Gear Patrol CCO Zach Mader Shares What’s in Store for 2023
We sat down with Zach Mader, Gear Patrol’s Chief Commercial Officer, for an inside look into the exciting goals and initiatives for Gear Patrol in 2023. Zach shares his excitement for the year ahead, from category expansion to DEI initiatives to the gear he can’t live without.
Q&A
What’s in store for the Gear Patrol Partnerships team in the new year?
We are really excited about our continued expansion into the travel category in 2023. Someone once shared with me that travel and experiences are 'the best products that you can’t return.' This year, we'll showcase more of these great places to inspire and inform our audience. Our team's ability to curate ideas and recommendations for local, national and international adventures is invaluable to our readers. We’ve made big strides over the past few years in drawing attention to content that showcases not only aspirational destinations but also the gear that will make the most of one’s pursuits.
In addition, I'm really looking forward to seeing how our Enthusiast Feature and Talking Points franchises continue to grow. Both have a unique ability to tell stories about brands and products in effective yet distinctly different ways.
2023 is shaping up to be a year filled with both excitement and uncertainty. How is Gear Patrol preparing for a rollercoaster of a year?
We are committed to delivering positive results for our clients, which means we are always ready to answer the call of their goals and objectives. Our team understands that our partners are under more pressure than ever thanks to shorter planning cycles, in-flux budgets, increasingly crucial performance metrics, etc. Over the past few years, we’ve continued to develop solutions that meet our marketers where they are and will take them where they need to go.
For example, we've reimagined the production processes to provide more flexibility on shorter timelines; we've revised our product suite to offer greater efficiencies for custom content. In addition, we've expanded our scope to create new, lower-funnel performance marketing-based ad products with better targeting capabilities. Our goal is to make it easy to work with Gear Patrol while ensuring that our suite of products stays true to what readers expect from our content– in turn, highlighting our marketers in a way that meets their objectives.
Does the team have any New Year’s resolutions that you can share?
Gear Patrol's internal culture and the company commitment to diversity are our shining strengths. Both guide us to focus on making a positive impact in our work with clients and readers alike. 2023 is all about taking care: taking care of ourselves, taking care of our colleagues and taking care of our clients. We strive to do meaningful work and have some fun while we're at it!
What gear is coming with you into 2023?
Having relocated last year from Brooklyn, NY, to Minneapolis, MN, I've been focused on building out my much-needed winter gear. Two pieces that have come in handy are my Rab Neutrino Pro Down Jacket ($385) and Mainers Extreme Cold Mittens ($195). Both have truly held up in the… extreme conditions here.
In addition, I rarely leave the house without my Leatherman Signal ($140) and Otis Sunglasses ($240).
Most importantly, this Electric Snow Bike by MoonBikes is currently on my grail list ($8,900).
