Prebich adds, “There is a very
unique sport culture in Canada where
people are all over in many different
sports pushing the limits of what they
can do. But I think what defines a
Canadian athlete like this is a sense of
humbleness about their adventures.
We at Zeal focus on people that
search, journey and explore the world
around them and often there aren’t
lots of camera or media outlets,
instead it is an individual drive for
achievement.”
While he understands the merits
of
technological
advancements,
Prebich insists that Zeal’s line of
sports eyewear products is not their
only competitive advantage. Their
philosophical approach is their
signature move.
“No matter how amazing
your R&D, sometimes there are
intangibles that just help you excel
…” Prebich said. “So for us, we
focus on our product but also on
the athletes themselves. We support
them as a member of our family,
discuss and create plans of attack
for their competitions and help
them get physically and mentally
ready for their debut. This is what I
think defines us as different. Lots of
companies out there are bigger than
us, have more engineers than us, but
we have a connection to our athletes
that other brands don’t have …This
confidence in us as a sponsor gives
them confidence in themselves as
athletes. Product is certainly a big
part of what we do but it isn’t the
only part.”
Like Bollé, Zeal has focused
on niche sports markets where the
company’s passion clearly lies.
“Truly the only way to be a great
marketer in sport is to know what
you are doing, understand the culture
and dynamics of the inner circle of
the core influencers and spend time
and effort to create relationships with
those people,” Prebich said. “For
example, skiing and snowboarding are
key sports for us as a brand. We stay
relevant to this globally by being able
to be influential locally. We live in the
mountains, right outside our door we
can go ski or ride and that ability to
have an authentic conversation about
product performance and to know what
is happening at ground zero translates
across countries and barriers.”
For sports eyewear industry
leaders like Zeal Optics and Bollé,
commitment to the integrity of their
brand is as important as the success
of the athletes who wear them. That’s
a win-win. For consumers, product
associations with athletes assure fans
and sports eyewear consumers of a
quality product, tested by the best
athletes in the sport. •
OPTICAL PRISM | APRIL 2014
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