The North Face celebrates its 50th anniversary by launching a new global digital campaign called ‘Question Madness’ that aims to be an inspirational rallying cry to encourage people to stretch their limits.
The campaign assets, which aims to honour the brand’s values (the principles it claims drive everything it does), ask whether scaling a mountain a sign of obsession or devotion, and if someone trekking through the snow a freak or a pioneer?
It links both professional athlete ambassadors and consumers and is running through the fourth quarter only on digital and social media in 16 markets around the world (including the UK, Germany, France, China, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand), as well as via in-store and out-of-home executions in key target markets.
The spots also run on digital networks like Hulu and Xbox to engage younger consumers, while the brand also feature ads in the New York Times and on YouTube.
The initiative first launched on Facebook where North Face invites consumers themselves to use social channels and the #QuestionMadness hashtag to share their own stories of how they’re stretching their own boundaries in the pursuit of exploration.
The promotional phase is spearheaded by an anthem online video, set to Cat Stevens’ ‘Miles From Nowhere’, which showcases athlete ambassadors (Xavier De La Rue, Emily Harrington, Alex Honnold and Renan Ozturk) in the outdoors.
The footage was compiled over the brand’s 50-year history and it juxtaposes word pairs like ‘crazy/ calculated’ and ‘pain/perspective’ to try and explain how brand users and others might consider their outside activities.
The film, launched in late October, comes in both two-minute,
and 30-second versions.
This central video is supported by a four-film digital content series that showcases athletes who it believes embody the brand’s heritage and its commitment to exploration by finding joy and fulfillment on their own paths of exploration as they break perceptions, redefine success, and inspire others.
Some of the imagery, which captures remote places across the world, was shot by the athletes themselves while on expedition, while the core director was Stacy Peralta.
The support films include ‘Crazy or Calculated’ starring Angel Collinson,
‘Fear Or Free’ featuring Alex Honold,
‘Obsessed Or Devoted’ with Renan Ozturk,
and Conrad Anker’s ‘Weirdo or Visionary’.
The campaign is also being heavily amplified across the brand’s social platforms.
Here's to 50 more, @thenorthface https://t.co/usHKl6GcNK pic.twitter.com/UCz8FkYQYQ
— Jimmy Chin (@jimkchin) November 6, 2016
Athlete tested, expedition proven. 4 words, 50 years, and a tick list of some of the biggest ascents in history: https://t.co/oggk4Q6mMu pic.twitter.com/hoLulefSZ5
— The North Face (@thenorthface) October 31, 2016
50 years of preserving the places we play built into every piece we make. Learn our history of responsibility at https://t.co/oggk4Q6mMu pic.twitter.com/if3pCQ9Pqn
— The North Face (@thenorthface) October 27, 2016
All content pieces and ad assets drive viewers to the digital hub to ‘see more on our 50 years of madness’ at https://www.thenorthface.com/question….
The campaign’s launch also coincides with the opening of the North Face’s new flagship shop on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
The brand developed the initiative with its creative agency of record Sid Lee, while other agencies involved include Edelman, UEG and media buyer Starcom.
‘What gets us most energized is this idea that 50 years later, the company is significantly larger but we’re still about halting first steps, the finest in alpine equipment and making the best products in the world that are athlete-tested and expedition-proven,’ said Todd Spaletto, president of the North Face.
‘The campaign shows the purpose and heart of soul of what we stand for.’
‘This campaign was created for all consumers, with a focus on inspiring the next generation of people to experience success, joy and understanding on their own terms,’ explains global marketing VP Tom Herbst.
‘The campaign is built around the unstoppable will and determination of our North Face athletes — a spirit that we believe lives in us all. Some people look at our athletes’ expeditions and achievements, often realized at the coldest ends of the world or at the most dizzying and thin air of the highest peaks, and think they are quite mad,’ adds Herbst.
‘For the first time, we are questioning what some consider mad and challenging that perception. Is it madness, or is it in fact progress? It is only through these feats that we test the limits of human endurance, that we understand the beautiful grandeur of nature, and feed our souls.’
‘By spotlighting perceived illogical pursuits and the unimaginable endeavors that explorers undertake each and every day, we hope to inspire people to question inherited wisdom and go beyond limits in their own lives,’ comments Sid Lee LA managing partner Nicolas Van Erum.
Comment
This is a campaign that aims to operate as a rallying cry and a platform for self-questioning and self-testing.
With the core film notching up 1.5m YouTube views to date it is certainly gaining some traction.
Links:
North Face Web:
https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/
North Face YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNorthFaceVideo
North Face Twitter:
https://twitter.com/thenorthface
North Face Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thenorthface
North Face Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thenorthface/
North Face Tumblr:
http://thenorthfacejournal.tumblr.com/
