Challenge

How do we get people to believe that exploration matters, when most people just don’t get modern-day exploration?

Time and time again, explorers are asked the same questions: Why would you put yourself in harm’s way? What are you trying to prove? Are you crazy?

The perception that these athletes have some kind of a death wish in attempting to push the limits of human potential often eclipses the poetry of relentlessly pursuing one’s passion and dreams.

Transformation

When asked how they felt about The North Face, people were very cordial; “they make a quality product.” But when asked what The North Face meant to them, people were stumped. They liked the sound and agreed with the idea of Never Stop Exploring, but it stopped there. Any message of brand purpose was lost on the average The North Face consumer.

In honour of the brand’s 50th anniversary, we needed to create a new direction.

“Question Madness” examines individual motives for exploration and the gratification that comes from pushing norms and boundaries. Alongside a hero film, a digital content series showcasesed athletes from throughout the brand’s history finding joy and fulfillment along their own paths of exploration as they break perceptions, redefine success, and inspire others to do the same.

Impact

The videos generated over 80M total views, more than half organic.

The hero film performed extremely well on all copy testing metrics — hitting stretch goals across the board for branding, enjoyment and consumer involvement.

• +20 percentage points vs. norm 
for branding recall
• Far more “exciting” and “inspiring” than 
benchmark campaigns, driving stronger 
enjoyment overall
• 80th percentile vs. norm for distinctiveness and hitting normative levels for message recall and comprehension

‘Question Madness’ helped reposition the brand from a spiritless apparel company into a fearless voice for exploration.