October 24, 2025 • 46 mins
The Brief is back! Today on The Rock Fight Colin and Producer Dave break down Mammut’s Mountain Wear Rescue campaign.
They’re joined by Mammut’s Chief Marketing Officer Nic Brandenberger, who shares the inside story of how the campaign came together, from the insight that “8 out of 10 jackets never see a mountain” to the decision to embrace humor.
Episode Topics:
- How Mammut’s team turned an internal truth into creative gold
- The challenges and wins behind Mountain Wear Rescue
- Why humor in outdoor marketing is so hard to pull off
- Working with Katie Burrell and casting for comedy
- The evolution of Mammut’s brand voice and personality
- Outdoor industry tropes that need to die
- The Rock Fight’s final score: originality, brand fit, messaging, visuals & strategic cleverness
Spoiler: Mammut scores high and gives zero f*cks.
Thanks for listening! The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.
Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's semi-weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.
Please follow and subscribe to The Rock Fight and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.
Want to pick a fight with The Rock Fight? Send your feedback, questions, and comments to myrockfight@gmail.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
This just in. Breaking newsfrom the Rock Fight. A group of San
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(00:23):
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(01:05):
at GEOA Connect in Kansas Citythis November. You know, maybe it's
time to make a little room forthe goat in your store. Welcome to
the Rock Fight where we speakour truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes
agree to disagree. This is anoutdoor podcast that aims for the
(01:29):
head. I'm Colin True and todaythe brief is back. Time to take a
closer look at Mammoth'slatest brand effort with our own
producer Dave. But before weget to that, some programming reminders
for you. Come back to the RockFight on Monday where I'll be joined
like I always am by outdoorindustry insider and consigliere
to the Rock Fight, OwenComerford, as well as Brand expert
producer Dave, who you'regoing to hear in today's show. And
(01:50):
hey, have you subscribed toGear Abbey, the newest outdoor podcast
hosted by Shantae Salibairthat is blowing up right now. New
episodes come out everyThursday and you can send your outdoorsy
questions todeergearabbymail.com check out gear
Abbey today. And lastly, besure to subscribe to News from the
Front Rock Fight's semi weeklynewsletter by heading to Rockfight
(02:11):
Co. You can also send us anemail with feedback on any episode
of the rockfight@myrockflightmail.com so many
ways for you to connect withus here in the Rock Fight universe,
but all right. But today thebrief is back. Like I said, I'm joined
by brand and creative expertand Rock Fight Co Founder Producer
Dave. What's up Dave?
Dude, that's a lot packed in there.
(02:32):
Well, you know, we just get alot done in every episode.
There's a lot of multitaskinggoing on.
This is what we do.
Little bit of that.
All these other outdoorsypodcasts are like, we're talking
to this one person for like 90 minutes.
No, we're going to talk tonine people in 10 minute intervals.
That's right. Speed podcast.
You get your money's worth.Which is free, I guess.
(02:52):
Which is free. Damn it. We aresuch. That is roi, baby.
It is for you to listen.
Yes.
All right, so if you've notheard an episode of the Brief, this
is our kind of semi regularbrand, Deep Dive. So far we've had
a look at Speedland's Portlandbillboard efforts. We had a look
at Engineered for Whateverwith Columbia, with Columbia's CMO
(03:13):
Matt Sutton. And today it'sMountain Wear Rescue by Mammut. Now
coming up later in thisepisode, Dave and I will be joined
by Nick Brandenburger, who isalso the chief marketing officer,
but this time for Mammut. Andwe're going to get some insight into
how all of this came together.And then we'll come back after that
to wrap things up with DAVfinal analysis of the campaign where
he will rank originality,brand fit, messaging clarity, visual
(03:38):
impact and strategiccleverness, as well as determining
how many fucks Mammoth gave inthe creation of this campaign. I'm
going to think it's probably apretty low number. Let's get started.
Dave, you know why did forwe've had two episodes of the Brief.
This is the third one. Why didyou want to go deep on Mammoth?
Well, Colin, I think this onewas kind of easy. It kind of rose
to the top pretty quicklybecause once it kind of came through
(04:00):
your social feeds, it had the,the benefit and I think the. It achieved
the status of standing out.Right? So immediately you looked
at it and go, wow, this is,this is different. Now the techniques
that they use are tried andtrue. The type of humor that they
used, I mean, just kind of theconstruction we've seen, but they
did it well. And I guessthat's the, that's the takeaway here.
(04:24):
This. It stood out. I wasn'texpecting Mammut to deliver and what
they provided was done well.
So if you haven't seen it, thecampaign is a very much a mockumentary
style in the vein of theOffice. You know, Christopher Guest
movies of a team of folks whoare assigned by Mammoth of running
around and saving mountainMammoth products that are not being
(04:47):
used in their naturalenvironment, which is the mountains.
It stars Katie Burrell, whoyou might know here in the US as
a kind of outdoor personality.She's a filmmaker and a comedian
and a bunch of otherpersonalities as well. What am I
missing, Dave? What else aboutthis campaign should the listeners
know about? Well, I'll link itin the show notes. But what was it
about the campaign that.
Well, yeah, like you said,it's a mockumentary. So we're spying
(05:10):
in. And the absurd. And it'san absurdist premise, right, that
they're giving tickets out forpeople who are not using their outdoor
gear properly. So, again,taking on kind of the gatekeeping
theme that comes up all thetime, kind of turning it on its head.
You've got the hidden cameraaspect and people kind of going and
making asses of themselvesinto an unsuspecting public. Right.
(05:32):
So there's a little bit ofkind of. I would call that soft jackass
to it, right, where they'replaying these bit parts in terms
of faux reality. But like Isaid, I think that's the setup that
we've seen. But they use itreally well. And they've got a German
comedian. What is it? JanikAppitz is a comedian, plays a designer.
(05:54):
Katie Burrell and her partnerin crime, Lindsay.
Ha.
Kind of play the two that areout, you know, kind of just goofily
making fools of themselves asthey try to impose their will on
an unsuspecting public. Youalso see cameos from. The CEO comes
in. And so they. So they.Again, they're kind of merging the
world, the worlds together.And, well, like I said, what stood
(06:15):
out to me, though, Colin, wasnot so much the construct, which
I'm always down for a goodmockumentary. We're part of the Spinal
Tap generation. So it's like,you know, we're definitely. You know,
it hits hard, but I think forme, it was. Like I said, they landed
the humor, which is really.That's the hard part. It's the construct
(06:36):
we see all the time. There's alot of just kind of like, oh, that's
good. Oh, that's kind offunny. But they achieved that rare
kind of opportunity to be morethan just AD Funny, Right? It's funny
funny, Right?
Yeah.
And with that, it's thetiming, it's delivery. That, to me,
was obvious immediately. Oh,they're playing on a higher level.
Give that to Katie and Lindseyspecifically. Janik does, too, I
(07:00):
gotta say. But just theinterplay back and forth, the way
they cut the edits togetherreally showed some understanding
of how humor needs to play.
Yeah, I think you'reabsolutely right. There was a reason
not to take just a shot atChaco, but they recently did a thing
on Instagram where they've gota yeti running around and trying
on Chaco's, which it kind offalls into that. I think what you
(07:20):
just described is like, oh,that's kind of funny. That was a
nice 30 seconds kind of funny.
And again, a premise. We knowYeti. Okay, but I'm always good for.
I'm good for existingpremises. Done well.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Nothing offensive, but alsoit's like. Well, but hold on, let's
stop for a second. What couldyou have done with this premise of
Chacos and a yeti? And it'slike there could have been, I think,
a whole other way, like,thread you could have pulled on that.
(07:41):
And that's where I think themammoth campaign really lands of
like.
I do have to correct that,though. I do have to correct. I'm
sorry, it was a Sasquatch. Itreally wasn't a yeti.
Sorry.
Just different parts of thecountry, so probably different color
fur on brand is definitelymore of a Sasquatch.
Are they both Bigfoots or bigfeats? Or big feats.
Yeah. I don't know the genusof that family tree there, but that
(08:06):
would be an interesting. I'dlike to see that done out.
Well, we'll see if they keepgoing with this Sasquatch yeti thing,
then maybe we'll do an episodeof the Brief.
Somebody has to have done kindof the phylum, class, order, genus,
species.
There's some psycho out therethat has absolutely done this. But
back to Mammut. So. But,David, prior to this campaign, I
(08:27):
mean, we're talking about 1869or something like that, when this
brand was founded. What wasyour assessment or opinion of Mammut
prior to this?
Well, I'll definitely. Ididn't think they had it in them.
Right. I think that. I think.Look, and let me just back up a little
bit. I am a big fan and I'vetalked about this before, of when
(08:47):
you have a performance brandand Mammoth is certainly a performance
brand, that you have toestablish your performance credibility
before you take on humor andlighter and absurdist type of. Of
themes, which are alwayspopular. Right. They're popular.
But to set the table of whyyou belong in this conversation.
So if you're a new brand, tome, that always makes sense to you
(09:10):
can get attention with kind ofhumor. For sure. But I want to, I
want to set those performancecredentials with a brand that maybe
they have to undo somemistakes in the past. They're recovering.
Right. They're diminished. Sorestarting the conversation in the
case of someone like Mammoth,they are not diminished. They don't
need any kind of repair.They're certainly not a startup and
(09:30):
they've kind of always beenabout the credibility. That's really
the kind of almost a monotoneconversation frankly.
Yeah.
And so with them it wasdefinitely they had an open door
if they wanted to walk throughit of okay, let's show another side
of our personality and of thepurple, the personality of the people
who wear our products. Wethink that they have more than just
(09:51):
one track mind of performance.So I think that's.
Well, I mean I think it alsostarts with the culture Mammoth,
which again I didn't knowabout prior to this too because you
mentioned their CEO beinginvolved in the campaign. Like that
is actually that's their realCEO. That's the only one here who's
not an actor. And like they,they and it's not just limited to
this campaign. He's in a bunchof stuff that they're doing. So talk
(10:12):
about like demonstrating itfrom the top.
Well look, I think again youhave to have cultural buy in to do
something like this. I meanit's, I'm definitely a big fan of
trying things and seeing ifthey work and if they do doubling
down and if not pulling away.And sometimes you know the culture's
gonna be resistant to it. Cuzthey've done one thing, you know,
and I think we did hearstories or we're gonna hear stories
(10:33):
of somehow that played out inkind of the production of this. But
yeah, you have a CEO who'swilling to try and you know, put
himself out there for it. Itsays a lot.
Yeah, yeah. Now if I'm worriedabout one thing and we talk a little
bit about this with Nick interms of like what's coming up next.
I'm worried this one mayfizzle out. I mean the one thing
I liked about what we heardfrom Matt when we sutton at Columbia
(10:56):
when we did that episode ofthe the Engineer for whatever campaign
is going to have legs. They'regoing to roll this out. I mean maybe
upwards of years. This is thenew brand direction for Columbia
versus this one from amout.They're kind of at the end of it
and they're trying to figureout what they're going to do next.
They might bring some thingsback. I really feel like they could
milk this one, but it mayalready be over too.
(11:18):
Well. The only thing that's asimmediate or more immediate than
your product introduction isyour brand messaging in terms of
what have you done for melately. So you're right. That is
always the case here. And socan they keep up the attention? Can
they keep up the quality? Youknow, humor is tough going to say
(11:39):
it again, but they'vedemonstrated that they have some
kind of feel for it. So yeah,I think that that bodes well. But
now it's priority look too. Ifthey decide to move to a, let's say
a performance based campaignnext, that doesn't mean they're abandoning
this again. A brand like thathas many personality traits that
they need to talk about andgive kind of priority to. And hopefully
(12:01):
they're lay layering them inso that they've got some on the top,
some in the middle, some atthe bottom, and then they kind of
filter through what get risesto the top. Right now, this is at
the top. So, you know, to thatpoint about your Columbia, let's
see in six months what they'redoing, or let's see, even, you know,
in a year. We come back, whathave they done? Columbia has seemed
to follow up pretty nicelywith some of the stuff. I think the
(12:22):
stuff they have coming out forHalloween is a wonderful extension
of where they're going.
Yeah, it's really good. Ithink I just ultimately want the
actual Mountain Wear Rescueteam, like series. I think I want
Greg Daniel, you know, helaunched, he did, they brought, they're
doing the paper now at thespin off of the office. Like, can
we also do Mountain WearRescue? Because I want, I want full
episodes.
(12:42):
It does, it does feel like aNetflix series or maybe Hulu, I suppose.
You know, actually it probablyis more like an fx, but it's still.
It could be done.
I agree. All right, well,let's take a quick break. We're here
for some sponsors. We comeback, we're gonna be joined by Nick
Brandenburger, the chiefmarketing officer for Mammut. And
then stick around after thatto hear Dave's final assessment of
(13:04):
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It's beautiful right now inMichigan, I would tell you.
No snow yet.
(14:52):
Yet.
Yet.
You people over there in thewest because you think that, that
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Oh.
(15:12):
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Okay. Okay, Mr. Portland.Jesus. Look, I can't go. You know,
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(15:33):
No, it's not just Edamame. Edamame.
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(16:17):
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there, too. All right, we'rehere today with Nick Brandenburger,
(17:02):
the chief marketing officer ofMammut and the architect of Mammoth's
mountain wear rescue campaign.Welcome to the show, Nick. Good to
see you.
Thanks. Thanks for having me.
Yeah, man. We're big fans ofthe work. Obviously, we're here.
We're doing an episode of theBrief to kind of get into what led
to this. You know, we talk alot about outdoor marketing, and
it's sort of anytime someonedoes something interesting, it's.
(17:23):
It's at least fun to see andthen kind of determine, you know,
how, you know, how effectiveit was. I think in your case, Dave
and I were very much excitedwhen we saw it. But we have to start
these conversations like wealways do, with the big question
when it comes to mountain wearrescue, what was the brief?
Yeah, it's a really goodquestion. And I think there's probably
three. Three elements, threerequirements that for us led ultimately
(17:46):
to the brief. Like, one is weneed to cut through the clutter.
We're not like one of thosebig brands. We don't have super deep
pockets. We have to make ourdollars kind of work really, really
hard for us, really punchabove our weight. So that's basically
what that means, is we have tobe super creative, super provocative,
funny or shocking or all ofthese things. And so we kind of always
(18:10):
aim for the work to be so goodthat it gets shared. Trying to get
free reach, basically. Sothat's one thing. Number two, from
a creative perspective, wewanted to kind of this to be a continuation
of some work that we did lastyear to position Mamreza a mountain
brand and not as a streetwearbrand. And to be honest, on that
(18:31):
one, that was 2024, we wereall a bit surprised, right? Like,
I think that there was a lotof positive feedback from consumers,
customers, partners, and evenpress. So we were. We were onto something
with. With. With definingourselves through a negative. Normally
it's kind of. I think this wasone of the few instances where this
created a more clarity than apositive description of our positioning.
(18:53):
So that. But that was thesecond thing. It's really dovetail
into that kind of work. Andthen thirdly, we wanted this to be
sort of loosely connected tohow we execute across this fall winter
25 season, which is based onthe idea of how Aura Files feel at
home in the mountains morethan like inside four walls. And
(19:14):
that idea you'll see reflectedacross all the product launches throughout
the season, all through thetouch points and everything. So,
yeah, those three things,basically a combination of marketing
effectiveness requirements,continuity in our campaign from last
year, and then messagingcoherence with the rest of the seasonal
(19:34):
work, that was basically thethree big things that we looked at.
For the brief you mentioned,kind of the Mammut being a bit of
a smaller brand in the outdoorscene at the same time, I mean, it's
an OG man. 1862, I think, iswhen the brand was founded. I don't
think a lot of peoplelistening to this who are in the
industry realize that. I'vebeen aware of Mammut since I've been
in the industry, and I stillwould have said I was probably just
(19:55):
one of those outdoor brandsthat started in the 70s or 80s or
something like that, you know,so when you look at where the brand
is now, was.
It was the 1870s, Colin?
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Just like the north face. No,100 years, you know. You know, where
do you want the brand to be?Where do you guys want. Where do
you see the brand, where it isnow? And where do you want the brand
to go?
(20:17):
It's a really good question.And you know, actually the format
of the campaign with. With youknow, some core assets for paid,
and then a social first skitseries that was actually pretty deliberately
chosen to drive reach with ayounger, more global audience. Because,
as you say, right, like, we'rea super. Like, we're a storied brand,
160 years of history andexpertise, but we've also been sort
(20:40):
of, you know, quiteclassically Swiss, humble, understated
in our brand expression overthe past decade or so, and, you know,
very focused on deliveringhigh quality, functional products
to mountain enthusiasts, whichis not wrong. But, you know, we've
also been a bit removed fromthe community and we haven't really
celebrated our own purposeenough. And so we are now starting
(21:03):
to focus much more onstorytelling that's really relatable,
becoming less elitist and morereal and really making sort of the
lessons of growth that welearn on the mountains really central
to our storytelling in all itsbrutal facets, like blood, sweat,
tears and all, of course, alsojoy. But yeah, and also, maybe most
(21:30):
importantly, don't takeourselves too seriously, right? Like,
have fun at what we do, laughabout our own nerdiness and failures
and all that kind of stuff.So, in short, I would love for Mamo
to become a brand that is,like, perceived as modern, culturally
attuned, approachable and fun.I think that's where I want it to
(21:51):
be.
I think that's definitely. Youcan see that in the pieces. Kind
of the serial structure of it,where you've got the different episodes
leading up, differentcharacter types. No, I think it's
great. I also want to add,like, you just kind of hit on the
idea that a brand needs tostick to a single type of story or
storyline, to me, is a littledated. Right. And brands have multiple
(22:12):
storylines, they have multiplepersonalities, right? And so being
able to show them really kindof rounds out your brand as a. As
a relationship. You know, whoam I with? Sometimes I'm with the
serious, sometimes I'm withthe hardcore, sometimes I'm with
the playful, you know, thatkind of. So that I really think you
hit that.
Absolutely. And I. I alwayssay, like, you know, a brand is,
(22:33):
in a way, is like a person.And you have multiple facets of your
personality. And, you know,you can be like, think of a mountain
guide, right? Mountain guides,like, are there to kind of like,
keep you alive in themountains. And they're, you know,
super knowledgeable people,but they have the nastiest jokes,
right? So they. They can be,like, super serious and, like, save
(22:54):
your life and, like, you'reliterally, like, you're your Life
is in their hands. And on theother side, you can have a laugh
and, like, be funny and, youknow, like, and. And joke around.
And those two sides areperfectly compatible. Right. And
I think as a brand moment hasbeen a little bit more on one side,
but now we're really, like,over the past two years, I think
(23:14):
we've been opening up to,like, a new kind of vibe, and it
feels like we're having somemore fun at work, which is. Which
is showing in the execution.
Well, let's get into thecampaign. I mean, number one, did
you guys have a creativepartner on the campaign? Was this
all internally driven or didyou have an agency you worked with?
No, yeah, we have. So we havea creative agency, so Belmoretti
(23:36):
Adept. That's kind of likeour. Our agency of record. And then
we worked with Josh Sampieraat Zoom, which is like a smaller
agency out of Austria that weworked on with this. And, yeah, we
also created some of our owncontent to complement the campaign
and extend sort of like thechannel mix. We had, like, job descriptions.
(23:58):
We did a job search onLinkedIn, and we had a little stint
at the Oktoberfest as wellwith our CEO. So, yeah, we did some
of our own content as well.
That's your actual CEO inthese bits, right? I mean, that's
it. That's it.
Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no, that'sour CEO.
Yeah.
That's. As a brand guy, that'sgot to be a little nice to know that
he's kind of like, down toclown around a little bit, right?
(24:19):
I mean, like, that's gotta be nice.
Oh, yeah, totally. I mean,for. For the. For the. For a campaign
earlier this year, I strappedhim to the north face of. Of Iger
on a desk. That was alsopretty fun. And. And he's up for
that kind of stuff. I reallylove him for that.
What is it? Parasailing in toannounce the winner? Exactly.
(24:40):
That as well.
By the way, that is f. Colin.I don't know if you've seen this
one, but he joins a group chator a video chat while in the air,
strapped to a, you know, guyparasailing down the valley. And
they're totally surprised thatall of a sudden the CEO appears and,
you know, what? 2,000ft up.It's. It's amazing. It's a fantastic
(25:01):
look.
You know, Troy Saot, RyanGellert, Caroline Brown, you guys,
you've been served noticehere. You know, Come on, You know,
right?
I want to see the. I want tosee the. I want to See the board
meeting conducted in freefall. I think that would be fantastic.
He's like the Tom Cruise ofoutdoor CEO.
That's right.
He's like, telling the board,like, what do you want me to do?
(25:22):
You know, in a circle by theirhands, like, yeah, that's right.
I passed this motion. Thereyou go.
So how did this all cometogether, Nick? Like, how did it
all develop? I mean, like, howlong was it in development? Like,
what's. What's sort of thebackstory of the campaign. Yeah.
To tell the truth, it wasn'tactually that easy, or it was a tough
(25:45):
nut to crack. I have to besuper honest to you guys. We briefed
for the campaign almost a yearago, and now it's just because we
wanted to have a little bitmore time to develop something. But
we churned on getting to thisidea for six or seven months. We
were just, like, you know,going from. From one idea to the
(26:06):
other, and, like, just, youknow, we couldn't land it. And then
there were. There wereprobably. There are two or three
moments that I feel like were.Were kind of leading or like, we're
untying that knot, and theywere happening more or less at the
same time. One was our. SoPaul, our CPO, often says that 8
(26:30):
out of 10 of our jackets neversee a mountain. And that wasn't news
to us. We know that's just theway things are. That's where our
consumers are and everything.But there was something in the way
he said it. He didn't say 8out of 10 of our jackets are used
in the city. He said, theynever see a mountain. And in this
(26:52):
slightly pained voice. So forus, that was kind of like, that was
one thing that. That inspired.Inspired us.
It just hit me, hey, we're themountain brand, and none of our shit
goes to the mountains.
Exactly.
Right?
Like, and then. And then,like, I think it was, like, same
day or the day after, we werereally, like, pouring over those.
Those ideas. And then someoneshared this Solomon, like, a meme
(27:15):
that. Where consumers aresaying, like, they're taking their
Salomons to the trail andthey're posting something like, showing
my Salomons the life theydeserve. And that hit a nerve too,
right? Like, because it camefrom the community and not from a
brand. And we felt like, hey,that's interesting. Right? So we
had this combination of aninternal insight where we're like,
(27:37):
okay, so so much of ourproduct is actually just, like, running
around in cities and on thecommute and everything, and then
this external sort ofCommunity based observation. And
we sort of all felt like,well, we stumbled onto something
here. This is true. This is,is strategically relevant, this is
culturally relevant, and itcould be executed in a really funny
way. So from there, everythingcame together fairly, fairly quickly
(28:00):
then.
So your background, like, you,you, you're, you're not really, you
don't have that outdoorbackground. Right. But Mammoth's
kind of your first really bigjob in the outdoors.
Exactly.
Ebay and fandom and placeslike that. That is always kind of
when we hear people talkabout, you know, executives getting
hired at outdoor brands orsometimes there's consternation about
that. Right. Like, oh, whatare they going to know about, you
know, our world? You know, Ithink there's always the fresh eyes
(28:22):
on a, on a situation. Whatkind of purview did you bring in?
This, what did you, did youfind any challenges bringing in sort
of an outsider's perspective?Were there people like, wow, we got
to go more traditional here,guys. We need, we need the glowing
tent on, by the alpine lakewith the pine tree and the acoustic
guitar in the background.Like, that's, that's what we do.
We're the outdoor industry.
You know, silhouette on amountaintop with my arms above my
(28:46):
head.
That's right, the victorypose. Conquering the mountain.
Yeah, exactly.
Puppy jacket would just tiethe whole thing together.
Yeah, exactly. No, I think,you know, it's, it's actually interesting
because like, on the one hand,I'm still getting grief from, from
around the company in a waythat I'm not, I'm not from this industry.
I'm like the newbie and like, okay.
(29:06):
So, you know, keeping outdoorindustry persists, man.
Exactly. But on the otherside, I think there's, there's a
lot, it gives me a lot offreedom to challenge things. Right.
Like, why are we doing this?Like, why is this like that? And
like, you know, so I think Icame in with a fresh pair of eyes.
It was, for me, in a way, theoutdoor industry was just like working
(29:27):
on so many, like, similarvisual benefit, visualization, similar
kind of like, you know,they're doing like the long format
films and then this and that,like some storytelling. But it all
felt like, like prettyexchangeable. Like you, you just
cover the brand name. It couldbe, it could be just as well any
other brand, right?
Yep.
And in, in a way, what, whatbecomes clear is that like, we don't
(29:52):
own the mountains, we don'town the, the, the, you know, the
territory, the geographyaround like, what we're, what we're
Showing. So that's not. Youcan't use that as a. As a distinctive
asset for your brand. So it's.It's. And everyone has the epic shots.
Everyone has the beautifullandscapes. Everyone has the, you
know, bl. You know, and allthat. So you need to bring in more
(30:15):
of your brand's character. Youneed to bring in more of your brand's
distinctive assets to make itownable. Right. And to build. Build
out a character, you know, youneed to decide, are you, like, the
serious brand? Are you thefunny brand? Or, you know, can you
flex a little bit? You know,what is your edge? How do you differentiate?
How do you position yourselfin the minds of the consumers? And
(30:37):
I think that's. That's where Icame in and could bring some fresh
perspective. Right. But it'slike, to be honest with you as well,
like Mahmoud, again, it's asuper storied brand. It's a diamond
in the rough. So it's notabout changing the brand completely.
It's about polishing, sandingaround the edges. And there you are.
(31:00):
I think we're on a good track.
If anybody's doubting yourbonafides. Nick's recording with
us today from the Alps, wherehe's going to be mountain biking
and hiking all weekend. Sohe's legit, everybody. All right.
You know, he's not, like,looking at a computer.
It's easy if you live inSwitzerland. Like, the Alps are just,
like, around your house.
(31:23):
Back to the creative piece.How did you land on the. Like you
said, it came together. Youhad your aha. Moments of insight,
which I think totally, totallymakes sense. I love those. And then,
like you said, it comestogether quickly. How did you land
on the mockumentary style andthe. The. The kind of casting that
you did? Because it is aparticular type of tactic that often
(31:44):
brands are scared of, frankly,because humor can. Doesn't always.
Doesn't always land. But youguys. You guys seem to. To hit it.
Yeah. I mean, again, I thinkthis was just like something where
we felt like it's not a. It'snot a standard way of going out there
with, like, your, you know,with your storytelling and. Or with
your brand films. It's maybeit comes maybe a little bit from
(32:08):
the left side or like, youknow, something that you see from,
maybe from other brands, butnot in this category. And I think
we felt like the skit serieswas a really interesting format.
It allowed us to bring inhumor, which was super important
for us because the way we'rekind of seeing this Was you have
(32:28):
one piece that is polarizing,that is kind of like a paid media
piece, a little bit of alaunch film of sorts. And that was
really designed to bepolarizing and that's what it did.
That was a little more almostself serious with the agents with
the glasses on kind of goingaround, right?
Exactly, exactly. And like, Imean, obviously we had a lot of discussions
(32:51):
around this. Like, is this,you know, the right time to kind
of show up with this kind ofcreative. But like, the engagement
on the asset was worth a lotbecause it created so much reach,
it created so much engagementon those posts. And this has then
set the stage for us to buildup that tension and then come with
a skit series that in a wayalmost relieves that tension and
(33:15):
helps us kind of show up withthe right character that we ultimately
wanted to stick.
Well, I'll say outdoorindustry LinkedIn is a funny place
because I remember so the dayone reaction of that piece, right,
was sort of like, oh, what isthis? What is the gatekeeping that
Mammoth is doing now? Thatkind of thing. And then to your point,
so I'm trying to pictureyou@mammut HQ, like monitoring these
(33:39):
comments and then you drop,you know, the Katie Burrell pieces
and all the, the follow upsand it's like, oh, this is what they're
doing. I mean, was that kindof, was that tough to kind of go
through that, you know, theprocess of those, that release schedule?
It was, it was tough because Ithink there was, there was some nervosity
on our side, obviously. Right.Like, because it could have, like
it could have gotten so muchtraction that we would have had to
(34:03):
advance the release of theskit series. So we really wanted
this to kind of sit andmarinate for like a week and put,
you know, like day two, youknow, there was, you know, there's
more coming in and there'smore feedback and like people are
like getting cold feet alittle bit and I'm like, no, no,
no, it's not yet, it's not,it's not yet boiling. It's like just,
you know, just wait it out.Like just, you know, let it go. Because
(34:24):
it's, it, it is true that itcreated the conversation. It created,
you know, a lot of engagement.And that reach was really, really
good because then you canfollow up with a skit series and
you can really kind of dive inthere. And I think it was a little
bit of a risky approach, Ihave to say that. But I was actually
(34:48):
quite confident that we wouldland it Right.
I think the casting of Katiewas very deft. She really did bring
the exact kind of nuance toit. The whole team did. But I think
just that to me was one ofthe, the insights to the. Obviously
some of the other characterswere fantastic. You know, Yannick,
the designer is just, isgreat. And same with the. What is
(35:09):
it, the CEO's daughter? Thesocial media.
So.
Well, yeah, but I think. So Ido have to ask this. Any hesitation
to featuring an American asyour lead spokesperson in this campaign?
Not at all, no. I think for meit was actually almost, almost something
that I felt like is requiredto generate a little bit more reach
(35:32):
and relevance in like inregions where we're otherwise not
that visible and you know,difficult for us to cut through.
So for me it was almost like ano brainer to say, like, hey, actually
if we wanted to be seen inNorth America and cut through some
really, you know, provocative,funny content, then we have to have,
(35:53):
we have to bring in some localrelevance. And there's no better
way than. And to do that withKatie. I mean, she's absolutely brilliant.
You're not worried about herinvading Greenland or anything?
Not at all. I wouldn't haveknown that that was her plan all
along, but.
(36:15):
You know those skiers, theycan be awfully crafty.
That's right, exactly.
I guess. Your last segment.How long does this run? Please tell
us there's more coming.
Well, I was going to say basedon the success of Ted Lass turning
an ad into a show, can weexpect a Netflix series? And is there
going to be a season two ofthis, of this?
(36:38):
Ted Sarandis, get on the phonewith Nick. Let's make this happen.
You know, Apple got Ted. Youcan get Katie and crew in a season
two.
I think. Yeah, I think in thiscase I would have to reach out to
Netflix and really do a pitch.But no, I mean, you're right. Like,
I think we, we feel like wetouched on something that is super
interesting. This particularcampaign. We've concluded on this
(37:05):
maybe with a cherry on thecake before Christmas. Let's see
where we get with this. Butyeah, we launched some other stuff
now. New generation ofPinnacle Performance. Eiger Extreme
is just out in the market, sowe had to move on. But we're definitely
going to follow up on this.And also in terms of the format,
(37:25):
I think we feel like, likethis has some, some more Runway.
For sure. Yeah, stay tuned.
That's great.
Well, right on. Well, Nick,thank you so much for spending a
few minutes with us. Congratson the campaign. Excited to see what
you guys are gonna do next. Ithink, you know, if the. The takeaway
here obviously is, you know,brands. Hey, try stuff. You know,
I think we're making fun oflike, the tropes, but that's also
(37:45):
cause the tropes have beendone to death. So, you know, spend
some time, you know, put. Pulltogether some cool ideas. I mean,
and really fun, interestingthings can happen, especially in
our. In our outdoor space. Butappreciate you joining the show,
buddy.
Thanks me. Really appreciate it.
All right, we're back with thefinal analysis. So, Dave, you got.
Here are the categories again.We've got originality. All right,
(38:07):
Brand fit, Messaging Clarity,Visual impact, Strategic cleverness.
So this is out of 10, onebeing the worst, 10 being the best.
Mountain wear Rescue Mammut.Dave, what'd you give it for? Originality.
Originality. Okay, well, likeI said, the mockumentary is a tried
and true. Even the way thatthey've, you know, kind of the camera
(38:29):
setups, things like that, I'mgonna say we've definitely seen that
before. But in our sector, inour space, it's definitely hasn't
been employed in the same way.I'm gonna give them a seven and a
half.
I think that's fair because itis done. It has been done. But you're
right. The only argument I'dsay to me to go a little higher if
(38:51):
you wanted to, is that I thinkmany other outdoor brands would try
this and fail miserably.
Well, originale doesn'tactually speak to. Did they land
it?
Yeah, that's a good point.
I mean, so.
Right.
So I mean, they certainlylanded it.
But yes, seven and a half, Ithink is fair. That's a good score.
That's a good score. Okay,seven and a half for originality.
Moving on. Brand fit.
Wow. I gotta say, before theylanded it, I would have said that
(39:15):
this is not what Mammothbrings to the table. But I think
they hit it. I think that thepersonalities, the subtleties, I
mean, the fact that they canlaugh at themselves again, Janik,
the German designer, isamazing. I'm gonna give them an 8.
I think it fits their brand.
(39:36):
Yeah, I agree. I think thething that I like about it is obviously
they had run ads before. Imean, they acknowledge, and I think
Nick even did during ourconversation around how, like, so
much of the stuff is. Everyoutdoor brand deals with this. You
know, 90% of what they make isstreetwear. Right. It's not used
in the mountains. So there's asubtlety about the reality of making
Outdoor stuff. It's a littlelike understanding kind of your place
(40:00):
in the world here while stillelevating what is cool about your
brand, that it is a mountainbrand and still poking fun of it.
It's very layered and I just,I really appreciate it. It isn't
just so on the nose one, A onenote campaign.
Which brings us to the, thethird point though.
Messaging clarity.
Right. And to that point, dothey get across the idea that. That
(40:21):
preconceived notions of useare a little absurd and gatekeepy
and just as absurd as the factthat we, we spend money on these
really capable performanceitems that will never see what they
were made for. Right. I meanit's, it's equal two sides of the
same coin. They kind of, theyhighlight that piece. I think they
(40:42):
get. And does it show levitythat hey, we're a brand that has
a little, little bit sense ofhumor and aren't so self serious.
So I'm, I'm going to give it a nine.
Nine.
I think, I think they nailedit. I think they nailed it.
This might be. I, I don'tremember what we gave the other ones.
We'll have to go back and lookwhat we gave the other brands and
then put a post on Instagramor something like that.
I don't know.
But this might be the highest.
Coffee's really good thismorning. So I'm just kind of going
(41:04):
with a nice dark roast.Feeling it.
Well, I like that. It'sbecause we, the point we made, the
point you made about it, thehumor landing the point that they
pulled it off and that it's,it's just funny. It's not outdoor
funny. It's funny. You're. Ifyou're an outdoorsy person and you
know all the trop. But it'sfunny anyway. And so that makes me
as an outdoorsy person want tosupport their brand.
Timing and delivery, man.Timing and delivery.
(41:26):
And if you are an outsiderlooking at just needing a rain jacket
or a beginner outdoorsy personand you saw this, you'd probably.
It would resonate with you tothe point where this might become
your go to brand. So. Yeah.Agreed. All right. Visual impact.
Okay. This is a tougher onefor a campaign that is inherently
(41:47):
quasi realistic.
Right.
In the sense that themockumentary has a certain look to
it.
Right.
Your camera angles, the waythat the actors come in and out.
I, I think so you're kind oflimited to what you can do visually.
I think they did it very well.
Yeah.
Because they played the mediumand they played the. The theme. But
if I'm gonna go like. Like,you know, we. We looked at a North
(42:10):
Face video a little while agoand, you know, or even what we just
saw with Columbia, where thosevisuals jump out of the screen and
grab you, it's just not thatkind of campaign. So I'm going to
give him a 6.5. Just a 6.5.But that is in no way, again, you
know, denigrating the concept.It's just the nature of what you
need. You need to beunderstated in your visuals.
(42:32):
Are you dinging them a littlebit for just because of the. What
they chose to show? I mean,it's harder to be more.
Visually imprinted, probably,but, you know, you add a little bit
of motion graphics to it, youknow, some kind of.
Of.
I don't know, just. Come on,give me something. Give me a logo
at the end that jumps out.
All right, fair, fair. Allright. And last one. Strategic cleverness.
(42:53):
I mean, 10.
Yeah, I was gonna say, comeon. Like, have you seen a more clever
campaign?
I mean, they just hit it againwith their brand. Like, part of it's
the surprise, so the brandfit, you know, that goes together
with that. Like. Yeah, thatwas well done.
Done.
Well done.
All right.
So of the five maincategories, they get a 41 out of
(43:13):
50.
Wow.
I gotta go back and look. Thatmight be the highest we've given
so far. Or you've given so farthat we do have our bonus category
of producer Dave's fucks togive, which I can't remember. How
do we define fucks to give?
Do they give a brand?
Right.
Do they give a fuck? And I. Ithink that is solidly in the. No,
they do not.
(43:34):
Zero fucks to give.
Zero fucks to give. They weregonna do. They knew it was a risk,
they did it anyway. They tooka total risk or a bet on humor. Being
able to land humor. They evenplayed on the fact that they might
not be able to land humor. Sogood for them.
Yeah, look, and you heard Nicktalk about it. I mean, he came from
(43:57):
outside the industry. He stillcatches grief from people inside
his own brand, as he should,not being. And I'll get an insider.
Right?
That paid off here.
Yeah, right.
If the buck stops with him asthe chief marketing officer.
You know what? Pictures of youon the rope toe. That's not something
to be prideful of. Like, just.Come on, just.
That's right. All right, Ithink we did it. Anything else?
(44:23):
No, I don't think so. It was agood catch. Colin, this was a good
campaign.
This is a good one. Yeah. Allright, well, stay tuned for the next
episode of the brief. That'sthe show for today. The rock fight's
a production of rock flightllc. Today's episode produced by
kind of my co host and thedriver of the brief, producer Dave
art direction provided bySarah gensert.
(44:47):
Sarah, where's the brief? Gensert.
Where's the brief? Gensert.That's it. That's sticking. The rock
fight's a production. At rockfight llc, I'm Colin true. Thank
you for listening. And here totake us out is Krista makes. We should
get him on the do the brief. Idon't know why we would, but let's
just do it. We could do lessthan Jake as a the brief for a ska
band. There you go with therock fight fight song. We'll see
(45:10):
you next time. Rock fighters.
Welcome to the rock fight.Where we speak our truth, slay sacred
cows and sometimes agree todisappoint. Disagree. We talk about
human powered outdooractivities and big bites about topics
(45:34):
that we find interesting likepop culture, music, the latest movie
reviews, ideas that aim forthe head. This is where we speak
our truth. This is where wespeak our truth. Rock fight. Rock
fight. Rock fight. Welcome tothe rock fight. Rock fight. Rock
fight. Welcome to the rockflight. Rock flight. Rock fight.
(45:59):
Rock flight. Rock fight. Rockfight. Welcome to the rock fight.
Rock fight. Rock fight.
This just in. Breaking newsfrom the Rock Fight. A group of San
Francisco based tech investorshave announced they are launching
a subscription basedpublishing ecosystem of adult themed
outdoor magazines. Gear Hunkyplus will debut this spring with
an orgy of coverage of allthings uncovered outside. The first
issue will feature AlexiHandhold's attempt at the first clothing
(00:23):
free solo of El Capitan inYosemite, complete with centerfold
listicles and affiliate links.Gearhunky plus glossy full color
print editions harken back toa day when people had to pay for
their adult outdoor content orfind it in the woods behind their
house like everyone else.
While that may not be true,you know what is true? Ibex Merino
(00:45):
is as home in your shop asduct tape on Denali. We're talking
authentic heritage, realsustainability, privately owned and
of course premium performancethat has become legendary. From everyday
essentials like the Goatee toexpedition ready pieces like the
Mammoth hoodie, Ibex has apremium Merino lair ready to outfit
any of your customers.Schedule some time with their team
(01:05):
at GEOA Connect in Kansas Citythis November. You know, maybe it's
time to make a little room forthe goat in your store. Welcome to
the Rock Fight where we speakour truth, slay sacred cows and sometimes
agree to disagree. This is anoutdoor podcast that aims for the
(01:29):
head. I'm Colin True and todaythe brief is back. Time to take a
closer look at Mammoth'slatest brand effort with our own
producer Dave. But before weget to that, some programming reminders
for you. Come back to the RockFight on Monday where I'll be joined
like I always am by outdoorindustry insider and consigliere
to the Rock Fight, OwenComerford, as well as Brand expert
producer Dave, who you'regoing to hear in today's show. And
(01:50):
hey, have you subscribed toGear Abbey, the newest outdoor podcast
hosted by Shantae Salibairthat is blowing up right now. New
episodes come out everyThursday and you can send your outdoorsy
questions todeergearabbymail.com check out gear
Abbey today. And lastly, besure to subscribe to News from the
Front Rock Fight's semi weeklynewsletter by heading to Rockfight
(02:11):
Co. You can also send us anemail with feedback on any episode
of the rockfight@myrockflightmail.com so many
ways for you to connect withus here in the Rock Fight universe,
but all right. But today thebrief is back. Like I said, I'm joined
by brand and creative expertand Rock Fight Co Founder Producer
Dave. What's up Dave?
Dude, that's a lot packed in there.
(02:32):
Well, you know, we just get alot done in every episode.
There's a lot of multitaskinggoing on.
This is what we do.
Little bit of that.
All these other outdoorsypodcasts are like, we're talking
to this one person for like 90 minutes.
No, we're going to talk tonine people in 10 minute intervals.
That's right. Speed podcast.
You get your money's worth.Which is free, I guess.
(02:52):
Which is free. Damn it. We aresuch. That is roi, baby.
It is for you to listen.
Yes.
All right, so if you've notheard an episode of the Brief, this
is our kind of semi regularbrand, Deep Dive. So far we've had
a look at Speedland's Portlandbillboard efforts. We had a look
at Engineered for Whateverwith Columbia, with Columbia's CMO
(03:13):
Matt Sutton. And today it'sMountain Wear Rescue by Mammut. Now
coming up later in thisepisode, Dave and I will be joined
by Nick Brandenburger, who isalso the chief marketing officer,
but this time for Mammut. Andwe're going to get some insight into
how all of this came together.And then we'll come back after that
to wrap things up with DAVfinal analysis of the campaign where
he will rank originality,brand fit, messaging clarity, visual
(03:38):
impact and strategiccleverness, as well as determining
how many fucks Mammoth gave inthe creation of this campaign. I'm
going to think it's probably apretty low number. Let's get started.
Dave, you know why did forwe've had two episodes of the Brief.
This is the third one. Why didyou want to go deep on Mammoth?
Well, Colin, I think this onewas kind of easy. It kind of rose
to the top pretty quicklybecause once it kind of came through
(04:00):
your social feeds, it had the,the benefit and I think the. It achieved
the status of standing out.Right? So immediately you looked
at it and go, wow, this is,this is different. Now the techniques
that they use are tried andtrue. The type of humor that they
used, I mean, just kind of theconstruction we've seen, but they
did it well. And I guessthat's the, that's the takeaway here.
(04:24):
This. It stood out. I wasn'texpecting Mammut to deliver and what
they provided was done well.
So if you haven't seen it, thecampaign is a very much a mockumentary
style in the vein of theOffice. You know, Christopher Guest
movies of a team of folks whoare assigned by Mammoth of running
around and saving mountainMammoth products that are not being
(04:47):
used in their naturalenvironment, which is the mountains.
It stars Katie Burrell, whoyou might know here in the US as
a kind of outdoor personality.She's a filmmaker and a comedian
and a bunch of otherpersonalities as well. What am I
missing, Dave? What else aboutthis campaign should the listeners
know about? Well, I'll link itin the show notes. But what was it
about the campaign that.
Well, yeah, like you said,it's a mockumentary. So we're spying
(05:10):
in. And the absurd. And it'san absurdist premise, right, that
they're giving tickets out forpeople who are not using their outdoor
gear properly. So, again,taking on kind of the gatekeeping
theme that comes up all thetime, kind of turning it on its head.
You've got the hidden cameraaspect and people kind of going and
making asses of themselvesinto an unsuspecting public. Right.
(05:32):
So there's a little bit ofkind of. I would call that soft jackass
to it, right, where they'replaying these bit parts in terms
of faux reality. But like Isaid, I think that's the setup that
we've seen. But they use itreally well. And they've got a German
comedian. What is it? JanikAppitz is a comedian, plays a designer.
(05:54):
Katie Burrell and her partnerin crime, Lindsay.
Ha.
Kind of play the two that areout, you know, kind of just goofily
making fools of themselves asthey try to impose their will on
an unsuspecting public. Youalso see cameos from. The CEO comes
in. And so they. So they.Again, they're kind of merging the
world, the worlds together.And, well, like I said, what stood
(06:15):
out to me, though, Colin, wasnot so much the construct, which
I'm always down for a goodmockumentary. We're part of the Spinal
Tap generation. So it's like,you know, we're definitely. You know,
it hits hard, but I think forme, it was. Like I said, they landed
the humor, which is really.That's the hard part. It's the construct
(06:36):
we see all the time. There's alot of just kind of like, oh, that's
good. Oh, that's kind offunny. But they achieved that rare
kind of opportunity to be morethan just AD Funny, Right? It's funny
funny, Right?
Yeah.
And with that, it's thetiming, it's delivery. That, to me,
was obvious immediately. Oh,they're playing on a higher level.
Give that to Katie and Lindseyspecifically. Janik does, too, I
(07:00):
gotta say. But just theinterplay back and forth, the way
they cut the edits togetherreally showed some understanding
of how humor needs to play.
Yeah, I think you'reabsolutely right. There was a reason
not to take just a shot atChaco, but they recently did a thing
on Instagram where they've gota yeti running around and trying
on Chaco's, which it kind offalls into that. I think what you
(07:20):
just described is like, oh,that's kind of funny. That was a
nice 30 seconds kind of funny.
And again, a premise. We knowYeti. Okay, but I'm always good for.
I'm good for existingpremises. Done well.
Right.
You know what I mean?
Nothing offensive, but alsoit's like. Well, but hold on, let's
stop for a second. What couldyou have done with this premise of
Chacos and a yeti? And it'slike there could have been, I think,
a whole other way, like,thread you could have pulled on that.
(07:41):
And that's where I think themammoth campaign really lands of
like.
I do have to correct that,though. I do have to correct. I'm
sorry, it was a Sasquatch. Itreally wasn't a yeti.
Sorry.
Just different parts of thecountry, so probably different color
fur on brand is definitelymore of a Sasquatch.
Are they both Bigfoots or bigfeats? Or big feats.
Yeah. I don't know the genusof that family tree there, but that
(08:06):
would be an interesting. I'dlike to see that done out.
Well, we'll see if they keepgoing with this Sasquatch yeti thing,
then maybe we'll do an episodeof the Brief.
Somebody has to have done kindof the phylum, class, order, genus,
species.
There's some psycho out therethat has absolutely done this. But
back to Mammut. So. But,David, prior to this campaign, I
(08:27):
mean, we're talking about 1869or something like that, when this
brand was founded. What wasyour assessment or opinion of Mammut
prior to this?
Well, I'll definitely. Ididn't think they had it in them.
Right. I think that. I think.Look, and let me just back up a little
bit. I am a big fan and I'vetalked about this before, of when
(08:47):
you have a performance brandand Mammoth is certainly a performance
brand, that you have toestablish your performance credibility
before you take on humor andlighter and absurdist type of. Of
themes, which are alwayspopular. Right. They're popular.
But to set the table of whyyou belong in this conversation.
So if you're a new brand, tome, that always makes sense to you
(09:10):
can get attention with kind ofhumor. For sure. But I want to, I
want to set those performancecredentials with a brand that maybe
they have to undo somemistakes in the past. They're recovering.
Right. They're diminished. Sorestarting the conversation in the
case of someone like Mammoth,they are not diminished. They don't
need any kind of repair.They're certainly not a startup and
(09:30):
they've kind of always beenabout the credibility. That's really
the kind of almost a monotoneconversation frankly.
Yeah.
And so with them it wasdefinitely they had an open door
if they wanted to walk throughit of okay, let's show another side
of our personality and of thepurple, the personality of the people
who wear our products. Wethink that they have more than just
(09:51):
one track mind of performance.So I think that's.
Well, I mean I think it alsostarts with the culture Mammoth,
which again I didn't knowabout prior to this too because you
mentioned their CEO beinginvolved in the campaign. Like that
is actually that's their realCEO. That's the only one here who's
not an actor. And like they,they and it's not just limited to
this campaign. He's in a bunchof stuff that they're doing. So talk
(10:12):
about like demonstrating itfrom the top.
Well look, I think again youhave to have cultural buy in to do
something like this. I meanit's, I'm definitely a big fan of
trying things and seeing ifthey work and if they do doubling
down and if not pulling away.And sometimes you know the culture's
gonna be resistant to it. Cuzthey've done one thing, you know,
and I think we did hearstories or we're gonna hear stories
(10:33):
of somehow that played out inkind of the production of this. But
yeah, you have a CEO who'swilling to try and you know, put
himself out there for it. Itsays a lot.
Yeah, yeah. Now if I'm worriedabout one thing and we talk a little
bit about this with Nick interms of like what's coming up next.
I'm worried this one mayfizzle out. I mean the one thing
I liked about what we heardfrom Matt when we sutton at Columbia
(10:56):
when we did that episode ofthe the Engineer for whatever campaign
is going to have legs. They'regoing to roll this out. I mean maybe
upwards of years. This is thenew brand direction for Columbia
versus this one from amout.They're kind of at the end of it
and they're trying to figureout what they're going to do next.
They might bring some thingsback. I really feel like they could
milk this one, but it mayalready be over too.
(11:18):
Well. The only thing that's asimmediate or more immediate than
your product introduction isyour brand messaging in terms of
what have you done for melately. So you're right. That is
always the case here. And socan they keep up the attention? Can
they keep up the quality? Youknow, humor is tough going to say
(11:39):
it again, but they'vedemonstrated that they have some
kind of feel for it. So yeah,I think that that bodes well. But
now it's priority look too. Ifthey decide to move to a, let's say
a performance based campaignnext, that doesn't mean they're abandoning
this again. A brand like thathas many personality traits that
they need to talk about andgive kind of priority to. And hopefully
(12:01):
they're lay layering them inso that they've got some on the top,
some in the middle, some atthe bottom, and then they kind of
filter through what get risesto the top. Right now, this is at
the top. So, you know, to thatpoint about your Columbia, let's
see in six months what they'redoing, or let's see, even, you know,
in a year. We come back, whathave they done? Columbia has seemed
to follow up pretty nicelywith some of the stuff. I think the
(12:22):
stuff they have coming out forHalloween is a wonderful extension
of where they're going.
Yeah, it's really good. Ithink I just ultimately want the
actual Mountain Wear Rescueteam, like series. I think I want
Greg Daniel, you know, helaunched, he did, they brought, they're
doing the paper now at thespin off of the office. Like, can
we also do Mountain WearRescue? Because I want, I want full
episodes.
(12:42):
It does, it does feel like aNetflix series or maybe Hulu, I suppose.
You know, actually it probablyis more like an fx, but it's still.
It could be done.
I agree. All right, well,let's take a quick break. We're here
for some sponsors. We comeback, we're gonna be joined by Nick
Brandenburger, the chiefmarketing officer for Mammut. And
then stick around after thatto hear Dave's final assessment of
(13:04):
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(14:52):
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Oh.
(15:12):
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Okay. Okay, Mr. Portland.Jesus. Look, I can't go. You know,
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Dave, you are on one today. Itold you no edibles before the podcast.
(15:33):
No, it's not just Edamame. Edamame.
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there, too. All right, we'rehere today with Nick Brandenburger,
(17:02):
the chief marketing officer ofMammut and the architect of Mammoth's
mountain wear rescue campaign.Welcome to the show, Nick. Good to
see you.
Thanks. Thanks for having me.
Yeah, man. We're big fans ofthe work. Obviously, we're here.
We're doing an episode of theBrief to kind of get into what led
to this. You know, we talk alot about outdoor marketing, and
it's sort of anytime someonedoes something interesting, it's.
(17:23):
It's at least fun to see andthen kind of determine, you know,
how, you know, how effectiveit was. I think in your case, Dave
and I were very much excitedwhen we saw it. But we have to start
these conversations like wealways do, with the big question
when it comes to mountain wearrescue, what was the brief?
Yeah, it's a really goodquestion. And I think there's probably
three. Three elements, threerequirements that for us led ultimately
(17:46):
to the brief. Like, one is weneed to cut through the clutter.
We're not like one of thosebig brands. We don't have super deep
pockets. We have to make ourdollars kind of work really, really
hard for us, really punchabove our weight. So that's basically
what that means, is we have tobe super creative, super provocative,
funny or shocking or all ofthese things. And so we kind of always
(18:10):
aim for the work to be so goodthat it gets shared. Trying to get
free reach, basically. Sothat's one thing. Number two, from
a creative perspective, wewanted to kind of this to be a continuation
of some work that we did lastyear to position Mamreza a mountain
brand and not as a streetwearbrand. And to be honest, on that
(18:31):
one, that was 2024, we wereall a bit surprised, right? Like,
I think that there was a lotof positive feedback from consumers,
customers, partners, and evenpress. So we were. We were onto something
with. With. With definingourselves through a negative. Normally
it's kind of. I think this wasone of the few instances where this
created a more clarity than apositive description of our positioning.
(18:53):
So that. But that was thesecond thing. It's really dovetail
into that kind of work. Andthen thirdly, we wanted this to be
sort of loosely connected tohow we execute across this fall winter
25 season, which is based onthe idea of how Aura Files feel at
home in the mountains morethan like inside four walls. And
(19:14):
that idea you'll see reflectedacross all the product launches throughout
the season, all through thetouch points and everything. So,
yeah, those three things,basically a combination of marketing
effectiveness requirements,continuity in our campaign from last
year, and then messagingcoherence with the rest of the seasonal
(19:34):
work, that was basically thethree big things that we looked at.
For the brief you mentioned,kind of the Mammut being a bit of
a smaller brand in the outdoorscene at the same time, I mean, it's
an OG man. 1862, I think, iswhen the brand was founded. I don't
think a lot of peoplelistening to this who are in the
industry realize that. I'vebeen aware of Mammut since I've been
in the industry, and I stillwould have said I was probably just
(19:55):
one of those outdoor brandsthat started in the 70s or 80s or
something like that, you know,so when you look at where the brand
is now, was.
It was the 1870s, Colin?
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Just like the north face. No,100 years, you know. You know, where
do you want the brand to be?Where do you guys want. Where do
you see the brand, where it isnow? And where do you want the brand
to go?
(20:17):
It's a really good question.And you know, actually the format
of the campaign with. With youknow, some core assets for paid,
and then a social first skitseries that was actually pretty deliberately
chosen to drive reach with ayounger, more global audience. Because,
as you say, right, like, we'rea super. Like, we're a storied brand,
160 years of history andexpertise, but we've also been sort
(20:40):
of, you know, quiteclassically Swiss, humble, understated
in our brand expression overthe past decade or so, and, you know,
very focused on deliveringhigh quality, functional products
to mountain enthusiasts, whichis not wrong. But, you know, we've
also been a bit removed fromthe community and we haven't really
celebrated our own purposeenough. And so we are now starting
(21:03):
to focus much more onstorytelling that's really relatable,
becoming less elitist and morereal and really making sort of the
lessons of growth that welearn on the mountains really central
to our storytelling in all itsbrutal facets, like blood, sweat,
tears and all, of course, alsojoy. But yeah, and also, maybe most
(21:30):
importantly, don't takeourselves too seriously, right? Like,
have fun at what we do, laughabout our own nerdiness and failures
and all that kind of stuff.So, in short, I would love for Mamo
to become a brand that is,like, perceived as modern, culturally
attuned, approachable and fun.I think that's where I want it to
(21:51):
be.
I think that's definitely. Youcan see that in the pieces. Kind
of the serial structure of it,where you've got the different episodes
leading up, differentcharacter types. No, I think it's
great. I also want to add,like, you just kind of hit on the
idea that a brand needs tostick to a single type of story or
storyline, to me, is a littledated. Right. And brands have multiple
(22:12):
storylines, they have multiplepersonalities, right? And so being
able to show them really kindof rounds out your brand as a. As
a relationship. You know, whoam I with? Sometimes I'm with the
serious, sometimes I'm withthe hardcore, sometimes I'm with
the playful, you know, thatkind of. So that I really think you
hit that.
Absolutely. And I. I alwayssay, like, you know, a brand is,
(22:33):
in a way, is like a person.And you have multiple facets of your
personality. And, you know,you can be like, think of a mountain
guide, right? Mountain guides,like, are there to kind of like,
keep you alive in themountains. And they're, you know,
super knowledgeable people,but they have the nastiest jokes,
right? So they. They can be,like, super serious and, like, save
(22:54):
your life and, like, you'reliterally, like, you're your Life
is in their hands. And on theother side, you can have a laugh
and, like, be funny and, youknow, like, and. And joke around.
And those two sides areperfectly compatible. Right. And
I think as a brand moment hasbeen a little bit more on one side,
but now we're really, like,over the past two years, I think
(23:14):
we've been opening up to,like, a new kind of vibe, and it
feels like we're having somemore fun at work, which is. Which
is showing in the execution.
Well, let's get into thecampaign. I mean, number one, did
you guys have a creativepartner on the campaign? Was this
all internally driven or didyou have an agency you worked with?
No, yeah, we have. So we havea creative agency, so Belmoretti
(23:36):
Adept. That's kind of likeour. Our agency of record. And then
we worked with Josh Sampieraat Zoom, which is like a smaller
agency out of Austria that weworked on with this. And, yeah, we
also created some of our owncontent to complement the campaign
and extend sort of like thechannel mix. We had, like, job descriptions.
(23:58):
We did a job search onLinkedIn, and we had a little stint
at the Oktoberfest as wellwith our CEO. So, yeah, we did some
of our own content as well.
That's your actual CEO inthese bits, right? I mean, that's
it. That's it.
Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no, that'sour CEO.
Yeah.
That's. As a brand guy, that'sgot to be a little nice to know that
he's kind of like, down toclown around a little bit, right?
(24:19):
I mean, like, that's gotta be nice.
Oh, yeah, totally. I mean,for. For the. For the. For a campaign
earlier this year, I strappedhim to the north face of. Of Iger
on a desk. That was alsopretty fun. And. And he's up for
that kind of stuff. I reallylove him for that.
What is it? Parasailing in toannounce the winner? Exactly.
(24:40):
That as well.
By the way, that is f. Colin.I don't know if you've seen this
one, but he joins a group chator a video chat while in the air,
strapped to a, you know, guyparasailing down the valley. And
they're totally surprised thatall of a sudden the CEO appears and,
you know, what? 2,000ft up.It's. It's amazing. It's a fantastic
(25:01):
look.
You know, Troy Saot, RyanGellert, Caroline Brown, you guys,
you've been served noticehere. You know, Come on, You know,
right?
I want to see the. I want tosee the. I want to See the board
meeting conducted in freefall. I think that would be fantastic.
He's like the Tom Cruise ofoutdoor CEO.
That's right.
He's like, telling the board,like, what do you want me to do?
(25:22):
You know, in a circle by theirhands, like, yeah, that's right.
I passed this motion. Thereyou go.
So how did this all cometogether, Nick? Like, how did it
all develop? I mean, like, howlong was it in development? Like,
what's. What's sort of thebackstory of the campaign. Yeah.
To tell the truth, it wasn'tactually that easy, or it was a tough
(25:45):
nut to crack. I have to besuper honest to you guys. We briefed
for the campaign almost a yearago, and now it's just because we
wanted to have a little bitmore time to develop something. But
we churned on getting to thisidea for six or seven months. We
were just, like, you know,going from. From one idea to the
(26:06):
other, and, like, just, youknow, we couldn't land it. And then
there were. There wereprobably. There are two or three
moments that I feel like were.Were kind of leading or like, we're
untying that knot, and theywere happening more or less at the
same time. One was our. SoPaul, our CPO, often says that 8
(26:30):
out of 10 of our jackets neversee a mountain. And that wasn't news
to us. We know that's just theway things are. That's where our
consumers are and everything.But there was something in the way
he said it. He didn't say 8out of 10 of our jackets are used
in the city. He said, theynever see a mountain. And in this
(26:52):
slightly pained voice. So forus, that was kind of like, that was
one thing that. That inspired.Inspired us.
It just hit me, hey, we're themountain brand, and none of our shit
goes to the mountains.
Exactly.
Right?
Like, and then. And then,like, I think it was, like, same
day or the day after, we werereally, like, pouring over those.
Those ideas. And then someoneshared this Solomon, like, a meme
(27:15):
that. Where consumers aresaying, like, they're taking their
Salomons to the trail andthey're posting something like, showing
my Salomons the life theydeserve. And that hit a nerve too,
right? Like, because it camefrom the community and not from a
brand. And we felt like, hey,that's interesting. Right? So we
had this combination of aninternal insight where we're like,
(27:37):
okay, so so much of ourproduct is actually just, like, running
around in cities and on thecommute and everything, and then
this external sort ofCommunity based observation. And
we sort of all felt like,well, we stumbled onto something
here. This is true. This is,is strategically relevant, this is
culturally relevant, and itcould be executed in a really funny
way. So from there, everythingcame together fairly, fairly quickly
(28:00):
then.
So your background, like, you,you, you're, you're not really, you
don't have that outdoorbackground. Right. But Mammoth's
kind of your first really bigjob in the outdoors.
Exactly.
Ebay and fandom and placeslike that. That is always kind of
when we hear people talkabout, you know, executives getting
hired at outdoor brands orsometimes there's consternation about
that. Right. Like, oh, whatare they going to know about, you
know, our world? You know, Ithink there's always the fresh eyes
(28:22):
on a, on a situation. Whatkind of purview did you bring in?
This, what did you, did youfind any challenges bringing in sort
of an outsider's perspective?Were there people like, wow, we got
to go more traditional here,guys. We need, we need the glowing
tent on, by the alpine lakewith the pine tree and the acoustic
guitar in the background.Like, that's, that's what we do.
We're the outdoor industry.
You know, silhouette on amountaintop with my arms above my
(28:46):
head.
That's right, the victorypose. Conquering the mountain.
Yeah, exactly.
Puppy jacket would just tiethe whole thing together.
Yeah, exactly. No, I think,you know, it's, it's actually interesting
because like, on the one hand,I'm still getting grief from, from
around the company in a waythat I'm not, I'm not from this industry.
I'm like the newbie and like, okay.
(29:06):
So, you know, keeping outdoorindustry persists, man.
Exactly. But on the otherside, I think there's, there's a
lot, it gives me a lot offreedom to challenge things. Right.
Like, why are we doing this?Like, why is this like that? And
like, you know, so I think Icame in with a fresh pair of eyes.
It was, for me, in a way, theoutdoor industry was just like working
(29:27):
on so many, like, similarvisual benefit, visualization, similar
kind of like, you know,they're doing like the long format
films and then this and that,like some storytelling. But it all
felt like, like prettyexchangeable. Like you, you just
cover the brand name. It couldbe, it could be just as well any
other brand, right?
Yep.
And in, in a way, what, whatbecomes clear is that like, we don't
(29:52):
own the mountains, we don'town the, the, the, you know, the
territory, the geographyaround like, what we're, what we're
Showing. So that's not. Youcan't use that as a. As a distinctive
asset for your brand. So it's.It's. And everyone has the epic shots.
Everyone has the beautifullandscapes. Everyone has the, you
know, bl. You know, and allthat. So you need to bring in more
(30:15):
of your brand's character. Youneed to bring in more of your brand's
distinctive assets to make itownable. Right. And to build. Build
out a character, you know, youneed to decide, are you, like, the
serious brand? Are you thefunny brand? Or, you know, can you
flex a little bit? You know,what is your edge? How do you differentiate?
How do you position yourselfin the minds of the consumers? And
(30:37):
I think that's. That's where Icame in and could bring some fresh
perspective. Right. But it'slike, to be honest with you as well,
like Mahmoud, again, it's asuper storied brand. It's a diamond
in the rough. So it's notabout changing the brand completely.
It's about polishing, sandingaround the edges. And there you are.
(31:00):
I think we're on a good track.
If anybody's doubting yourbonafides. Nick's recording with
us today from the Alps, wherehe's going to be mountain biking
and hiking all weekend. Sohe's legit, everybody. All right.
You know, he's not, like,looking at a computer.
It's easy if you live inSwitzerland. Like, the Alps are just,
like, around your house.
(31:23):
Back to the creative piece.How did you land on the. Like you
said, it came together. Youhad your aha. Moments of insight,
which I think totally, totallymakes sense. I love those. And then,
like you said, it comestogether quickly. How did you land
on the mockumentary style andthe. The. The kind of casting that
you did? Because it is aparticular type of tactic that often
(31:44):
brands are scared of, frankly,because humor can. Doesn't always.
Doesn't always land. But youguys. You guys seem to. To hit it.
Yeah. I mean, again, I thinkthis was just like something where
we felt like it's not a. It'snot a standard way of going out there
with, like, your, you know,with your storytelling and. Or with
your brand films. It's maybeit comes maybe a little bit from
(32:08):
the left side or like, youknow, something that you see from,
maybe from other brands, butnot in this category. And I think
we felt like the skit serieswas a really interesting format.
It allowed us to bring inhumor, which was super important
for us because the way we'rekind of seeing this Was you have
(32:28):
one piece that is polarizing,that is kind of like a paid media
piece, a little bit of alaunch film of sorts. And that was
really designed to bepolarizing and that's what it did.
That was a little more almostself serious with the agents with
the glasses on kind of goingaround, right?
Exactly, exactly. And like, Imean, obviously we had a lot of discussions
(32:51):
around this. Like, is this,you know, the right time to kind
of show up with this kind ofcreative. But like, the engagement
on the asset was worth a lotbecause it created so much reach,
it created so much engagementon those posts. And this has then
set the stage for us to buildup that tension and then come with
a skit series that in a wayalmost relieves that tension and
(33:15):
helps us kind of show up withthe right character that we ultimately
wanted to stick.
Well, I'll say outdoorindustry LinkedIn is a funny place
because I remember so the dayone reaction of that piece, right,
was sort of like, oh, what isthis? What is the gatekeeping that
Mammoth is doing now? Thatkind of thing. And then to your point,
so I'm trying to pictureyou@mammut HQ, like monitoring these
(33:39):
comments and then you drop,you know, the Katie Burrell pieces
and all the, the follow upsand it's like, oh, this is what they're
doing. I mean, was that kindof, was that tough to kind of go
through that, you know, theprocess of those, that release schedule?
It was, it was tough because Ithink there was, there was some nervosity
on our side, obviously. Right.Like, because it could have, like
it could have gotten so muchtraction that we would have had to
(34:03):
advance the release of theskit series. So we really wanted
this to kind of sit andmarinate for like a week and put,
you know, like day two, youknow, there was, you know, there's
more coming in and there'smore feedback and like people are
like getting cold feet alittle bit and I'm like, no, no,
no, it's not yet, it's not,it's not yet boiling. It's like just,
you know, just wait it out.Like just, you know, let it go. Because
(34:24):
it's, it, it is true that itcreated the conversation. It created,
you know, a lot of engagement.And that reach was really, really
good because then you canfollow up with a skit series and
you can really kind of dive inthere. And I think it was a little
bit of a risky approach, Ihave to say that. But I was actually
(34:48):
quite confident that we wouldland it Right.
I think the casting of Katiewas very deft. She really did bring
the exact kind of nuance toit. The whole team did. But I think
just that to me was one ofthe, the insights to the. Obviously
some of the other characterswere fantastic. You know, Yannick,
the designer is just, isgreat. And same with the. What is
(35:09):
it, the CEO's daughter? Thesocial media.
So.
Well, yeah, but I think. So Ido have to ask this. Any hesitation
to featuring an American asyour lead spokesperson in this campaign?
Not at all, no. I think for meit was actually almost, almost something
that I felt like is requiredto generate a little bit more reach
(35:32):
and relevance in like inregions where we're otherwise not
that visible and you know,difficult for us to cut through.
So for me it was almost like ano brainer to say, like, hey, actually
if we wanted to be seen inNorth America and cut through some
really, you know, provocative,funny content, then we have to have,
(35:53):
we have to bring in some localrelevance. And there's no better
way than. And to do that withKatie. I mean, she's absolutely brilliant.
You're not worried about herinvading Greenland or anything?
Not at all. I wouldn't haveknown that that was her plan all
along, but.
(36:15):
You know those skiers, theycan be awfully crafty.
That's right, exactly.
I guess. Your last segment.How long does this run? Please tell
us there's more coming.
Well, I was going to say basedon the success of Ted Lass turning
an ad into a show, can weexpect a Netflix series? And is there
going to be a season two ofthis, of this?
(36:38):
Ted Sarandis, get on the phonewith Nick. Let's make this happen.
You know, Apple got Ted. Youcan get Katie and crew in a season
two.
I think. Yeah, I think in thiscase I would have to reach out to
Netflix and really do a pitch.But no, I mean, you're right. Like,
I think we, we feel like wetouched on something that is super
interesting. This particularcampaign. We've concluded on this
(37:05):
maybe with a cherry on thecake before Christmas. Let's see
where we get with this. Butyeah, we launched some other stuff
now. New generation ofPinnacle Performance. Eiger Extreme
is just out in the market, sowe had to move on. But we're definitely
going to follow up on this.And also in terms of the format,
(37:25):
I think we feel like, likethis has some, some more Runway.
For sure. Yeah, stay tuned.
That's great.
Well, right on. Well, Nick,thank you so much for spending a
few minutes with us. Congratson the campaign. Excited to see what
you guys are gonna do next. Ithink, you know, if the. The takeaway
here obviously is, you know,brands. Hey, try stuff. You know,
I think we're making fun oflike, the tropes, but that's also
(37:45):
cause the tropes have beendone to death. So, you know, spend
some time, you know, put. Pulltogether some cool ideas. I mean,
and really fun, interestingthings can happen, especially in
our. In our outdoor space. Butappreciate you joining the show,
buddy.
Thanks me. Really appreciate it.
All right, we're back with thefinal analysis. So, Dave, you got.
Here are the categories again.We've got originality. All right,
(38:07):
Brand fit, Messaging Clarity,Visual impact, Strategic cleverness.
So this is out of 10, onebeing the worst, 10 being the best.
Mountain wear Rescue Mammut.Dave, what'd you give it for? Originality.
Originality. Okay, well, likeI said, the mockumentary is a tried
and true. Even the way thatthey've, you know, kind of the camera
(38:29):
setups, things like that, I'mgonna say we've definitely seen that
before. But in our sector, inour space, it's definitely hasn't
been employed in the same way.I'm gonna give them a seven and a
half.
I think that's fair because itis done. It has been done. But you're
right. The only argument I'dsay to me to go a little higher if
(38:51):
you wanted to, is that I thinkmany other outdoor brands would try
this and fail miserably.
Well, originale doesn'tactually speak to. Did they land
it?
Yeah, that's a good point.
I mean, so.
Right.
So I mean, they certainlylanded it.
But yes, seven and a half, Ithink is fair. That's a good score.
That's a good score. Okay,seven and a half for originality.
Moving on. Brand fit.
Wow. I gotta say, before theylanded it, I would have said that
(39:15):
this is not what Mammothbrings to the table. But I think
they hit it. I think that thepersonalities, the subtleties, I
mean, the fact that they canlaugh at themselves again, Janik,
the German designer, isamazing. I'm gonna give them an 8.
I think it fits their brand.
(39:36):
Yeah, I agree. I think thething that I like about it is obviously
they had run ads before. Imean, they acknowledge, and I think
Nick even did during ourconversation around how, like, so
much of the stuff is. Everyoutdoor brand deals with this. You
know, 90% of what they make isstreetwear. Right. It's not used
in the mountains. So there's asubtlety about the reality of making
Outdoor stuff. It's a littlelike understanding kind of your place
(40:00):
in the world here while stillelevating what is cool about your
brand, that it is a mountainbrand and still poking fun of it.
It's very layered and I just,I really appreciate it. It isn't
just so on the nose one, A onenote campaign.
Which brings us to the, thethird point though.
Messaging clarity.
Right. And to that point, dothey get across the idea that. That
(40:21):
preconceived notions of useare a little absurd and gatekeepy
and just as absurd as the factthat we, we spend money on these
really capable performanceitems that will never see what they
were made for. Right. I meanit's, it's equal two sides of the
same coin. They kind of, theyhighlight that piece. I think they
(40:42):
get. And does it show levitythat hey, we're a brand that has
a little, little bit sense ofhumor and aren't so self serious.
So I'm, I'm going to give it a nine.
Nine.
I think, I think they nailedit. I think they nailed it.
This might be. I, I don'tremember what we gave the other ones.
We'll have to go back and lookwhat we gave the other brands and
then put a post on Instagramor something like that.
I don't know.
But this might be the highest.
Coffee's really good thismorning. So I'm just kind of going
(41:04):
with a nice dark roast.Feeling it.
Well, I like that. It'sbecause we, the point we made, the
point you made about it, thehumor landing the point that they
pulled it off and that it's,it's just funny. It's not outdoor
funny. It's funny. You're. Ifyou're an outdoorsy person and you
know all the trop. But it'sfunny anyway. And so that makes me
as an outdoorsy person want tosupport their brand.
Timing and delivery, man.Timing and delivery.
(41:26):
And if you are an outsiderlooking at just needing a rain jacket
or a beginner outdoorsy personand you saw this, you'd probably.
It would resonate with you tothe point where this might become
your go to brand. So. Yeah.Agreed. All right. Visual impact.
Okay. This is a tougher onefor a campaign that is inherently
(41:47):
quasi realistic.
Right.
In the sense that themockumentary has a certain look to
it.
Right.
Your camera angles, the waythat the actors come in and out.
I, I think so you're kind oflimited to what you can do visually.
I think they did it very well.
Yeah.
Because they played the mediumand they played the. The theme. But
if I'm gonna go like. Like,you know, we. We looked at a North
(42:10):
Face video a little while agoand, you know, or even what we just
saw with Columbia, where thosevisuals jump out of the screen and
grab you, it's just not thatkind of campaign. So I'm going to
give him a 6.5. Just a 6.5.But that is in no way, again, you
know, denigrating the concept.It's just the nature of what you
need. You need to beunderstated in your visuals.
(42:32):
Are you dinging them a littlebit for just because of the. What
they chose to show? I mean,it's harder to be more.
Visually imprinted, probably,but, you know, you add a little bit
of motion graphics to it, youknow, some kind of.
Of.
I don't know, just. Come on,give me something. Give me a logo
at the end that jumps out.
All right, fair, fair. Allright. And last one. Strategic cleverness.
(42:53):
I mean, 10.
Yeah, I was gonna say, comeon. Like, have you seen a more clever
campaign?
I mean, they just hit it againwith their brand. Like, part of it's
the surprise, so the brandfit, you know, that goes together
with that. Like. Yeah, thatwas well done.
Done.
Well done.
All right.
So of the five maincategories, they get a 41 out of
(43:13):
50.
Wow.
I gotta go back and look. Thatmight be the highest we've given
so far. Or you've given so farthat we do have our bonus category
of producer Dave's fucks togive, which I can't remember. How
do we define fucks to give?
Do they give a brand?
Right.
Do they give a fuck? And I. Ithink that is solidly in the. No,
they do not.
(43:34):
Zero fucks to give.
Zero fucks to give. They weregonna do. They knew it was a risk,
they did it anyway. They tooka total risk or a bet on humor. Being
able to land humor. They evenplayed on the fact that they might
not be able to land humor. Sogood for them.
Yeah, look, and you heard Nicktalk about it. I mean, he came from
(43:57):
outside the industry. He stillcatches grief from people inside
his own brand, as he should,not being. And I'll get an insider.
Right?
That paid off here.
Yeah, right.
If the buck stops with him asthe chief marketing officer.
You know what? Pictures of youon the rope toe. That's not something
to be prideful of. Like, just.Come on, just.
That's right. All right, Ithink we did it. Anything else?
(44:23):
No, I don't think so. It was agood catch. Colin, this was a good
campaign.
This is a good one. Yeah. Allright, well, stay tuned for the next
episode of the brief. That'sthe show for today. The rock fight's
a production of rock flightllc. Today's episode produced by
kind of my co host and thedriver of the brief, producer Dave
art direction provided bySarah gensert.
(44:47):
Sarah, where's the brief? Gensert.
Where's the brief? Gensert.That's it. That's sticking. The rock
fight's a production. At rockfight llc, I'm Colin true. Thank
you for listening. And here totake us out is Krista makes. We should
get him on the do the brief. Idon't know why we would, but let's
just do it. We could do lessthan Jake as a the brief for a ska
band. There you go with therock fight fight song. We'll see
(45:10):
you next time. Rock fighters.
Welcome to the rock fight.Where we speak our truth, slay sacred
cows and sometimes agree todisappoint. Disagree. We talk about
human powered outdooractivities and big bites about topics
(45:34):
that we find interesting likepop culture, music, the latest movie
reviews, ideas that aim forthe head. This is where we speak
our truth. This is where wespeak our truth. Rock fight. Rock
fight. Rock fight. Welcome tothe rock fight. Rock fight. Rock
fight. Welcome to the rockflight. Rock flight. Rock fight.
(45:59):
Rock flight. Rock fight. Rockfight. Welcome to the rock fight.
Rock fight. Rock fight.
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