How we built the North Face brand with
a
campaign for our biggest competition.
100KM. 28 Hours. Unforgiving terrain.
The TNF100 makes other marathons look like a warm up.
We launched it with an idea as big as it was petty.
We blew our entire budget on an integrated campaign for
...our biggest rival, the Great Wuxi Marathon.
But rebranding them as the “The Great Warm Up.”
Winner in integrated, direct, promo & activation, digital, social
at One Show, Webbys, London International, FWA, and many more.
As well the Grand Prix for World’s Pettiest Campaign.
Building our brand by rebranding theirs.
Our “probono” campaign began with a full rebrand of the Great Wuxi Marathon.
We hijacked their visual identity to reflect their new name
and message—“Sign up for a Great Warm Up”—and applied it to
the hundreds of assets we created for them.
Of course, we signed off each with our own message:
“When warm up is over, it’s time to join the TNF100.”
Plated in Gold. Dripping with Irony.
We saved our unkindest cut for last.
At their finish line, we staged our own award ceremony,
with giant banners addressing finishers:
“Congratulations. On a great warm up.”
Best of all, we got their actual winners to come on our podium,
where we awarded them the saddest trophies* ever made.
*the trophies were a huge hit on their own, getting resold online,
and winning as an individual entry. See case study for full story.
Finishing them off at the finish line.
Right at their finish line, we filled 50% of our available slots.
Even signing up all three of their winners.
Pretty cold for a warm up.
Webby 2x
One Show
LIA
FWA
Cristal
Spikes
AdFest
Many more
︎
Creative Director Aste
Team Aste Joseph Davies,
Radouane Guissi, Nicolas Lieberman
Agency Fred & Farid