In the largest campaign in its 77-year history, Columbia Sportswear is bringing back Gert Boyle, the brand’s chairman and 91-year-old matriarch, as well as its “Tested Tough” tagline for the first time in ten years.
Boyle became famous in the 1990s after being portrayed in company ads as “One Tough Mother.” She could be seen shoving her son, Tim Boyle, through a car wash or up a snowy mountain to test products.
In a switch, Tim Boyle, who is now CEO, will not be seen in the ads but rather many of Columbia’s employees. The Pacific Northwest will also receive a prominent role but the campaign will still play up the stringent standards Gert Boyle known for the phrase, “It’s perfect now make it better” – set has around product quality in the harshest conditions.
“We started in this crazy, wacky place called Portland where we have amazing mountains and rivers. We’ve got trails, the beach and skiing right outside our door,” said Stuart Redsun, Columbia’s chief marketing officer, last week at a launch event in New York City. “But the weather isn’t’ always cooperative so that’s why Columbia started in 1938 and 50 years hours ago when Gert started running the company she’s run it under one simple promise. It’s that constant innovation – making our products better so that we can all enjoy the outdoors a lot longer.”
But the return of Gert Boyle particularly marks a shift from marketing focusing more on the technical and functional benefits of products in recent years to more of a lighthearted angle. Redsun said Columbia found challenges delivering a consistent message season after season with its focus on cutting-edge breakthroughs. Now that the brand feels it’s won back its reputation for technology, the brand is reaching for more of the emotional appeal that was represented in the ““One Tough Mother” ads.
“We wanted to bring that fun and that excitement back and really show a little bit of the personality of the brand but, still, the product really is the hero,” said Redsun, who joined Columbia about a year ago after stints at Under Armour and Sony.
In one of the new spots, Gert Boyle is pictured standing on a snowy mountain with a cougar with the tag line, “Welcome to the Pacific Northwest where the cougars really are cougars.”
Noting he had to present that ad to the chairman, Redsun joked, “ “Yes, she does knows know what a cougar is and is very flattered.”
In one of the three TV spots, a pair of Columbia new hires undergo orientation: an all-night sit on a ski-lift in the winter. Boyle arrives on a crane, not to retrieve them, but to give them pizza, then leaves. In another, an employee has to dig through a snow bank to get to the office copy machine, which is out of paper. Boyle sternly watches the exasperated employee from her office.
The “TestedTough” slogan will figure prominently in ads and shopping bags as well in tagging on social media.
“’Tested Tough’ isn’t just an ad campaign or tag line, it’s the promise of our 77-year-old brand. It’s what motivates each and every employee to build and deliver great products,” said Redsun.
Gert Boyle was expected to come to the event herself but was slighly injured in an escalater incident. In a video shown at the event, Boyle thanked the crowd of mostly fashion writers for coming and joked that while she was “dinged up a little bit, you should have seen the escalater when I got through with it.” A image of a mangled escalater was then shown on the screen.
The global campaign, which will cost “north of $50 million,” is kicking off in early October, with broadcast, print, out of home, digital, retail and social elements rolling out in 63 markets across Europe, Asia, South America and North America.
One of the surprising elements is the appointment of two “Directors of Toughness.” Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants, the two selected – Lauren Steele, a freelance writer and ultrarunner and writer, and Zach Doleac, an adventure traveler and sports photographer who had previously worked for K2, will embark on a paid six-month adventure around the world to test the company’s products. The first stop will be an Oct. 12 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Consumers are being encouraged to follow their exploits through social channels via the #TestedTough hashtag.
Overall, the campaign, produced by Portland, OR-based North, will feature a much bigger social media component that Redsun told Sports Executive Weekly “will make it feel much bigger.” He added, “We want consumers to help tell our story.”
A digital campaign, at Columbia.com/TestedTough, will host all #TestedTough content and related social campaigns. Consumers will be encouraged to share their #TestedTough moments, by uploading photos or tagging posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Other components of the campaign include:
Outside Magazine Partnership: Columbia took over Outside Magazine’s Winter Buyer’s Guide by running a faux cover – the first ever for Outside – as well as featuring additional impact placements that further bring the #TestedTough story to light;
Employee-Focused Video Series: Starting later in October, videos starring real Columbia employees putting Columbia’s gear through the ringer while participating in various outdoor activities will arrive;
Out of Home Advertising: High impact out-of-home placements will be showcased in wallscapes, billboards, transit shelters and station dominations across the globe. Billboards featuring Gert Boyle are already appearing in Portland and Seattle.
Digital: Targeted local and national outreach includes ads triggered by weather based on the local markets and their weather conditions. A heavy mobile program will cover geo-fencing retailers, weather triggered units, and mobile video.
