The Umarex Komplete launch is the biggest I have ever seen in the airgun world. And the most professional. It’s a strong indication of how seriously the company is taking the Komplete and how important it is to the entire community.
Why am I writing about this? Well, the airgun industry is not exactly noted as a hotbed of marketing innovation. So it’s wonderful – in my opinion – to see a manufacturer taking such a comprehensive approach.
It’s also a reminder to all of us that there’s a whole lot more involved in REALLY launching a new product than just designing and shipping it into dealers.
Actually, I should probably stop calling the Komplete a product!
In fact, it’s obviously more than that. There’s two interlinked products being launched here, after all. One the gun, the other the Nitrogen cartridge. It’s really a system.
Umarex USA should be congratulated for its innovative efforts, not only with the Komplete concept, but with the way the company is bringing it to market!
So let’s look at ten things (well OK, actually eleven) Umarex has been doing to promote the new system and how they have been doing it…
1. Launch At The NRA Show.
True, the NRA Show – officially the 2024 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits – is perhaps not the force it once was. But it’s still a big deal and a great place for a huge number of shooters to see the new Komplete system for the first time.
2. Keep It Secret.
The Komplete has been a well-kept secret, right up to very recently. It was not publicly announced or shown at the 2024 SHOT Show – as would be expected – nor at the 2024 IWA OutdoorClassics show in Germany, even though those shows were held just a few months ago.
3. Have A Clear Launch Date.
Even those trusted partners – like Hard Air Magazine – who had advanced notice of the Umarex Komplete launch were bound to a very specific “embargo” date and time. It was Friday, May 17 at 10:00AM Central Time. Not a moment earlier!
4. Get It Out There!
I don’t know how many Kompletes were “seeded” in advance to dealers – Pyramyd Air, for example – YouTubers and other reviewers like HAM. But I’m guessing it must be north of two dozen.
This level of investment in selecting, supporting and managing “content creators” cost a lot of money, time and effort. But you have to believe it will pay-off. If this strategy can induce a viral appeal for the product, it will have been time well spent.
5. Strong Branding
The “Komplete NCR” and “NitroAir” branding is strong and highly professional. These are well-chosen names and they are supported by clear design and color selections.
The names are trademarked, too (or in the process of being, that takes a long time). Again the sign of considerable long-term planning and effort.
6. Produce Your Own Content.
Umarex has produced a special “sub web site” for the Komplete at NitroAir.com. That’s a portal to a variety of content promoting the product.
Here’s the Umarex USA YouTube Channel page. We’ve embedded some of these videos throughout this post too.
7. Clear, Strong Messaging.
No compressor, no hand pump, no tank!
That’s the value proposition that’s hammered-home in the Umarex Komplete launch. You can guarantee that you’ll hear this mantra repeated strongly well into the future.
8. Availability Soon After launch.
Pyramyd Air is showing an availability date of 1 July 2024. That’s close at hand. For those real “early adopters”, you can buy Komplete bundle packages right now from the Umarex website.
9. Email Marketing.
Those who are signed-up to receive emails from Umarex USA will already have received details of a competition they can enter to win a Komplete bundle package. And I’m sure this will not be the only use of email in the marketing launch…
10. Press Releases.
Of course Umarex has not forgotten to publicize the Komplete in the Outdoor Wire. Although it’s perhaps arguable how important this still is as a communication channel, the company has clearly left no stone un-turned here…
10. Package Design.
This is a critical part of the launch! In big box stores, the package IS the salesman! No-one will actually sell you any airgun in these places – the gun has to sell itself through its packaging.
Although I have not yet seen the final packaging (our pre-production review gun shipped in a plain brown box), the glimpses we can see in the videos make it clear that Umarex has this one well in hand, too.
All these reasons – and more – mean that the the Umarex Komplete launch is a masterclass in marketing for the airgun industry. I hope it brings the benefits it deserves…
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