Client // The North Face: Discover Your Trail
Assignment: Research & Insights · Marketing Strategy · Integrated Campaign Architecture · Creative Process · Production Oversight · Roster Building
A reframing of who the outdoors is for—and the definition of a trail athlete
Following the Vectiv Launch, TNF gave us a much more profound challenge. The brief was simple and cut to the heart of their business: Their core buying customer was at least a decade older than their marketing target and not very diverse.
The North Face is legend in the outdoor adventure space.
But the approach they pioneered—sponsoring the exploits of extreme outdoor athletes—is no longer as ownable or relevant as it once was.
We set out to speak to the next generation to understand why.
What they need today, is a new chapter in their story. One that is true to their adventurous spirit. But can speak to a broader, wider, more diverse audience.
The Challenge
After Vectiv’s success, TNF brought us a far deeper challenge: The core customer was aging out—and their audience no longer reflected their ambition or the diversity of the world they serve.
The North Face is a legend in outdoor culture, but the athlete-hero storytelling they pioneered had become less ownable, less relevant, and less representative of the next generation’s relationship to the outdoors. TNF needed a way to speak to this new audience authentically—not performatively.
The Insight
Through research and direct engagement with Next Gen consumers, we uncovered a new truth about trail culture:
There is a trail for everyone.
And the next generation experiences trail not as conquest, but as connection—to themselves, their communities, and the outdoors. Their motivations were emotional, not extreme. Wholeness over hardship. Humanity over heroics. This unlocked a seismic shift in how TNF could define “athlete,” “trail,” and “adventure.”
Next Gen's love of trail differed greatly from past motivations. There was very little talk of testing limits or overcoming adversity. Instead, it was more about the trail making them feel whole and human. With the work, we wanted to tell real stories about real athletes. But, in the process, broaden the definition of what it means to be an outdoor athlete. So we focused our narrative lens on trail lovers that advertisers typically ignore: hike clubs, people of color, underrepresented communities, and people with different body types.
What We Did
We built Discover Your Trail—a brand platform and integrated campaign that reframed who belongs on the trail and expanded the definition of what it means to be an outdoor athlete.
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Established the marketing strategy and foundational insight
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Built cross-functional briefs linking campaign, experiential, partnerships, and sponsorships
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Evolved the creative process to give internal teams permission to challenge norms
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Directed production and established a diverse new creative roster
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Focused storytelling on communities advertisers often ignore:
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hike clubs
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people of color
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underrepresented groups
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broader body types
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everyday trail lovers
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Just as importantly, we built the internal scaffolding—systems, workflows, and processes—that made this reframing operational and repeatable.
The Result
Discover Your Trail became a turning point in how TNF speaks to the world—and who the world sees in TNF.
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In the first half of FY23, The North Face revenue grew ~15%
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Combined with Vectiv, these efforts contributed to a continued upward trajectory from 2022 through 2023
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TNF expanded its audience, its cultural relevance, and its internal marketing maturity
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The brand gained a repeatable framework for inclusive storytelling and next-generation engagement
