Columbia Sportswear has launched Tested Tough, a new global brand platform that will feature employees and its chairman, Gert Boyle, in what will be the iconic US outdoorwear brand’s longest campaign to date.
The campaign is inspired by the company’s Pacific Northwest heritage and the original Tough Mother campaign that featured current chairman, Boyle, and her son current CEO, Tim Boyle.
“Tested Tough isn’t just an ad campaign or tagline, it’s the promise of our seventy-seven year-old brand. It’s what motivates each and every employee to build and deliver great products,” said Stuart Redsun, Columbia Sportswear Company’s chief marketing officer.
“We are excited to showcase the rigor and fun that goes into Columbia product testing from our own backyard; Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.”
Boyle, who is Columbia’s 91-year-old matriarch and chairman of the board, historically tested the brand’s products on her son. Today, every Columbia employee is involved in testing product, from their commute to work in the wintry Pacific Northwest, to weekends spent in the mountains, lakes, rivers, and trails.
The global campaign will kick off in early October, rolling out in 63 markets across Europe, Asia, South America and North America.
Campaign videos featuring employees out and about in tough conditions will be shown on tv and can be viewed on the brand’s YouTube channel.
A digital campaign hub will host content including the #TestedTough social campaign and a variety of digital content, including consumers sharing their #TestedTough moments.
As an extension of the brand campaign, Columbia has hired two “directors of toughness”. These outdoor enthusiasts, selected from a pool of thousands of applicants, will embark on a paid six-month adventure around the world to test the company’s range of apparel, outerwear, footwear and equipment.