Doomsday preppers, typically just referred to as “preppers,” are people who actively prepare for a catastrophic collapse of society. It could be by building bunkers or learning outdoor skills, and these people aren’t a rare breed. The show “Doomsday Preppers,” in fact, drew 4 million viewers for its premiere. With this currently being so popular, it seems prudent to look at the marketing lessons of doomsday preppers.
Find a Niche
The first marketing lesson learned from preppers doesn’t come from the preppers themselves – but rather from those who market to them. Most people can look at flint, MREs, and machetes and just see random products.
Many companies, though, see them as marketing gold. By throwing in some survivalist language when marketing normal products, they easily increase their sales. Local business owners should do the same. Find a niche and go full force into it.
Old School Isn’t Out of Date
If society collapses, preppers aren’t going to depend upon cell phones, supercenters, power grids, and water treatment facilities to save them. Everything they stockpile, from ham radios to generators, are old school methods we don’t typically use. Everything else simply won’t work.
While local business owners won’t likely be marketing during the Apocalypse, they should take a lesson that antiquated methods aren’t obsolete. Email marketing, direct mailers, and even the newspaper still have marketing potential.
Don’t Be Afraid to Adapt
The main goal of doomsday preppers is adaptation. When society collapses, they are prepared to adapt. Budding entrepreneurs should be ready to do the same with their marketing. If an invested strategy simply isn’t paying off, it’s okay to tweak it or go a different route. If demographics change, it’s okay to switch targeting methods. Adaptation, both literally and figuratively, isn’t a four-letter word.
Most people wouldn’t even say doomsday prepping and marketing in the same sentence. Their preparatory ideology, however, holds the same truths in the promotional world as it does the survivalist.