretty blonde teenage tour guide was carrying a 6 volt plastic lantern that could be bought at Dollar General for about $3.00. When I whupped out the U2 everyone on the tour started hanging near me. I couldn't believe that a cavern tour business would send teenage kids guiding groups of people, a mile underground with such a piece of junk.

As far as marketing, I noticed in Petersons Hunting magazine that adventurer Craig Boddington is a celebrity spokesman for Surefire. It just seems to me that a product like Surefire doesn't need a "celebrity" to hold it's product and grin. Whoever they pay to hold their product and smile is irrelevant to me when I'm in a dark place and need to see. It is my opinion that in the way of survival products, including flashlights, celebrity is of little importance. Celebrity has always seemed more "coolness factor" as far as marketing goes. Thats not how I choose my gear.