As a no.1 outdoor brand in Korea, The North Face wanted to go beyond the realm of outdoor activities; rather to position itself as the spirit of challenging to target audiences, especially young targets in 20s and 30s. We thought that the most effective way to give a brand message is to let targets involved into the brand activities by themselves. Thanks to this event, the customers who walked into this pop-up store could experience such a great adventure with unforgettable memories in their lives and got a powerful impression on this brand.

The North Face Korea wanted to help young professional Koreans in their 20s and 30s to have hands-on experience of our message – ‘Never Stop Exploring’ through this video. We wanted them to awaken and embrace their challenging spirit. So we pushed customers who had walked into the store to face unexpected challenges and let them choose to take the challenge on their own initiative with our very special pop up store.

We made a special pop-up store in Seoul, the capital city of Korea and ran this pop-up store for 2 days only. During this time, lots of customers walked in to the pop-up store and were faced with an unexpected challenge. While they were taking a tour around the store, the floor beneath them collapsed all of a sudden. Then, 30 second challenge presented to stunned customers clung to the shop’s rock wall and they had to choose to take this challenge or not. It is not important at all whether they succeeded or not because they experienced the thrill and exhilaration of taking the challenge itself by their own initiative. That’s what we tried out for this campaign.

We could capture their excitement through the challenge on this video and it motivates audiences around the world to push their own limits. This campaign was targeted for consumers in Korea for the first place but we thought that the content of this video is good enough to give an inspiration to global audiences as well. Therefore, we have been using YouTube channel as a main media platform.

This campaign was only for Korean consumers for the first place but we thought that the content of this video is good enough to give an inspiration to global audiences as well. Therefore, we have been using Youtube channel as a main media platform and other big Korean online channel such as Naver, Daum and communities as a sub media platform to experience this video as much as possible. Thanks to all the positive reactions online, it was also made into a 30-second TV commercial for more people to see.

This video continues to win the hearts of people around the world. Because the video celebrates real individuals embracing unexpected adventures, it has connected with audiences regardless of language or cultural differences. International advertisers and marketers have praised the campaign for its ability to connect audiences to the brand philosophy over and beyond the normal stunt film.

Once the campaign was featured on the cover of Adweek, a global advertising magazine, the video went viral on social media. Within just two days, 160,000 people had viewed it. The video has remained at the top of Adweek’s ‘most popular’ section. The campaign continues to spread rapidly among global audiences. The customers featured were left with unforgettable memories through their experience. The feelings of hesitation, excitement, resolve, and finally, the courage summoned in order to seize their opportunity will remain with them long after the campaign has ended. Many people who have chosen to settle and who have hesitated to explore because they lack the courage to strive for greatness, noted that this campaign awakened their adventurous spirit, bringing energy to their lives and introducing the idea that they too want to ‘rise to the challenge someday.’

To deliver the message, ‘Never Stop Exploring’, we made a special pop-up store and gave customers unexpected challenges. . It was designed to give people a thrilling experience jumping off the 4-meter high wall concerning the safety matter as well. As a result, we could make a dynamic and entertaining video featuring a lot of people enjoying their challenges regardless of whether they succeed or not.