On September 20, the launch ceremony of “Go While You’re Alive—CAMEL’s Everest Challenge Invitation” was held at The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou. Mr. Wan Jingang, General Manager of CAMEL, along with guests including Luo Shen, Director of High-Altitude Expedition Department at the National Mountaineering Sports Management Center, Beijing Olympic torchbearer and Everest climber, celebrated mountaineer Zhang Liang, and Qian Junwei from Peking University's Mountain Eagle Society, issued an “invitation” to outdoor enthusiasts to join this challenging and thrilling journey to the summit. CAMEL also announced that after establishing dominance in the domestic casual market, it will now focus on expanding into the mid-to-high-end professional outdoor segment, realizing a complementary “big outdoor” market strategy across these two niche areas.
Eighteen Brave Souls Set to Conquer Everest
The event received strong support from many seasoned outdoor adventurers. As the host announced the upcoming start of the ceremony, Mr. Wan Jingang, General Manager of CAMEL, invited the guests to step onto the stage and approach a large ice sculpture of Mount Everest. As the letters “CAMEL” on the ice sculpture lit up brilliantly, the “Go While You’re Alive—CAMEL’s Everest Challenge Invitation” was officially launched, extending an open invitation to mountaineers and the general public to climb Everest together and marking the full commencement of the campaign.
According to organizers CAMEL, this “Everest Challenge” will leverage both Weibo and Tmall e-commerce platforms to recruit a total of eighteen summit challengers. Currently, the Sina Weibo micro-event platform has launched the #IWantToClimbEverest# campaign where CAMEL is calling for eighteen brave individuals for a free Everest climb. Participants can post on the campaign page with the hashtag #IWantToClimbEverest# + their reason for climbing Everest + tagging three friends + @CamelOfficialWeibo + and any celebrity from the “CAMEL Fans’ Favorite Celebrity List”.Winners may receive a free spot to climb Everest. In addition, five CAMEL shoe stores are running a joint promotional campaign with Tmall called “Leave Your Footprint, Win Big Prizes.” During this period, customers who purchase CAMEL shoes or apparel may also have the chance to win a spot as a summit challenger. It’s reported that CAMEL will arrange experienced mountaineering experts to provide training and guidance, with plans to head for Everest next year—though currently it is winter and the mountain is nearing its closure period.
Giving Ordinary People the Chance to Take Part in Outdoor Exploration
“Outdoor sports aren’t just for the few. Everyone should experience comfort and adventure. CAMEL will inspire more people to explore the joys of the outdoors,” said Wan Jingang at the launch ceremony, also sharing his vision of a “big outdoor” lifestyle and expressing his intention to deepen involvement in the mid-to-high-end professional outdoor sector.
In the minds of many customers, CAMEL is synonymous with casual sportswear. The CAMEL casual shoe line features two main styles: business casual and outdoor casual. Particularly, CAMEL outdoor casual shoes hold a dominant position in the casual shoe market, while also performing strongly across multiple product lines such as men’s wear, leather goods, and women’s shoes.
“Outdoor sports are for everyone,” a view shared by Mr. Wan Jingang and supported by guests such as Luo Shen, Zhang Liang, and Qian Junwei. Luo Shen said that while reaching the summit of Everest is daunting for most, the mountain is equal to all—ordinary people can begin by reaching Everest Base Camp through high-altitude training and gradually get closer to the peak, allowing their bodies time to adapt. Mr. Qian Junwei stated: “Nature is equally open to all. We hope to promote the popularization and development of outdoor sports through this event, encouraging university students and young people to step into nature and embrace the outdoor lifestyle. Zhang Liang called on civilian mountaineers to actively participate and experience this extraordinary journey to Everest.
CAMEL Expands into the Mid-to-High-End Professional Outdoor Market
According to Mr. Wan Jingang, the outdoor product line centered around CAMEL shoes is growing rapidly. Taking the official CAMEL Outdoor flagship store on Tmall as an example, within just one year it rose to become the top outdoor brand on Taobao, providing a solid market foundation for CAMEL’s full push into a broader range of outdoor gear including hiking boots, down jackets, professional backpacks, tents, ropes, and more. Offline sales in the professional outdoor category have also seen notable growth. “We differentiate our online and offline product designs. Our online offerings feature bolder styles and brighter colors, targeting fast-consuming younger audiences, while our offline collections reflect a more mature taste—perfectly embodying CAMEL’s classic image of freedom and rugged individuality.”
In 2013, we plan to gradually ramp up efforts, primarily focusing on organizing, developing, and testing our professional outdoor product line. With CAMEL’s consistent commitment to quality, we aim to produce top-tier professional outdoor equipment. Thanks to our strong market presence in the casual sector, deep expansion into adjacent categories isn't a challenge for us. Additionally, we’ll consider enhancing customer interaction and experiential marketing to bring more people into the joy of outdoor life.
Industry insiders predict that with the rise of outdoor sports in China, the outdoor gear industry is entering a new phase of development. CAMEL understands how to ride this wave, possessing unique advantages others in the outdoor sector lack—be it brand foundation, channel layout, product range, or target audience. Its deep dive into the outdoor domain is something the market eagerly anticipates.