Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy? This campaign is the result of cultural analysis, interrogation of qualitative, quantitative and syndicated data sources, and self-reflection on the brand's role within today's culture. Our brand is not the cheapest, most expensive, or even most socially responsible. Our budgets and ambassadors are also not the biggest or wellknown. And without knowing what would open in the winter our products were not a high-priority for most consumers. Our success relied on a creative strategy to authentically connect the current culture of exploration with The North Face brand and communicate that connection in a novel enough way to earn consumer's attention. Background There was a business imperative for marketing to set the brand up for success in the critical Q4 sales quarter. As a premium brand in the competitive winter sports apparel category, The North Face needs to continually prove its value and relevance to meet sales goals. Our marketing task was to make a powerful cultural statement around the role of exploration during isolated, divisive and unsettled times, and that was before a global pandemic had the world on lock-down. In spring of the 2020, as we kicked-off development no one had any idea what would be valuable and relevant in fall of 2020 . There were so many antagonists standing in the way of exploration: fear, isolation, inequity, environmental protection roll-backs, mental health, financial insecurity we challenged ourselves to focus: What statement feels most authentic and true to The North Face brand - not just the current zeitgeist? Interpretation Although 70% of people shop online for The North Face, 69% of people complete purchase in-store. When The North Face had to close their stores, sales came to a standstill and marketing budgets were cut up to 70% to promote the make-or-break fall sales push. With a global health crisis, rampant racial inequity and protesting, one of the loudest political campaigns in history, and uncertainty of the opening of ski resorts worldwide, the relevance and share of voice of gearing up for winter sports (or paying attention to a winter sports' brand) was at an all-time low. Our objective was to make the connection for people between the experience of outdoor exploration and its positive effect on our mental, emotional, and physical health. The North Face believes in 'times like these' exploration is even more important and the brand is committed to inspiring, enabling and equipping everyone for outdoor exploration. overcome. We developed the idea of "Reset Normal" and tested initial creative concepts with consumers to positive, but not enthusiastic results. That same weekend George Floyd protests erupted around the world. Suddenly it was clear what part of "normal" we needed to fiercely oppose and actively work against with our campaign: Communities of color are three times more likely to live in nature-deprived places, and it is normal for them to face racism and other systemic challenges when they do explore. Creative Idea The "Reset Normal" creative idea is a global call to action to improve equity in exploration for the benefit of all of us. "Reset Normal" is also a global initiative backed by a \$7M donation from The North Face led by celebrity activists Lena Waithe and Jimmy Chin with the goal of making equity and access to exploration normal for everyone. The Reset Normal anthem film represents the resilience of human will through exploration and empowers people to take control of the change they want to see and emerge from today's crises stronger than ever. Importantly "Reset Normal" is more than a film, it is a campaign for all of us to pledge to make real change through personal exploration. Supporting content, actions, and initiatives from The North Face ambassadors and athletes around the world were catalyzed by the "Reset Normall caction. Outcome / Results Despite our dramatically reduced media and production budgets, the anthem film from this campaign produced the highest recalled ad of 2020 . The campaign as a whole resulted in a 50% brand lift on Google and 2.5 million online views of athlete and ambassador pledges around the world. But most importantly, The North Face set a new standard for the importance of equity in exploration - defining a unique point of view within a category focused on conservation and sustainability. The campaign speaks to a relevant cultural crossroads in our society, stays true to the DNA and purpose of the brand, and resulted in record sales and sold out product around the world. Creative assets The North Face Announces 'Reset Normal' Partnership With Lena Waithe To Address Inequity In The Outdoors (2y) Afdhel Aziz Contributor Reset Normal Questions 1. According to the case, how did the campaign come about? (1 mark) 2. What product category does North Face operate in? (1 mark) 3. In relation to consumer purchasing behaviour, why did North Face sales stall as the pandemic hit? (1 mark) 4. North Face identified key elements in the external environment (environmental/situational analysis) that prompted them to develop this campaign. List 4 of these (4 marks) 5. Discuss the importance of testing a campaign and what did the initial testing of the campaign tell North Face? (4 Marks) 6. What was the social issue that North Face decided to focus on in their campaign and why? (2 marks) 7. Highlight 4 ways the success of the campaign was measured? (2 marks) Reverse engineer the creative brief of this campaign by highlighting the following: (5 marks) - Basic problem or issue advertising must address - Advertising objectives - Target audience - Major selling idea or key benefit to communicate - Creative strategy statement (theme and appeal)