Columbia Sportswear | Global Omnichannel Campaigns

Columbia Sportswear was on a streak of debuting top-of-the-line outdoor tech through new product lines, but consumers needed to know that Columbia’s hard-to-believe claims were in fact proven through real world experiences. So we relaunched a decades old claim of “Tested Tough” and set about creating the Directors of Toughness campaign to prove the reliability of the new product lines. Widely successful, these global omnichannel campaigns lead to more than one billion media impressions during their inaugural years, with many components of the campaigns continuing to this day.

Services Provided | Digital + Social Strategy, Campaign Ideation + Development, iOS Digital Extension Tech Lead, Social Activation Ideation + Team Management, Social Content Ideation, Social Reporting + Analytics

Directors of Toughness Campaign

Authenticity is a critical part in today’s campaigns, so we created two positions (real jobs) and set about giving the chance for anyone to become a Director of Toughness, where they’d be paid to adventure around the globe for a year while testing Columbia products. It wasn’t a role for everyone, so we encouraged a global community of fans to follow along as we put potential Directors of Toughness through grueling job interviews, driving incredible hashtag use, @ mentions and UGC sharing along the way.

This multi-year campaign engaged consumers at every moment, and lead to incredible, regularly viral DOT-created content that proved the brand’s promises of every product being “Tested Tough” in real world conditions. A global, omnichannel campaign that drove more than one billion media impressions, this campaign appeared across social and digital platforms, print and OOH, PR / publicity pushes, and in retail activations.

Tested Tough Campaign

Based in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear is able to tests their gear in some of the world’s worse weather right in their backyard. We highlighted the truths behind the Tested Tough claim in this omnichannel campaign, starting with the harsh elements around the Pacific Northwest then extending the Tested Tough claim globally, filming around the world to showcase the brand’s ability to keep you warm and dry no matter where consumers found themselves.

Digital Extension | iOS Sticker Packs

New at the time, we leveraged the vitality of iOS sticker packs to bring the Columbia brand and it’s exploring ethos to consumers iPhones, resulting in publicity and long-term, ongoing brand impressions.

This work was done through Portland, Oregon’s North Ad Agency, and the project included working closely with an amazing internal team at Columbia Sportswear.

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