For Kelty, 'The Price Is Right'

Six boxes of Kelty backpacks, tents and kid carriers are on their way to Hollywood for a shot at game show stardom — Bob Barker style that is.

The shipments will be divided into two prize packages that will make their screen debut in front of a live studio audience during a Dec. 2 taping of the CBS game show, The Price is Right. The products will then appear on six broadcasts in 2003, beginning on Jan. 20, and airing to an estimated 7 million viewers per episode.

Kelty president Casey Sheahan told SNEWS that company PR and marketing director, Ann Obenchain researched the possibility and then presented it to the team for consideration.

“Hey, it is fun and an experiment and certainly not that expensive so we said why not! Our position as a brand has always been to bring more people into the outdoor experience and this will definitely expose a very broad audience to our brand and the outdoors,” said Sheahan.

“Certainly there is some irony that a price value brand would appear on national television on The Price is Right, but I think that there is a sound marketing reason for reaching out to this broader market, especially with the family camping and kids market because it is so much about life style,” added Sheahan.

When asked how much it cost Kelty to place its products in front of so many eyes, Sheahan was coy, but allowed that it was less than $10,000.

The Price is Right is the longest running game show in television history and features numerous games based around guessing the cost of different products. The contestants are selected from the live studio audience.

During its 2003 broadcasts, The Price is Right will spotlight two distinct Kelty product packages. A camping showcase will feature a Mantra 7, the luxury family camping tent; the Clear Creek double-wide sleeping bag; a pair of Little Creek children’s sleeping bags; a “his & hers” set of Blanca hydration packs; and two kids daypacks.

The second grouping will center on Kelty K.I.D.S. products, including a Kangaroo hands-free infant carrier; the top-of-the-line Pinnacle child carrier; a Joyrider collapsible stroller; a Stroller Travel Bag and a Diaper Daypack.

SNEWS View: We haven’t watched The Price is Right since, well, heck, we were home playing sick in junior high, but we might just have to tune in for this episode. Kelty is taking the idea of thinking out of the box to a new level and good for them. We’re not sure what Bob Barker will do for expanding the interest in the great outdoors, but he sure as will increase the exposure for Kelty and that, in the long-run, bodes will for retailers as consumers begin to ask for the brand in increasing numbers — at least that is the plan.