The One Show
The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising and design. For over 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.
Category
Integrated / Omnichannel Campaign
Annual ID
OS26_IG012B
Background
In the 20th century Columbia used bold irreverent advertising to become a giant of the outdoors industry. The outdoors category has never been more competitive, so Columbia needed to get back to their distinctive brand of irreverence, to retain their prominince amongst outdoor fans, and win over the next generation of outdoor clothing fans.
Creative Idea
While all the other outdoor brands were showcasing nature as a beautiful, serene place in which humans always triumph, we focused on the harsh reality that outdoor enthusiasts know all too well: Mother Nature is an unpredictable beast who can turn on you at any moment. Our campaign embraced the chaos, demonstrating that Columbia Sportswear is engineered for whatever miserable circumstances Mother Nature throws your way. So no matter what happens to you in the outdoors, at least you know your gear won't fail you.
Insights & Strategy
Every outdoor brands paints a triumphant picture of elite athletes conquering the outdoors. When we spoke to outdoor fans across the US, what we actually heard was that even for the most experienced, things frequently go wrong. We also learnt that the fun is actually in embracing the chaos, rather than having a serene time. This became our strategic pivot from the category. Rather than idealise nature, we'd show it at its chaotic, brutal best. Positioning Columbia gear as the ready for anything solution that can help you survive everything nature will throw at you.
Execution
Our 60-second launch spot turns outdoor advertising cliches on their head, and showcases Mother Nature in all her chaotic, unpredictable glory. The mixed media anthem shows people getting their asses kicked by the natural world: hunted by ravenous vultures, pancaked by hidden potholes and rag dolled by collapsing snow drifts, culminating in a cameo by mountaineer Aron Ralston (subject of the movie '127 Hours') returning for a darkly comic sequel, and getting his remaining arm trapped under another rock. The film's soundtrack is a cover of Irving Berlin’s breezy classic Blue Skies, reimagined as thrash metal.
Columbia takes the design and testing of every piece of clothing very seriously. So we set out to prove that Columbia's gear is Engineered for Whatever, with a branded content series that put different pieces of clothing through comically extreme tests. We tested the warmth of a ski jacket by strapping a stunt performer to the front of a UniMog snow plough, and driving him through chest-deep snow. We tested the warmth of a puffer jacket, by packing someone inside a freezing snowball and throwing them down a mountain. We tested the stength of our hiking pants by tying them into a rope, and using the pants rope to suspend a guy over a ravine filled with alligators. Each film shows that Columbia prioritizes the performance of their clothing above all else... potentially even the health & safety of their test subjects.
Columbia takes the design and testing of every piece of clothing very seriously. So we set out to prove that Columbia's gear is Engineered for Whatever, with a branded content series that put different pieces of clothing through comically extreme tests. We tested the warmth of a ski jacket by strapping a stunt performer to the front of a UniMog snow plough, and driving him through chest-deep snow. We tested the warmth of a puffer jacket, by packing someone inside a freezing snowball and throwing them down a mountain. We tested the stength of our hiking pants by tying them into a rope, and using the pants rope to suspend a guy over a ravine filled with alligators. Each film shows that Columbia prioritizes the performance of their clothing above all else... potentially even the health & safety of their test subjects.
Results
436m earned audience
37% increase in Organic Search
16% increase in Unaided Awareness
$33m increase in YoY sales
37% increase in Organic Search
16% increase in Unaided Awareness
$33m increase in YoY sales
2026 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Pencil
Credits
Agency
adam&eve\TBWA / London
Design Firm
King Henry / London
Agency In-House Production Company
Omnicom Production
Production Company
Smuggler
Music / Sound Production Company
Wave Studios / London
Soundtree Music
Post Production Company
Final Cut / London
Framestore / London
Editing Company
Final Cut
Chief Creative Officer
Ant Nelson
Mike Sutherland
Chief Strategy Officer
Will Grundy
Composer
Irving Berlin
Group Creative Director
James Crosby
Will Cottam
Director
Henry-Alex Rubin
Director of Photography
Mateo Akira
Oliver Millar
Music Supervisor
Colin Mclhagga
Luke Georgiou
Neil Athale
Photographer
Anne-Sophie Soudoplatoff
Sound Designer
Parv Thind
Assistant Editor
Hannah Burger
Executive Producer
Alexia Paterson
Head of Design
David Lochhead
Scott Silvey
1st Assistant Director
Anthony Dimino
Account Director
Flora Hopewell
Lily Henry
Account Manager
Amy Holden
Assistant Producer
Merle Aylott
Audio Producer
Caroline Jemirifo
Business Affairs Manager
Layla Husted
CEO
Miranda Hipwell
CG Supervisor
Henrique Campanha
Colour Grading
Company 3
Colour Producer
Chris Anthony
Colourist
Matthieu Toullet
Communications Director
Lee Gunther
Comp Lead
Gregory Gaskin
Michael Baker
Compositing Supervisor
Matthew Thomas
Creative
Ben Robinson
Mike Whiteside
Creative Director and VFX Supervisor
Kamen Markov
Design Producer
Mariano Carrara
Executive Content Director
Jessica Taylor
Executive Vice President
Joe Boyle
Flame Artist
Aadel Matoorianpour
General Counsel
Candice MacLeod
Head of Animation
Brad Silby
Head of CG
Johannes Sambs
Head of Editorial
Humberto Reynaga
Head of Music
Luis Almau
Head of Production
Sally Pritchett
Lead FX TD
Zybrand Jacobs
Line Producer
Ellie May Tinker
Managing Director
Fergus Brown
Jay James
Managing Partner
Fraser Thomson
Music Producer
Luke Fabia
Peter Raeburn
Paralegal
Florence Chui
Performer
Maddie Stephenson
Planner
Oscar Beach
Planning director
Alex Scott Malden
Production Manager
Mike Carr
Project director
Rasha Noronha
Senior Business Affairs Manager
Emily Eshelby
Senior Creative Artworker
Dave Callow
Senior Edit Producer
Nikki Porter
Senior Legal Counsel
Tom Campbell
Service Company
Division
Shoot Supervisor
Jules Janaud
Social Creative
Reanne Whitaker
Social Editor
Maud Barry
Social Producer
Sian Bourke
Sr . Director
Chris Araujo
Sr . Direrctor
Jigna Kapadia
Sr . Vice President
Matt Sutton
VFX
Framestore / London
Vice President
Tom Miller
Visual Research
Carly Randall
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