Social Listening: Portland Has a Clothing Brand?

 

I chose to write about the Portland Gear brand. They are fairly new to the game and have experienced exponential growth since their start up not even a decade ago (2014). What Marcus Harvey (founder of Portland Gear) and his brand bring to the table is different from anything else on the market. He made a way for Oregonians to wear and share their pride. He believes clothing is a way to express ones self, which makes the brand perfect for someone like me, born and raised an Oregonian.

What is Portland Gear? (Video)

What makes Portland Gear unique compared to other competing clothing brands is its ability to let you tell a story when you wear it. The brand is bigger than just fashionable garments to be worn; it is a symbol of pride. Portland pride. Proud Oregonians seem to gravitate towards any chance they can get to rep the state of Oregon, which in turn is something that brings value to Portland Gear. Also, most if not everything they sell is Printed and assembled locally, in Portland!

Another thing that makes Portland Gear unique is its social media presence (especially on Instagram). Marcus Harvey, founder of Portland Gear, launched the Portland instagram page in 2012 to share his love of the city through photography. The Instagram page blew up, gaining the 380k followers that it has today. Marcus was able to connect Portland Gear to the Portland "official" Instagram page, which made Portland Gear the "official" brand of Portland! Right off the bat, when we look through the comments on the Portland Gear Instagram page we see nothing but positivity. Comments like, "Been using mine for the last two years. Love it!", "Just bought one", and "THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER" scatter the comments section of the Portland Gear Instagram page. They released a short video teasing the release of a new "app exclusive drop set for Saturday. An excited customer commented, "Can't wait!" to which I replied, "agreed!".

Without a doubt Portland Gear isn't just trying to sell apparel. They're trying to sell community! Marcus Harvey is an Oregonian through and through and wanted a way to express that. Before Portland Gear, there weren't any brands representing the city he grew to love (Portland, OR) the way he wanted to. He decided to put his own designs on apparel.  Portland Gear provides community for locals the same way that Jeep and Harley Davidson owners have community in their brands. The brand is something that people can find commonality in.

One challenge Portland Gear faces is trying to compete with Nike because after all, they are neighbors. Nike was a big inspiration to Marcus Harvey growing up because he grew up near the Nike headquarters and attended the U of O where Nike originated. Portland Gear successfully counters this challenge by not marketing themselves as another sports apparel brand (like Adidas or Puma) but as a local lifestyle brand. Portland Gear really thrives off of the local aspect of their business. They have done crossovers with Doernbecher Children's Hospital and the Hillsboro Community Foundation Fund! Despite the harsh competition in the clothing industry, Portland Gear has managed to stay relevant. 

As seen above, Portland Gear cares about their customers and made direct communication easy and accessible. Their website features a live chat bubble and emails to Marcus Harvey. Additionally, comments on their Instagram page are always open! A key giveaway that their listening is that they reply! As a customer, it is comforting to know that you're not talking to a brick wall.

If I were a brand manager for Portland Gear, I would consider frequent polls on my socials regarding things like colors on new clothing drops to see what my customers want. Another thing that may take the brand further into the "make it your own market" is by introducing customs! I know big brands like Nike, Converse, and Lids have huge success with this. I think Custom clothing is more rare than custom shoes on the market right now and might be the next big thing when it comes to that ownership feel you want your customers to have. Imagine: an Oregonian (or anyone) designing a piece of clothing to be made in Portland, bought in Portland, to rep Portland. Personally, That piece of clothing would be my absolute favorite. 

Hold my soda... I'm going shopping...