THE CLIENT
When Douglas Tompkins and Kenneth "Hap" Klopp set up their first retail store and established The North Face brand in San Francisco in 1966, it's unlikely that they could ever have imagined it becoming the globally iconic action sports brand that it is today. From their continuous financing of pioneering climbing expeditions to their sponsorship of world class snowboarders and skiers, no other action sports brand has reinvested more in the grass roots of the industry.
With continuous feedback from their athletes, and over forty years of product development, The North Face brand has become synonymous with functional innovation and consistently pushing the boundaries of design possibility. |
THE CHALLENGE
From their European headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, The North Face approached Brandwave to help them develop the marketing of their two key hero product stories for 2012; The Return To Meru and The Patrol 24 ABS backpack. For their global launch, the brand selected Brandwave to design and build their unique tradeshow stand at the ISPO action sports tradeshow in Munich, Germany.
The Patrol 24 ABS backpack - Working closely with ABS technology and three times snowboarding world champion, Xavier De Le Rue, The North Face developed a compressed gas airbag backpack, designed to instantly inflate and raise to the surface during an avalanche resulting in a staggering 97% survival rate for users.
The Return To Meru - The Return To Meru story focussed on a group of elite climbers who on their second attempt, became the first athletes ever to ascend the infamous north-west facing wall, of the Meru 'Sharks Fin'. Having encountered unimaginably inhospitable conditions, the Meru team worked closely with The North Face product designers to develop a new apparel series produced to withstand the ultimate test of Alpine endurance. |
THE RESULT
The Brandwave team worked closely with ABS and The North Face European marketing team to get a clear understanding of the new product USPs and the marketing objectives. The North Face were keen to convey the new product attributes in a simple and easy to understand manner that would work across a broad range of target markets. Brandwave designed two unique experiential 'PODs' to help explain the new product stories in a technically accurate and aspirational way.
The PODs used seamless screen technology and omnidirectional speaks to create a fully interactive and visually educational experience. Brandwave also developed the innovative 'ABS shake test' to clearly demonstrate how ABS technology helps the user to rise to the top, and stay on the surface of the snow during an avalanche and promote snow safety. |
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