When I first met my wife, a self-proclaimed “city girl”, she would have guaranteed you that she would never be found sitting on the ground next to me dressed in full camo and hunting my favorite game, the Eastern wild turkey.

Fast forward seven years and there she is.  The mother of my 22-month old little girl, and five months pregnant with our second child, was sitting next to me against a huge oak tree listening to two gobblers announce their location at first light of opening morning.  Unfortunately, she didn’t take one of those first two birds but the season ended later that day with her bagging her first turkey and she’s already talking about the 2011 season!

I feel fortunate to have grown up in an environment where the outdoors was not only an option, but a way of life. It didn’t matter what the season, there was always something to do outside.  The fall and winter brought most of my family — father, brothers, uncles, cousins — together every weekend to hunt squirrels, doves, rabbits, quail, or deer. And when spring rolled around, we were quick to grab the fishing rods and hit the local fishing holes or hunt the elusive wild turkey.

It was during these times that family bonds were built, core values were taught and a outdoor lifestyle was instilled. Over the last several years, I have been actively involved in marketing to the outdoor industry.  I have been fortunate to spend time with people that have a lifetime of outdoor marketing experience and speak to those that are just entering the category.  Although many times they have differing opinions of how brands should market themselves, one topic is consistently mentioned, “How do we get more young people into the outdoors?” Is there a silver bullet that any one company could use to make this happen?  I don’t believe so. It’s going to take a very strategic approach, as an industry, to make it work.

Marketers and consumers alike say their loyalty program memberships are valuable, however, there is plenty of room for improvement. A recent report from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council indicates that marketers are undervaluing these programs even as their customers clamor for the perks, discounts, deals and personalized service. Both customers and marketers agree that deeper engagement and personalized contact drives loyalty.

61% of marketers believe that loyalty program participants are the best and most profitable customers. Unfortunately, only 13% of the marketers believe they have been highly effective in leveraging loyalty among club members. 20% don’t have a strategy for leveraging brand preference, while 25% have not mobilized club members to become active brand ambassadors.

I wrote this article for a group of small business owners a number of years ago.  These were hard working folks who didn’t have marketing training.  As I stumbled upon it, I realized how even professional marketers can get away from the basics, caught up in a vicious cycle of statistics and ROI.  So, as we enter the New Year of 2010 and watch—encouragingly—as our economy shows signs of improvement, let’s take a moment to get back to basics and see what marketing is all about.

The waves of environmental concern seem to ebb and flow. Critics argue that “green” is the new “black” and destined to fade with the changing season. Look back to Earth Day 1990. A reveler in Central Park commented on the parades and crowd—over a million strong—who came out to celebrate Earth Day. I remember that day. I purchased a tee shirt that said, “We did not inherit the Earth from our parents. It is borrowed from our children.” I loved that shirt. The silk-screened words a revelation I carried on my back. The New Yorker noted that the day after Earth Day 1990 was his day of awakening…when the trash littered the curbs of Fifth Avenue and all went back to the way it was before.