Building on its Engineered for Whatever brand platform, Columbia Sportswear has released a new campaign that continues the brand’s tongue-in-cheek marketing strategy. Titled Expedition Impossible, it features a surprise call-out by Columbia’s CEO, targeted at the Flat Earth community.

Developed in partnership with adam&eveDDB, who recently worked with the brand to launch its new platform, this latest release takes the tomfoolery one step further. In a short campaign video, the company’s leader Tim Boyle makes a tantalising offer to conspiracy theorists all around the world who believe the Earth is flat: if they can find the supposed edge of the planet, they can win everything the company owns.

Shot at the Columbia headquarters in Portland, Oregon, the film focuses on Boyle as he wanders around the office listing the many things one lucky winner could own – from the coffee machines and whiteboards to a mounted deer’s head and two gondola passenger cabins. As he addresses the Flat Earth community, his employees repeatedly butt in to clarify what is actually up for grabs and what is not.

Silly and sarcastic in tone, Expedition Impossible maintains Columbia’s new approach to marketing, which in turn draws on the brand’s history of offbeat storytelling. Boyle explains: “This is another example of Columbia’s mission to channel the bold, irreverent energy that has long defined the brand.”

Beyond the silliness, this communication style also creates space for Columbia to highlight the quality of its gear, without adopting the kind of self-important tone that other outdoor brands can fall prey to. It shows that the Columbia team can take their products seriously, without taking themselves seriously.

Boyle adds: “[Expedition Impossible] illustrates our legacy of durability and innovation – highlighting the extremes our gear can go through, even to the ends of the Earth. Which don’t actually exist, but try telling Flat Earthers that.”

The campaign video is also accompanied by an open letter in the New York Times in which Boyle goes into more detail about the fanciful challenge, plus there will be plenty of fun poked at celebrity Flat Earthers and conspiracy communities online, as Columbia joins the conversations on Reddit posts and comments sections on YouTube and social media.

Credits:
Agency: adam&eveDDB
CCOs: Ant Nelson, Mike Sutherland
Creative Directors: James Crosby, Will Cottom
Creatives: Jeppe Vidstrup, John Trainor-Tobin
Production Company: Smuggler
Director: Benji Weinstein
DoP: Joe Meade
Editing Company: Cut & Run USA
Editor: Sean Stender