Columbia Sportswear has been putting its products through tests even the most extreme outdoor enthusiast wouldn’t attempt since August last year. adam&eve\TBWA’s platform, Engineered for Whatever, by adam&eve\TBWA spiced with a dash of humour continues with two more.

The first bears the innocuous title, Balloon Product Test. It’s anything but. It begins with a warning, “Do not attempt this stunt yourself. It may result in water-filled lungs, injury and public humiliation. And that’s pretty much the best-case scenario.” And then Columbia drops a year’s worth of rainfall on two hikers in waterproof Whistler Peak Shell Jackets.

The second test, Sauna Product Test, begins with a similar copy-cat discouragement. “Do not attempt to set up a sauna in the desert. In fact, of the thought even enters your head at any point watching this, please seek help immediately.” If the sauna in the desert doesn’t torture-test the Diamond Peak Pro Short Sleeve Shirt with Omni-Freeze Zero Ice cooling properties, there’s a built-in magnifying glass to amplify the sun’s radiance and a flamethrower shot into the wall. 

The new work aims to extend Columbia Sportwear from being known for its popular winter products, to being known for its summer products too.

Sauna is support by paid media across TV, online video, Meta and TikTok.

Credits:
Client: Columbia Sportswear
Agency: adam&eve\TBWA
Joint Chief Creative Officers: Ant Nelson & Mike Sutherland
Creative Directors: Will Cottam & James Crosby
Creatives: Ben Robinson & Mike Whiteside
Producer & Head of Integrated Production: Sally Pritchett
Assistant Producer: Catarina van Leuven
Group Planning Director: Alex Scott Malden
Chief Executive Officer: Miranda Hipwell
Managing Partner: Fraser Thomson
Account Director: Sarah Hill
Account Manager: Amy Holden
Project Management: Andrea Kenyon
Junior Project Manager: Lucy Morcas-Wilkin
Legal: Tom Campbell & Candice Macleod
Business Affairs: Edan Cummins
Head of Design: Scott Silvey
Designer: Will Whittington

Director: Tim Bullock
Managing Director: Kate Taylor
Executive Producer: James Howland
Producer: Sara Cummins
Production Manager: Natalie Isaac
1ST AD: Rob Blishen
DOP: Marc Gómez Del Moral
Casting: Beach Casting Brendan McNamara

Service Company: Virtual Films
Editing company: Work Editorial
Post-production & VFX: 1920vfx
Music Production Company: SIREN
Audio Post-production: Factory