• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

 Merrell may be known by its fans for rugged hiking performance boots, but “It Starts Outside” takes the 45-year-old brand in a new direction, with the assertion that even a single step out of doors can shift how people think, feel, and move.

The company says the new global platform is breaking at a moment when people feel “overwhelmed, digitally tethered, and in need of micro-breaks from the pace of modern life,” and positions outdoor activity as a catalyst for transformation.

The effort represents “our global point of view as we architect the future of the brand,” said Richard McLeod, global CMO of Merrell, in the announcement. “For 45 years, we’ve built the world’s most trusted hiking boots. Now we’re expanding that purpose: to help people unlock clarity, connection and momentum, simply by stepping outside.”

Working with Uncommon Creative Studio, Merrell aim to capture the exact physiological and emotional shift that happens when people decide to step outside. Don’t expect the epic shots of mountains or canyon trail scenes that the brand has typically relied on. Instead, the drama is set on doorsteps in urban and suburban settings.

Spots explore ways people experience the outside today, including Merrell athlete and Olympian Alexi Pappas hiking alongside visually impaired marathon runner Lisa Thompson.

Ads are running on connected TV, social and digital.

As part of the new platform, Merrell is launching Merrell Outside: Futures Project, developed with the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund. Aimed at reaching a more diverse group of aspiring designers, it includes a nature-driven design program and apprenticeships in the brand’s design studio.

Wolverine Worldwide, which also owns Merrell, as well as Wolverine work boots, Saucony, and Sweaty Betty fitness gear, is seeing strong results in its active footwear lines. Merrell’s sales rose 5.9% in the fourth quarter, to $173.1 million, up from $163.4 million in the year-ago period.