Columbia Sportswear is launching its
first major brand platform in a decade — and its gone rogue.
"Engineer ed for Whatever," with creative by adam&eveDDB, positions nature as chaotic and dangerous, evident here. Hikers are
attacked by snakes or chased by vultures. There's even a dark comedy moment with mountaineer Aron Ralston, who survived a canyon accident by amputating his own arm.
Directed by Henry-Alex
Rubin and produced by Smuggler, the music is a revamp of Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies."
"Engineered for Whatever" has a simple message: Columbia apparel doesn't accommodate nature; it conquers
it. Taglines for OOH work include: "This jacket is a climate denier" and "Made for the days when nature wants you dead." Ads show people dangling over crocodile waters to test the strength of ROC
utility pants or rolling down a steep mountain slope inside a giant snowball to determine if the new puffy jacket remains warm.
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Joe Boyle, Columbia Brand president, said: “Our new
campaign brings us back to our roots, being unafraid to be different, and even a bit crazy. We’re going back to that irreverent, confident tone that helped put us on the map as a global
brand."
The cross-platform push runs on CTV, OLV, social, display, audio and OOH, with global activity launching in various countries, including the U.K., France and Germany. Retail
builds, creative activations and partnerships augment the effort. The agency also did a refreshed visual identity: new typeface, logo and color palette.
Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland, chief
creative officers at adam&eveDDB London, added: “Columbia Sportswear is bringing the brutal side of the outdoors to life, to prove their gear can handle it all. The repositioning resurrects
the brand’s irreverence and verve and shows its audience that they can trust Columbia’s apparel and enjoy the great outdoors no matter what (mis) adventures they get up to.”
This is adam&eveDDB's first work for Columbia since winning the account in a competitive pitch last year.