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Businesses that Bury the Hatchet

9/21/2018

11 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

What’s a fun night out with friends for you?  Maybe it’s dinner at a favorite restaurant or a trip to the movies to see a new release.  How about throwing axes?  Thanks to some adventurous entrepreneurs, more and more people are participating in the pastime once reserved for lumberjacks.  Hurling hatchets undoubtedly offers an adrenalin rush, but does it hit the mark for Mindful Marketing?
 
You can count me among those who had no idea that axe throwing is now in vogue.  However, like the return of plaid, the trend is becoming harder to miss, as axe throwing sites pop up in cities such as Austin, Baltimore, Denver, Detroit, and Philadelphia and as news media like USA Today, NBC, and the Washington Post cover the craze.
 
The name is self-explanatory, but what exactly does axe throwing involve?  Participants hoist a 14-inch hatchet over their heads and chuck it at a piece of plywood 12-15 feet away.  They earn points based on where their axe sticks in the target, e.g., outer ring, inner ring, bullseye, or blue dot (kill shot).
 
An axe throwing outing can last anywhere from 60 minutes to several hours, depending on who’s throwing and for what reason, for instance, an individual taking in some target practice or a team competing in a tournament league.
 
The cost of axe throwing also varies, but Backyard Axe Throwing League’s pricing offers a ballpark: about $20/hr. for walk-ins, $36 per person for parties, and $120 per player for eight-week leagues.  The businesses usually supply the axes.
 
Are there really enough consumers willing to pay that kind of money to throw some hardware at some hard wood?  Also, do many people have the physical strength and stamina to endure an evening of axe throwing?  Apparently the answer to both questions is ‘Yes.’
 
First, axe throwing hits the sweet spot for American’s largest age demographic, Millennials, who value experiences (often the wilder the better) over things.  These young people have a bad case of FOMO (fear of missing out).  Also, many of them likely recognize their antisocial tendencies involving digital devices and want reasons to put them down so they can interact in person with real humans.
 
Such consumer desires have undoubtedly spurred the rapid spread of axe throwing and the success of businesses such as Bad Axe Throwing, Bury the Hatchet, and Generation Axe.  Backyard Axe Throwing League, which began in 2006, now has over a dozen locations in the U.S. and Canada and claims to have served over a million people.
 
Second, as the growth suggests, axe throwing is not just for the big and burly.  The axes are fairly light (usually less than 2 lbs.), so success depends more on proper form than brute strength.  Women and men of all sizes can excel at the craft.
 
That sounds good, but isn’t axe throwing dangerous?  After all, axes have been used for millennia to chop things, including people.  Furthermore, many axe throwing establishments also serve alcohol, which seems like a precarious, if not perilous, combination.
 
Axe throwing businesses, however, suggest that the activity is completely safe, and they provide some convincing support for that claim.  For instance, patrons at Bury the Hatchet receive a “safety briefing and training session before they are allowed to participate.”  Like many others, this business also uses cordoned off throwing lanes that are “a cross between a batting cage and a bowling alley.”
 
Bad Axe Throwing, which claims to be “the biggest urban axe throwing club in the world” says that it has never had a single injury.  Apparently that track record is due to safety protocol such as inspecting each axe before every event, making sure blades are sharp enough to stick in wood but not sharp to the touch, and requiring that participants “throw and retrieve their axes in sync with one another.”
 
Also, while not all axe throwing businesses serve alcohol, for those that do, intoxication doesn’t seem to be an issue.  Maybe it’s because people go to these places to throw first and drink second, so their desire to perform well acts a restraint on their drinking.
 
Meanwhile, axe throwing establishments claim some tangible benefits, namely exercise (a person can get a good workout throwing axes as well as bending to pick them up) and relationship building (fewer things bond people together more than competition and/or shared embarrassment).  Bury the Hatchet also says that participants can experience stress relief and get an ego boost, as social media contacts can’t help but like pictures and videos of their friends throwing axes.
 
Despite these benefits, some may suggest that spending a few hours hurling hatchets is a waste of time and money.  Of course, we don’t all have the same tastes in recreation.  For some it’s an opera and for others it’s a minor league baseball game that refreshes the mind and reenergizes the spirit.  Still, for others it’s axes.
 
It’s hard to say how long axe throwing will remain the rage, but many more people will likely channel their inner lumberjack and experience the primal trend.  Voice assistants and virtual reality may make it seem risky and passé, but axe throwing for fun is “Mindful Marketing.”


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11 Comments
Sawyer
9/22/2018 05:12:17 pm

Ah, axe-throwing. It’s a fun pastime, for sure, and I’ve landed a couple blades on and old wooden door and another time during a heritage event at a state park a few years ago. The frustration yielded for lack of skill is of the same magnitude of the satisfaction found when the ax finally plants itself where you meant for it to go. Whereas many kinds of work that a person might encounter requires skill, much of my own involves a chair and a keyboard. Trying my hand at something beyond the screen is a welcome opportunity for skill development, and I expect that I would immensely enjoy one of these axe-throwing establishments. I think that describing these businesses as places to “channel [your] inner lumberjack” is a generalization of the kind of atmosphere surrounding the heritage of these useful implements. Furthermore, the skill of using one in the many ways they were employed even a hundred and fifty years ago (such as Eric Sloane depicts in his “A Museum of Early American Tools”) is far from “primal.”
I wouldn’t think that alcohol and axe-throwing would mix well, though for the fun of the activity I could see that those interested in participating might have a respect for the risk involved and keep the hype to a moderated level. The statement suggesting that people may reduce alcohol consumption in order to have better coordination during the competition is a good point as well.
Because of the value of skill development and fun in a social setting, I would agree that these axe-throwing establishments are mindful businesses that many people evidently value.

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Jamie
9/26/2018 06:22:22 pm

I never knew axe throwing was a thing--until now. Within the past few weeks, I have heard multiple people talk about it, so I thought it was fitting to comment on this post. Shooting is a similar common pastime and seems just as dangerous, but yet I don't know how to feel about axe throwing. I think it will definitely gain more publicity over the next several years and no doubt will gain criticism, that's how hobbies and fads go. I think in the end though, the safety and revenue are the important considerations. For instance, the fact that the axe throwing establishments serve alcohol is a little concerning. In fact, I recently visited a resort and the man I was talking with was saying how he has a group coming in for axe throwing and alcohol, and everyone agreed that sounded dangerous, but yet we all still want to try it (well maybe without the alcohol involved). But that's the thing, we like danger and excitement, which is exactly why axe throwing will be the next fad; it draws attention and wonder, making people want to try it.

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Trust
9/26/2018 09:22:55 pm

Axe throwing is something that I never thought to be a sport. A lot of people may be attracted to this sport but its not an everyday necessity. It's a form of entertainment, it's a group activity, it's something "new" that people want to try. This sport requires a lot of stamina and not everyone would be able to do it. I would say that their target audience is probably young adults to middle aged folks. Safety is probably a concern for people because the company could be held responsible if someone got injured while participating in the sport. In addition to that, alcohol is served in this environment which could be additional concern to customers. Alcohol affects your ability to make decisions and your normal bodily functions. I do not think that it is a safe environment for people to be in. However, the fact that they serve/allow alcohol attracts a certain audience as well and makes the experience even more appealing. To me, this sport seems like another version of darts or archery. Do I think that this trend last? No. People always want to try something new and then once they have, they savor the experience and move on to something else.

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Samuel Mahan
9/27/2018 10:16:55 am

First thing I notice about this article is that it is not another snipe at the new favorite pastime of millennials. “Look at the new dumb hobby the darn kids are doing,” is the theme of many articles about millennial trends and I’m happy that this one decided to label the activity as mindful.
I can imagine that there are still a number of people taking the “dumb kids” approach to the multiple stories of these venues popping up around the country. At first glance, axe-throwing venues do sound ridiculous and are admittedly easy to dismiss. Even more laughable is the fact that they serve alcohol. This conjures the image of heavily inebriated people surrounded by a group of wild onlookers, drinks in one hand and axes in the other, as they sloppily hurl their weapons at will towards dartboard-like targets hung haphazardly on the wall.
But these businesses, when given the chance to speak for themselves, do not present any such image. Safety rules are in place, trainings are mandatory, axes are thrown at an enclosed range. They seem to care in the way they present themselves and want to present a positive image. The danger and wildness that seems inherent in the sport tames a bit when we are informed that no injuries have yet happened at these venues. That would be a miracle for something as widely accepted as high-school football.
When we look at an axe-throwing venue for its merits, we start to see that it has some real potential as a wholesome activity. First of all, it’s exercise. Throwing axes for an hour is quite a lot healthier than the other activities people would be spending their time doing if axe throwing bars did not exist. Doing it for an hour or more could be considered a legitimate workout.
Second of all, it’s a community-builder. Axe-throwing doesn’t sound like something that people would do alone. People will round up their friends and go out to do some axe throwing rather than staying inside. In many ways, it could be the answer to the much-lamented decline in community bowling that has been happening over the last decade. Looking at them simply, they are both activities where a player hurls a heavy and frankly dangerous object either casually or competitively, are often done in groups, and are often accompanied by food and drink. No one seems to mind the combination of 15 pound balls and beer enough to decry bowling as an overly dangerous activity, why is axe-throwing much different?
Thirdly, it’s fun! It’s an activity that people enjoy that really doesn’t detract or degrade the community around it. It gets people out. Many millennials admit that they spend too much time inside and they are looking for a reason not to. I totally agree that axe-throwing is a mindful activity, and I plan to give it a whirl myself sometime

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Ty
9/27/2018 12:45:54 pm

Axe throwing seems rather unorthodox. This type of event takes advantage of the millennial sense of freedom or accomplishing far-fetched ideas. This type of business capitolizes on market disruption, and because of changes in society. I can see this type of business really doing a number on gun ranges. Over the past few years, guns have been almost despised by a large number of the American population, and it has taken a hit on the funds of many gun ranges around the country. With axe throwing, however, while many are still housed in gun ranges, the mind that believes that guns are bad for society can still enjoy a good few rounds of axe throwing.

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Jonathan Gillespie
11/5/2018 03:49:33 am

Huh. This is one of the most niche things I've ever heard of. As an Eagle Scout, the idea that you could actually charge somebody to throw an axe, let alone build an entire business out of it is mindblowing to me. I don't understand why you wouldn't just buy your own and go camping for a weekend; throw it all day for free, and without having to deal with pesky hipsters judging you. That being said, this is a wonderful testament to capitalism: just about anything can be made into a business.

Something else that I find very interesting about this is that the fact it exists really does speak to the shift in desiring experiences over things. I suppose I do really enjoy having experiences that I can have memories about forever, but me personally, I generally prefer to spend my money on something that I can use again and again.

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Marie
11/6/2018 12:15:01 am

Before reading this article, I had never heard of such a thing as an axe throwing business. Many of my friends enjoy throwing knives, and I’ve joined them on occasion. Once, on a camping trip, we threw axes for fun. I’m honestly a little surprised that people would pay that much for a night of axe throwing, especially when it can easily be done at home. To me, it seems that this might be a fad that people will do once or twice, but will then lose interest in. People who are actually into throwing axes will probably invest in their own axe and throw at home. However, I think you’re right that people are drawn to experiences. Perhaps the atmosphere of the venue adds to the excitement and creates an experience that is superior to throwing axes at home.

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GOLESTU MOHEBIRAVESH
11/7/2018 03:46:37 pm


While I am not sure as to how long this new pastime will last compared to competitors such as gun and archery ranges, and just any other venue offering entertainment such as bowling or ice skating. I can definitely see the interesting point made about experiences over objects, this is a great opportunity to just try something new or release stress, anger, or stress for a potential customer. While I do agree that having a bar offering drinks to a bunch of people throwing axes around doesn’t sound the like most safe idea, I could see whether would need to have the bar from a business and profit perspective. The practice of axe throwing in and of itself is something that could easily be done and practiced at home, but I feel the businesses could focus more on the atmosphere, people wouldn’t come to simply throw axes but also to experience that specific atmosphere.Could axe throwing be the more laid back and cost efficient counterpart to the upper class country club for golfing for more upper class individuals, I could definitely see potential in making axe throwing more about the atmosphere and community than just the practice.

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Kyle
1/12/2019 04:51:03 pm

I couldn’t agree more the market for places providing new experiences is on the up. Although I have not personally gone axe throwing, I have been to some similar business such as Top Golf and Keystone Shooting Range. The atmosphere they provide is fun for their target market, the young and adventurous. Although there seems to be a bit of criticism due to the danger involved in axe throwing the same could be said for any other hobby. The only real problem I see with axe throwing is the price, I just can’t see how you could justify spending that much money on something you could easily set up in your back yard.

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Abby
9/25/2019 10:45:25 pm

I've heard of this trend before, and it sounds like it could be fun. I appreciated the way the article spoke about it in an intrigued rather than judgmental way, although the practice is more "millennial". I didn't know it was so popular, it seemed like something local to my area-- interesting to know how widespread it is! A big part of its success is most likely the desire for experience, as stated in the article. Overall, well written on an interesting topic!

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Ian
12/7/2021 04:09:25 pm

This is a very interesting past time and I am curious how it has managed to appeal to such a large demographic. In many cases such as my own, I would think that the young people this would attract would not necessarily have the disposable income needed to participate in this activity, certainly not on a regular basis. From what I can tell from social media posts though, this seems to be a thriving and profitable business that has people posting their best throws and creating free advertising.

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