Mountain & Trail News

    The North Face Requires Shoppers to Climb Rock Wall in Marketing Stunt

    Most of the shoppers seemed extremely confused, and rightfully so.

    For those who stopped in The North Face’s pop-up store in South Korea, racks of winter jackets weren’t the only thing waiting for them. As part of a marketing campaign, customers were allowed to enter the small store one by one to browse the apparel, but after a few minutes, the racks of clothing began to rise to the ceiling and the floor began to disappear—a padded pit taking its place.

    People were forced to either fall into the soft pit or ascend, thanks to the colorful climbing holds that covered the walls—they appeared to be only a form of decoration at first, fitting easily into the brand’s focus on the active outdoors. Directions for the surprising challenge appeared on a television mounted on one of the walls. If people were able to climb to the top and reach a jacket that was suspended from the ceiling, they could have it. Each person was given 30 seconds to attempt to grab the jacket.

    Korean brand Innored was where the sneaky marketing stunt originated from, and it was part of The North Face’s “Never Stop Exploring” campaign.

    According to Campaign Asia, The North Face stated, “Consumers are used to comfortable city lives and are losing their natural strengths. Based on this brand philosophy, North Face Korea induces customers to face an unexpected challenge and encourages them to overcome the situation with their own strength in order to begin their journey to explore.”

    Check out the video below: