Jun 5, 2008 0
Still Toughing It Out
Columbia is still airing its “Tested Tough” series of television ads. A 30-second spot during the Daily Show last night showed Tim Boyle in a floppy hat abandoned by his mother in the desert.
These ads, while funny, do an odd job of positioning the brand. They were developed a few years ago by Portland ad agency BPN as an alternative to product focused ads that touted the toughness of specific Columbia products. The “Tested Tough” campaign is another way of hammering the same nail: the brand is defined by rugged products.
What’s odd is not the creative, it’s the strategy and the media. These ads air on MTV and Comedy Central. The media plan and the humor in the ads is aimed at a younger audience. But the messages are all wrong for that audience. When was the last time you met a 24-year-old more concerned about the durability of a jacket than the way it looked? And what twenty-something wants to look like a jowly 60-year-old in an oversized Gilligan hat?