• by Sarah Mahoney , November 16, 2020

It may be time to celebrate National "Go Take a Hike Day," but Merrell, the outdoor shoe brand, is aware that this year, it's not that easy.

A new campaign called "Hike Your Turf" makes it clear that if the closest you can come to a hike is a three-block schlep to the supermarket, it's still an adventure.

"We want to redefine what hiking is," says Erika Derylo, performance marketing manager at Merrell. "People often associate hiking with planning, and maybe driving hours to some pristine trail. But this year, people may not be able to do that -- some trails aren't even open. They're spending more time walking locally -- and they plan to keep that up even after COVID subsides."

The new campaign, from Words From The Woods, an ad agency based in Portland, Maine, uses a variety of digital activations to encourage finding "hikes" right outside your front door.

The five-week push is running on digital and social platforms. And because Merrell sees its customers as "experience seekers, people who are curious and always trying to learn new things," Derylo says the campaign is skipping many of the traditional outdoorsy websites.

Instead, it’s trying to reach customers through other interest areas, including cooking, food and professional sites.

Derylo tells Marketing Daily the idea is to remind people that it isn't necessary to tackle Mount Everest to get hiking's good vibes. "Even short walks outside reduce stress levels," she says. "The outdoors is a place for people to seek a solution to the burnout and the stress and the chaos that they might be feeling."

She says it's especially meaningful that "Go Take A Hike Day" lands in November, which has been "such a  tumultuous month for this country. We thought it would be an awesome opportunity to inspire people to just go outside, whatever that looks like for them. We want them to have that sense of calm and enjoyment."

Merrell is part of Wolverine World Wide, which also owns Hush Puppies, and is based in Rockford, Michigan.