• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

While there's no winner — the campaign kicked off in May promising to give all of the company's assets to the first submission that proved the earth is flat — it does compliment the hundreds of people who submitted "evidence." A lucky handful whose submissions included theories, maps, diagrams and video evidence will be rewarded: Herb, a taxidermied beaver, an old sled, and a completely ordinary digital alarm clock. And to prove the brand is generous as well as funny, those who have already sent in qualified submissions will get $100 off Columbia gear for their hard work.

"No one found the edge of the earth, and I'm so relieved we get to keep the company," said Tim Boyle, the company's CEO, in the announcement. "The 'Expedition Impossible' campaign really captured the adventurous spirit of Columbia. Many tried. Many failed. We appreciate the effort. I'm grateful to the flat earth community for providing us with so many interesting submissions, and very much looking forward to getting back to work now that the campaign is officially closed. You can stop emailing us now."

The initial ad, which encouraged explorers to get out there and find the ends of the earth, preferably in Columbia gear, proved that the company's new, humorous marketing approach was paying off, at least with other marketers. It was the most awarded campaign at Cannes this year, including winning the Dan Wieden Titanium Lion. The effort is also the most awarded campaign in company history. (Adam&Eve/TBWA is the agency.)

The new ad, in which Boyle is clearly chuffed he gets to keep the keys to the company, is timed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of "Engineered for Whatever," a comical series exposing the many ways that Columbia gear prepares people for Mother Nature, who's not particularly nice.

The campaign also seems to be paying off at a time when consumers are cutting back on discretionary spending. This week, the company released second-quarter sales results slightly better than forecast, rising 2% to $614.4 million. Operating income climbed to $30.9 million, compared to a loss of $23.6 million in the same quarter of 2025. Columbia also said it had collected $78 million in tariff refunds.

On an earnings call, Boyle also called out another second-quarter campaign as a hit, one that pitted Robert Irwin, a global brand ambassador, against 100 inflatable crocodiles. (Irwin survived.) The effort, meant to bolster sales of the brand's new Tellurax Titanium Outdry trail shoe, generated 3.7 million views and over 300,000 likes on digital platforms.

The company, which operates more than 170 stores, said the campaign contributed to ongoing gains in the footwear segment, which it has said is a core component of its newly developed growth strategy. The Tellurax was part of that story, and sales in that category rose in the high-single digits for the quarter.

The company's sales gains came from strength in international markets, offsetting ongoing softness in the U.S., where sales dropped 4%.

And while it reaffirmed its full-year forecast — predicting a net sales gain of between 1 and 3%, or $3.43 billion to $3.5 billion — the company also acknowledged that convincing U.S. shoppers to buy new outdoor and performance gear isn't getting easier.

"While our first half operating results have been in-line to slightly favorable overall as compared to our expectations at the start of the year," it said in the earnings report, "our outlook for the second half has incrementally moderated, largely due to external geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds."