The North Face is well-known for creating innovative campaigns about adventures in daily life for years. In 2019, The North Face launched Enjoy Air Down jackets, which are as light as air, literally. So we wanted to let customers experience the lightness of the product and provide customers the joy of taking on a new adventure. To do that, we got inspiration from an arcade game "Whac-A-Mole" and decided to build a pop-up store where customers can feel the true lightness of the down jacket in a fun and adventurous way.

Among various elements that are associated with lightness, we focused on 'AIR' to impactfully highlight how light our jackets are. And we created a unique hands-on experience for consumers to try "Enjoy Air Down" at The North Face in Seoul. Visitors to the specially-constructed store were led out into a large outdoor exploration zone with ten large openings in the floor that resembled the iconic arcade game Whac-A-Mole. When store patrons agreed to "Enjoy Air Down with Your Exploration," an Air Down jacket suddenly popped up from one of the holes and hovered in mid-air. People were given 60 seconds to try to grab the jacket before it dropped back in the hole. If they missed, then another popped up, suspended in mid-air, from one of the ten holes. Users frantically try to grab the jacket before it disappeared back down the hole.

Winter in Korea can be as cold as minus 20 degrees celsius. To fend off the chill, people have been wearing thick and heavy down jackets, which makes them feel bulky and uncomfortable. To rid of such inconveniences, The North Face launched Enjoy Air Down, an air-light down collection. However, there was severe competition among other players in the Korean outdoor market who were also introducing products focused on light weightiness. To differentiate the product from competitors, The North Face wanted to provide an impactful event where people could feel the lightness of Enjoy Air Down.

What if the jacket is up and floating in the air, literally? The North Face took Whac-A-Mole as an inspiration to let people experience the lightness of the product. We installed a mega-size pop-up store at KINTEX (Korea's largest convention center) square. It looks like an ordinary store, but as soon as someone tries out the product, the hidden exploration zone reveals itself, and the game has started. In this exploration zone, customers are given a mission to catch the jacket in the air within 60 seconds. If they succeed in capturing the jacket, they get it for free.

Such an exciting event was filmed and then screened on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The campaign video earned more than 10 million views and received positive responses. We reached an even wider range of customers by screening it at movie theaters. With the success of the campaign, sales of The North Face reached 77 billion won this year, which is 12% increased compared to the previous year. The North Face also solidified its position as the market leader, earning first place in the outdoor clothing section of the National Customer Satisfaction Index for the sixth straight year.