You pass the same billboard day after day. Then one day, something unexpected is added. Travellers along the A12 near Utrecht saw a climber abseiling from the advertising mast high above the ground. Not a rock face in the Alps or the Ardennes, but the Dutch urban landscape as a playground. The surprising OOH advert launched Garmin Netherlands’ new fēnix 9 series and shows how a change in perspective can transform everyday places into an adventure.

The stunt, by sports marketing agency, Capital Sports, begins the Dutch adaptation of the brand’s global Play Harder campaign, showing that you do not always have to travel further afield to find adventure. Sometimes, it is about looking differently at what is already around you.

The work answers Garmin Netherlands’ wish to go beyond the usual focus on features and specifications. The challenge for Capital Sports was to show not only what the watch can do, but also to bring what it stands for to life. With everyday life increasingly designed around convenience and predictability, the team set out to find adventure where you would least expect it.

That thought is also underlined in the campaign film: