Lessons From SHOT Show: How Regulated Brands Must Adapt to Win
Written by Dan Kahn, CEO of TREAD Agency
Three weeks ago I was in Las Vegas for the SHOT Show, and now that I have been back for a few weeks, it is clear the industry marketing for regulated brands is in a different place than it was even a year ago.
I’ve attended SHOT many times in different capacities. Most years, I am there representing TREAD Agency. One year, I attended as media for “Only The Strong Survive,” using the podcast as a way to have deeper conversations with leaders in the firearms and outdoor industries. This year was a first for me, as I spoke during SHOT University.
My session was titled “Smarter Marketing for Regulated Brands: Storytelling, Strategy and the Power of AI.” I was grateful to be part of the SHOT University speaker lineup, and the turnout reinforced that these topics are top of mind. Nearly 300 people attended the seminar, and the room was packed.
The focus of the session was simple: marketing for regulated brands is getting harder, and the gap between those that adapt and those that do not is widening. Platform rules continue to tighten, paid distribution is less predictable and content moderation is inconsistent. At the same time, buyers are doing more research and demanding more credibility before they act.
For the firearm industry, this matters because trust is not optional. Subject matter experts who study marketing performance in regulated categories consistently point to the same drivers. Brands that lean into education, transparency and responsible messaging tend to build stronger confidence with buyers over time, especially in a category where credibility matters and misinformation spreads quickly. Consumers want to understand what a product is for, who it is for and why it is built the way it is.
We also spent time on AI, not as a trend but as a new discovery layer. People are increasingly using AI-search tools to summarize, compare and narrow product options. This shift should change how brands think about visibility. It is no longer just about impressions or social reach. It is about authority, strong content, consistent language and proof points that hold up across multiple platforms.
The final slide of my presentation was a QR code that linked to our white paper on marketing for regulated brands, which dives deeper into the research and frameworks behind the talk. We received more than 40 names from businesses interested in continuing the conversation almost immediately.
At TREAD Agency, we practice what we preach. Follow-up matters and those brands were placed into an email marketing drip right away. The goal is not to rush any sales but to deliver value, reinforce the ideas I discussed on stage and create a clear path from interest to conversation. Building and maintaining those relationships is critical in a highly regulated and fragmented marketing environment.
After the session, time on the show floor reinforced another important reality. Quality brands are increasingly competing against lower-priced alternatives that look similar online and solve problems at a basic level. For many buyers, those options feel good enough at first glance. That puts pressure on premium brands to be clearer about what makes them different.
This is where strong branding becomes essential. When features and price points blur, brand is what carries meaning. The brands that stand out are those that clearly communicate their standards, processes and point of view. They make the value visible through reliability, consistency, fit and finish, support and longevity, not as slogans but as proof. In regulated categories, confidence in the brand is often what tips the decision when options look similar.
Beyond the presentation and the conversations, SHOT was also a reminder of how far TREAD Agency has come. I will never forget the first year TREAD Agency General Manager Beth Brennan and I attended the show. No one knew who we were, and it was daunting. This year, I regularly ran into people who recognized the name and our work. Building a brand like this has been difficult, but moments like that at a national event such as the SHOT Show make it worth it.
More than anything, this trip reinforced what we are seeing across the board. The brands that win next will be the ones that build trust, operate with discipline and use modern tools like AI to amplify what is already true about them.