« Getting Social With Bunker Mentality »
Grab yourself two pints of lager and a packet of crisps as Chapeau Noir catches up with Robert Hart of Bunker Mentality, the UK-based golf brand that brings great style and enthusiasm together to create a uniquely modern, yet traditional look for both on and off the course.
Find out what Hart says about the importance of social media to his brand, his brand philosophy, and even get a glimpse at what's in store for 2011 at Bunker Mentality.
Bunker Mentality has been a long standing supporter of Chapeaunoirgolf.com. Obviously you saw some sort of value in a blog focusing solely on golf fashion. Why was that?
Well, Bunker Mentality is also focused on golf fashion and we stroll the internet 'fairways' daily. Chapeau Noir was clearly a strong blog and focused only on clothing. Also, you have a really cool little hat as your logo which says style and cool. We should make some of those!
As you know Mike, at Bunker we like to 'spread the love' of the great game of golf and CNG is doing a very similar thing which is why things have worked so well. We have been delighted to be involved with CNG over the last year!
European Tour professional Paul Waring in Bunker Mentality for 2011.
I think even the more mature golf companies are beginning to realise clothing is an important part of the golf industry that has great potential. Retailers like clothing because for a customer it is generally less expensive than a set of irons, a driver or even a putter and also gives more margin and sells through more quickly.
With the growing importance of clothing, its good to see dedicated clothing website like CNG as there is such a lot of new product to talk about. So keep it rolling...its crazy good!
Let's get cracking on those Chapeau Noir hats! As one of the first golf apparel companies to really embrace social media to spread news of the brand, how important would you say your use of social media has been to your success in 2010?
The short answer is very important.
I think there is a fundamental change in consumer society and with ever faster internet, wifi and the latest mobile phones all making it easier for people to connect this will only grow in influence. Being in direct contact to your customers is fantastic as you can make your communication very clear and develop loyalty with the brand quicker. Possibly the best thing is that the communication process is two way unlike an advert in a magazine. Customers can interact with the brand easily, effectively and quickly and they seem to enjoy that more and more.
We have several social media channels and just recently created our own on line magazine called BunkerWorld all connected to our website. A number of years ago we stated our intention to create a new modern platform for golf fashion and expression internationally and we have done that. However, it's a never ending project as the internet is constantly growing and changing, we are now looking more towards adding a lot more video content over the next year. We want our customers to be able to communicate and get involved with the brand and this means you need to stay on top of all things happening internet and social media-wise. Already the days of sending out emails to your customer data base are numbered as there are easier, quicker and more effective ways of doing it.
European brands have had a very big influence on golf style in the past few years - slimmer lines and better fits being the two greatest benefits I see on course every week. What direction do you see golf fashion as a whole taking in the next year?
Paul Waring in Bunker Mentality's KingPIN zipper for 2011.I hope it continues to become more and more fashionable. There are now more companies bringing fashion to the fairways than when we started and that's good for growing the golf clothing sector. From our point of view we will continue to use colour with confidence and to make sure every piece of our collections has detail.
We will continue to design for a golfing addicts life style. For 2011 we have added cotton knitwear to our collection and you can see one of our European Tour pros (Paul Waring) has already bagged his favourite life style piece in the Bunker KingPIN zipper, pictured at right. We have more than doubled the number of technical pieces we have for 2011 which is an area we are excited about. We have put a lot of effort into details and the CMax Events polo shows this to best effect.
Bunker is very well know for adventourous strong branded products but we love details as well and this can be seen when people look closely at each piece. We will never do a plain piquet polo with our logo stuck on the chest. We always look to add detail and the CMax Events polo is a perfect example with it small micro collar, seaming and back shoulder panel details.
As you grow the business towards a North American presence, what can the Canadian and America market expect from Bunker Mentality?
They will get what the rest of the world gets...100% Bunker Mentality...clothing for golf addicts, people with a love of the great game and who have a different mentality. Our mission is always to design clothing that our customer can wear from the first tee to last orders in the bar and the recipe for this is a strong, confident adventurous brand that loves golf, golf and more golf. A brand that is about an experience and that experience will be delivered through our web platform 24/7, 365 days a year.
Your brand is youthful, and has a bit of an edge to it that sets it apart from other brands. Did you make any changes or adjustments for the colonies?
Not in terms of the brand experience, the brands DNA will remain the same wherever in the world someone buys it. We have already added larger sizes into the range and this will be one of the biggest considerations. We had to add XS when we entered the Japanese market last year so its not a problem.
Its interesting you say Bunker is youthful and we recognise this, as we encourage people to live life young, but the average age of our customer is 35. Whilst this is not anywhere near old, its not youthful either. In today's world, age is not really a useful way of identifying customers and we would suggest its more about peoples attitude or mentality when it comes to their lifestyle.
We find "mutha puttas" come in all ages, shapes and sizes...it's about lifestyle.
Chapeau Noir agrees, it certainly is all about lifestyle. But, can someone please tell me why I'm always done my crisps before I'm finished my two pints?
Chapeau Noir
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