AllTrailsCopied

Outdoor brands have a habit of selling the summit: lone climbers on knife edge ridges, technical gear, the faint suggestion that you are not quite fit enough. AllTrails, a trail app, decided in January 2023 that this posture was holding it back. Announcing the change on LinkedIn, the company said it was unveiling a new brand identity called The Outside in All of Us, inviting everyone, whatever their expertise or background, to get outside.

Athletech News reported that the campaign was meant to show the great outdoors is for everyone to enjoy and explore, not just outdoor experts. Chief marketing officer Carly Smith framed it as a movement to redefine the outdoors, remove hurdles and help everyone find a sense of belonging there, and said the time had come to reflect that in the brand with an inviting identity, a fresh look and feel, and a new name for the premium offering.

The changes were broad. According to Athletech News, the refresh brought a new AllTrails symbol and colour scheme and a makeover for graphic elements and art direction. Just as important was the voice: the company said its new tone takes on the persona of an adventurous friend rather than an intimidating nature guide. The paid tier moved from AllTrails Pro to AllTrails+, which the company said is not about who scales the highest mountains but about giving everyone extra tools to save time, be prepared and do more outdoors.

The rebrand arrived alongside a bigger Community feature for the app's 45 million users, letting people discover trails through their social network. Athletech News also noted the business context: in 2021 AllTrails passed a million paid subscribers and took a 150 million dollar investment from Permira, and chief executive Ron Schneidermann described a mission to use technology to democratise access to the outdoors.

The renaming of Pro is the sharpest move here. Pro tells casual hikers that the good stuff is for someone else; a plus sign says the same features are simply extra help. That single word does more for inclusivity than any photography brief. The adventurous friend voice is also a smart corrective for a category that often sounds like a drill sergeant. The risk is that welcoming and friendly are now the default settings for consumer apps, so the identity has to work hard to feel specific to trails rather than generic wellness. Where it ties back to real paths and real people, it earns its warmth.