Integrated Marketing Campaign Analysis: GoPro: Be a Hero

GoPro. One of the biggest brands in wearable cameras to date, announcing a revenue of $204 million in the first quarter of 2021, according to investor.gopro.com. GoPro’s first camera, the GoPro 35mm Hero was introduced in September 2004 at San Diego’s Action Sports Retailer Trade show. The company has come a long way since then, with a massive line of cameras, with its HERO line on its 10th iteration, the HERO 10.

“GoPro frees people to celebrate the moment, inspiring others to do the same. From cameras to apps and accessories, everything we do is geared to help you capture life as you live it, share the experience and pass on the stoke. We believe that sharing our experiences makes them more meaningful and way more fun.” –GoPro’s About Us page.

GoPro’s be a hero campaign includes consistent marketing direction across multiple platforms. The most notable channel for GoPro would be their YouTube account. This account boasts 10.5 million subscribers, and frequently posts organic and paid content of users ‘capturing life as they live it’, whether it is catching some waves, shredding the powder on a ski slope, flying over a volcano, or diving into coral reefs. This has allowed GoPro to become one of the biggest brands on YouTube, with almost 6000 videos a day being posted to YouTube with GoPro in the title. Organic content posted by users makes the brand feel genuine, and its live demonstrations of the product, which is one of the perks of being a camera company.

To get their organic content, through the Be a Hero Challenge, all you have to do is shoot a video, submit it, and then receive awards from GoPro.

The videos also have the benefit of being really cool and interesting, as they are frequently recordings of users doing stunts most watchers would never be able to do or exploring beautiful places.

GoPro also posts videos for their causes, such as this one about reforesting the ocean. It sheds a light on the impact of human consumption on our environment, which is authentic for GoPro to be a supporter of since the company makes money off of users recording themselves enjoying the outdoors.

GoPro’s marketing utilizes so much organic content, while staying interesting and authentic, and I think many brands can look at GoPro as an example of integrated marketing done right.

Which companies could take a page from GoPro and be more authentic?