Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle hopped behind the wheel of a semi-truck recently. His cargo: a shipping container that’s been converted into a doomsday bunker.
The outdoor apparel company is giving away the bunker as part of a social media campaign that’s soliciting video entries from survivalists.
It’s the latest chapter in Columbia Sportswear’s return to the irreverent advertising for which it was once known. For decades, the brand was known for zany commercials that featured Gert Boyle, Tim Boyle’s mother, doing everything from running him over with a Zamboni to sending him through a car wash to test Columbia jackets and pants.
The brand started returning to that voice about two years ago after naming Adam&eveDDB its advertising agency, including with a tongue-in-cheek campaign last year that offered to give away “the company” to anyone who could prove the earth is flat.
“Thank goodness nobody did,” said Joe Boyle, Columbia Sportswear’s president and Tim’s son.
The light-hearted marketing refresh has been good for business. On Thursday, the company announced a 2% increase in quarterly sales, which bumped its stock up 2% in after-hours trading.
On a call with stock analysts, Tim Boyle said no “single factor, product or marketing campaign” led to the growth, but he noted the company has seen an acceleration in growth in new consumers. Two weeks ago, a limited-edition Columbia fleece styled after the Portland airport’s iconic carpet pattern sold out in minutes.
The latest social media marketing campaign will result in the delivery of a 40-foot shipping container, modified into a doomsday bunker, to the survivalist who submits the best short video that shows how to get through a “fictional scenario where unexpected circumstances have led to disruptions in everyday systems, infrastructure, and resource availability.”
The bunker includes a bed, kitchen, dining area, reading material, a robotic dog and loads of Columbia gear.
“We’ve been making gear for bad weather and other unfortunate moments for almost 90 years,” Tim Boyle said in a press release. “We’ve seen it all and we figured we’d offer our fans a chance to overcome the absolute worst that can happen in the outdoors.”
Video submissions must be less than five minutes. Entries will be judged for survival skills, problem solving and creativity, according to the official rules.
“It’s really just having fun,” Joe Boyle said. “We want to get back to the irreverent nature that we’ve had for so long.”
Entries are being accepted, via Instagram or on Columbia’s website, through Nov. 24.
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