Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) unveiled its first wholly redesigned logo since being founded in the early 1970s. The redesigned logo refers to the retailer simply as MEC and does away with the iconic image of a mountain in what some reporters have called an attempt to shed “its image of being a store just for the granola-eating, sandal-wearing, mountaineering-type.”
“MEC has grown to become a national retailer and our members are as active in urban environments as they are in the backcountry,” said MEC’s chief marketing officer Anne Donohoe. “The new MEC brand platform was created to respond to shifting consumer needs and reflect the evolving MEC experience.”
MEC say it is focusing on making the MEC experience more relevant for its members, by introducing new activities, a broader assortment of products (MEC-brand and other brands) and services to support product selection and fitting. To better support members’ urban lifestyles and backcountry pursuits, MEC is also now staging races, meet-ups and events and it is refining online tools.
To develop a brand platform that communicates these changes, MEC conducted focus groups, opinion gathering and social anthropology research of 6 million online conversations. Members as well as non-members highlighted personal motivations – including achieving goals, exploring the outdoors, connecting with people and being fit – as their main reasons for being active outdoors.
The logo and associated branding will begin appearing on MEC-designed products this summer and be rolled out nationally in stores and online in September. A national marketing campaign in traditional and online media will focus on inspiring Canadians to get outdoors.
To prepare for the official launch of the rebrand in September, MEC has started the search for Canadians who embody the motivations for being active in the outdoors. The online contest, Outside Moves Me, is open to the public and launches today at www.outsidemovesme.mec.ca. Participants are invited to define themselves according to one of four motivations by submitting photos and related stories that profile how they best represent their motivation. A panel of judges will choose a Moving Stories winner from each of the four categories. Winners could be featured in a fall MEC campaign, and will receive a $500 MEC Gift Car. A separate grand prize trip for four to Ivvavik National Park in the Canadian Arctic – valued at approximately $25,000 – will be awarded to the photo that gets the most votes by the public.
