Columbia Sportswear’s Irreverent Brand Reboot Embraces The Chaos of the Outdoors

Mother Nature isn’t just sweeping vistas, sunshine, and blue skies. Those venturing into the outdoors may encounter unpredictable weather or wildlife, like the occasional ravenous vulture.

So says Columbia Sportswear in its first brand relaunch in a decade. In its new ad—the brand’s first work from agency adam&eveDDB—what starts as an idyllic hike or camping trip soon descends into chaos, with pesky vultures, aggressive snakes, stormy skies, avalanches, a surprise bear, and even the Grim Reaper showing up along the way. 

Aron Ralston, the mountaineer who amputated his own arm to survive a canyoneering accident, also makes a darkly comedic cameo in the ad. 

Columbia went for an over-the-top and irreverent tone to introduce the tagline, “Engineered for Whatever.” The scenes mix live action and animation, while the soundtrack is a thrash metal cover of Irving Berlin’s classic “Blue Skies,” previously sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

The point is to defy tropes and stand out in the crowded outdoor apparel category, where “everything has started to look the same: wide-sweeping vistas, overly serious models, beautifully pristine landscapes,” said Matt Sutton, Columbia’s head of marketing.

“We’ve always poked fun at ourselves and the outdoor industry,” he continued.  “We wanted to double down on our history as a challenger, to bring back humor and irreverence… for people to see our advertising and actually laugh.”

Columbia also wants to draw in younger audiences who took up outdoor activities for the first time during the pandemic, when “the category exploded,” said Sutton. 

The outdoor apparel industry’s global market size is estimated to grow by $7.3 billion by 2029, according to market research firm Technavio. 

“Younger audiences want less serious takes on how products benefit them, not overly curated or pristine,”  Sutton said. “They want [to see] real, gritty challenges and adventures, rather than a model going up a sunny hill on a hike.” 

Columbia has “significantly increased” its media investment for this campaign, said Sutton. It will launch in the U.S. today (Aug. 4) and will run for multiple seasons across TV, online video, display, audio and podcasts, out-of-home, and social media. Global activity is also planned. 

The campaign is the start of a long-term strategy and partnership with adam&eveDDB, which won Columbia’s ad business after a pitch last year, Sutton said. 

Later this month, Columbia will reveal new brand ambassadors and celebrities that resonate with younger people. 

Returning to Irreverent Roots

When seeking a new agency, Columbia set a goal to “be immediately different from the past but curiously familiar,” Sutton recalled. “We were looking for someone to help us get back to our roots.”

For this new work, adam&eve/DDB drew inspiration from Columbia’s advertising of the 1980s and ‘90s, said Antony Nelson, the agency’s chief creative officer. During that era, company founder Gert Boyle—nicknamed “one tough mother”—fronted its advertising with humorous product tests, including sending her son through a car wash. 

In addition to the hero ad, Columbia is releasing three product test films that “bring the products to life in an irreverent way,” said Nelson. For example, in one, a woman tests the omni-heat jacket by rolling down a hill inside a giant snowball.

The shoot across Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia was a real test of Columbia’s products and proved its ethos on unpredictability of the outdoors, Nelson said. The crew, helmed by director Henry Alex-Rubin and production company Smuggler, had to relocate before filming because of a possible avalanche.

There were also “lots of snakes,” Nelson added.