Columbia leans into outdoor carnage with new ad

Columbia Sportswear has ripped up the traditional outdoor playbook in its first global campaign with adam&eveDDB, embracing the raw, unfiltered chaos of nature.

The new platform, ‘Engineered for Whatever’, ditches clean-cut, serene backdrops for scenes straight out of a nature-inflicted fever dream.

Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin and produced by SMUGGLER, the launch film serves heavy doses of slapstick survival—from humans getting ambushed by vultures to being flung by snowdrifts.

There’s even a cameo from mountaineer Aron Ralston, casually referencing his real-life ordeal made famous by “127 Hours”.

Set to a thrash metal cover of “Blue Skies”, the spot positions Columbia gear not as something for nature lovers, but for nature survivors.

The film is just the tip of the spear: the campaign rolls out with OOH, bold stunt-led product tests, and a full brand refresh, including new type, logo, and layout system.

The real MVPs of the campaign? Columbia products being put through pain. One tester dangles over croc-infested waters in utility pants. Another gets strapped to a snowplow to prove Omni-Heat insulation tech works. There’s even a snowball roll that doubles as a jacket demo.

Columbia’s head of marketing Matt Sutton calls it a break from the “pristine and perfect” lens that dominates outdoor advertising. Instead, it’s all about gear that works when things get gnarly.

“We’re showing people that our products are made to handle the extreme and unpredictable, with a healthy dose of humour and joy.”

The campaign dropped August 4 across the US and hits global markets soon via CTV, social, display, audio and OOH. Welcome to the wild side.

Advertising Sport