MSR was considered a pinnacle brand for extreme environments, but the showshoe line was underperforming both in the outdoors and at the retail counter. While MSR had the best technology available, the message just wasn't getting through to the consumer.
Rather than abandoning the underperforming product line, MSR decided to do a deep dive into the marketplace to truly understand why the consumer was walking past the products. The team began by mapping the customer personas and their use modes for the entire segment. Once the customer was fully understood, the team undertook revamping the core products in the line.
The key insight at retail was that the current price point was far too low for a premium product, and while reliable, the current showshoes were visually unappealing. The new product introduced a brand language consistent with other MSR products, upgraded materials, and a 20% price increase. It quickly became MSR's bestselling snowshoe, and outsold competitors by 5-25%.
Once MSR has restored the brand's reputation in the market, it was time to shoot for market dominance. The product development team successfully developed a new technology that allowed ultra lightweight shoes with incredible on snow traction.
MSR launched the Lightning showshoes at a price point nearly $100 over the industry average, and it outsold forecasts by 20%. With this success, MSR moved into the #2 brand position nationwide, and reestablished their reputation as an innovative market leader for high performance clients.

Climbing back to the Top

Mountain Safety Research (MSR) Clients are different. They enter extreme environments that challenge their personal limits, and sometimes the limits of survivability. In these elements, the user looks to brands they can depend upon, because a broken promise can mean a loss much greater than brand loyalty. That’s why when MSR realized their showshoe line was not meeting the user’s high performing standards, they set out to rebuild trust.

Over the course of three seasons of product introductions, the brand and product development teams re-told the story of MSR in the marketplace. By the end of the third season, MSR had recaptured customer loyalty, moved into the #2 position nationwide, and solidified its reputation as the go-to brand for extreme environments.

Project: Revamp an entire line of products to reflect the brand promise.

Duration: Three 12-month cycles of conceptual designs to product launch at retail.

Result: With the final launch of the Lightning series of products, the line outsold forecasts by 20%, Launched MSR into the #2 market position while keeping production in the US. Received “Design Distinction” award from ID magazine, and “Best new Product” at ISPO trade show.

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