The Brief

Since birth, Chinese have been funneled into a prescribed route for success; a good university, a good salary, property ownership, etc. The outdoors doesn’t feature as part of this aspiration. Success is something that happens in cities; the countryside is for the poor and uncivilized. For a brand like The North Face, which sells outdoor achievement, this presents a huge challenge. This campaign’s objective is to forge the link between success and the great outdoors, and therefore significantly boost The North Face’s brand awareness and its status as top of mind choice for outdoor apparel and gears.

Creative Execution

When Chinese say they ‘can’t find the North’, it means they’ve lost their way, or their sense of direction in life. It’s a deeply felt idiom, more now so than ever. Glued to an office chair, choking on pollution, or stuck in traffic, there are many reasons for Chinese people to doubt the promise of the city. ‘Finding True North’, aimed to forge an enduring link between the outdoors, The North Face, and the search for life’s direction. And it perfectly communicated the “Never Stop Exploring” spirit of the brand to the people who just need the positivity for life.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Two themes stood out from research: people are starting to feel jaded by the Chinese dream, and solitarty exploration is meaningless. So we created a series of epic events that gave people a shared sense of achievement, enjoying outdoor activities along a route that headed North from the South of China. Through “Finding the True North”, we aimed to initiate a national movement that inspires people to start going outdoor and creates the topic on social media across China. Furthermore, a strong boost in brand awareness and brand affinity is also the desired outcome of the communication.

Results

- 46% increase in brand sales (Category growth at 29%, biggest competitor growth at 32%) - Biggest competitor outspent The North Face 2.3 to 1 - 257% increase in total brand awareness - 3.28 million hits on campaign website - 2,059 consumers joined event, forming the biggest exploration team ever - 1 million posts on social media - 162,544 badges unlocked through mobile check-in (record for Jiepang.com, China’s Foursquare) - 50,000+ followers increase on Sina Weibo, three times more than a year earlier - 21 magazines published 111 campaign articles - A documentary film for a Travel Channel on TV