Brand Strategy for The North Face

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Message Brand Strategy The North Face is a major global supplier of innovative, technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear. For more than 40 years, the company has joined forces with the world’s finest climbers, skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, alpinists, and endurance athletes “to define the limits of what is humanly possible.” After establishing the brand in Asia, The North Face wanted to expand its presence as a market leader in the region. The company partnered with IDEO to develop ways that The North Face® brand story could resonate more deeply with consumers in China. In the Western Hemisphere, The North Face® brand has long represented an active, sporty lifestyle that’s filled with challenges and adventures. But appreciating “the great outdoors” in China is less about extreme sports and more about convening with nature in a communal, spiritual way. This human-centered design research insight led the team to identify new opportunities for The North Face to better target its messaging. One key opportunity: Encourage Chinese consumers to escape the pressures of hectic city life by enjoying the freedom and “renewal” that comes with spending time outdoors. The North Face® brand’s new messaging links “old nature” and “new outdoors” through a combination of digital, retail, and interactive community channels. IDEO’s insights and creative brief provided the essential brand story for The North Face in China and informed the tagline of the company’s current marketing campaign, “Go wild” (去野). Since ancient times, Chinese scholars, kings, and poets have found inspiration in nature as a means to rejuvenate and empower the soul. Today, as more people find less time to enjoy the benefits that lie just beyond China’s large cities, there is a tangible desire to return to the outdoors to refresh, reassess, and renew oneself. The North Face aims to help consumers do exactly that. One key to creating a compelling new brand vision for The North Face in China was the team’s human-centered design research into preferred Chinese ways to spend time outdoors. After all, the concept of “the outdoors” existed in China long before retailers in the United States coined the category name—and, in fact, long before America even existed. IDEO also collaborated with the company on designs and prototypes for a new digital platform and an updated store-within-a-store merchandising display. The digital community aims to attract newcomers and connect them with more experienced outdoors enthusiasts and clubs; as the platform evolves, it will help aspiring adventurers plan trips, learn skills, and share their experiences through photos. The retail community space aims to integrate this digital community with in-store shoppers and an effort to turn the ‘buy a product moment’ into a ‘join the outdoors moment’. Soon, both will be integrated to provide a holistic brand experience in China centered on nature and community. http://www.ideo.com/work/brand-strategy

The North Face is a major global supplier of innovative, technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear. For more than 40 years, the company has joined forces with the world’s finest climbers, skiers, snowboarders, mountaineers, alpinists, and endurance athletes “to define the limits of what is humanly possible.” After establishing the brand in Asia, The North Face wanted to expand its presence as a market leader in the region. The company partnered with IDEO to develop ways that The North Face® brand story could resonate more deeply with consumers in China.

In the Western Hemisphere, The North Face® brand has long represented an active, sporty lifestyle that’s filled with challenges and adventures. But appreciating “the great outdoors” in China is less about extreme sports and more about convening with nature in a communal, spiritual way. This human-centered design research insight led the team to identify new opportunities for The North Face to better target its messaging. One key opportunity: Encourage Chinese consumers to escape the pressures of hectic city life by enjoying the freedom and “renewal” that comes with spending time outdoors. The North Face® brand’s new messaging links “old nature” and “new outdoors” through a combination of digital, retail, and interactive community channels.

IDEO’s insights and creative brief provided the essential brand story for The North Face in China and informed the tagline of the company’s current marketing campaign, “Go wild” (去野). Since ancient times, Chinese scholars, kings, and poets have found inspiration in nature as a means to rejuvenate and empower the soul. Today, as more people find less time to enjoy the benefits that lie just beyond China’s large cities, there is a tangible desire to return to the outdoors to refresh, reassess, and renew oneself. The North Face aims to help consumers do exactly that.

One key to creating a compelling new brand vision for The North Face in China was the team’s human-centered design research into preferred Chinese ways to spend time outdoors. After all, the concept of “the outdoors” existed in China long before retailers in the United States coined the category name—and, in fact, long before America even existed.

IDEO also collaborated with the company on designs and prototypes for a new digital platform and an updated store-within-a-store merchandising display. The digital community aims to attract newcomers and connect them with more experienced outdoors enthusiasts and clubs; as the platform evolves, it will help aspiring adventurers plan trips, learn skills, and share their experiences through photos. The retail community space aims to integrate this digital community with in-store shoppers and an effort to turn the ‘buy a product moment’ into a ‘join the outdoors moment’. Soon, both will be integrated to provide a holistic brand experience in China centered on nature and community.