Columbia Sportswear Takes Outdoor Testing to Wild Extremes With Snakes and Gators

Because sometimes, Mother Nature's brutal

Mother Nature can be an unpredictable pill sometimes. And when you’re out in the elements, you have to be prepared for conditions to turn on a dime. Columbia Sportswear takes things further with its new brand platform, “Engineered for Whatever.”

From Adam&eveDDB, the global campaign removes the rose-colored glasses when describing the great outdoors and shows people getting knocked down by nature … hard.

Directed by Henry-Alex Rubin and produced by Smuggler, the video begins in a peaceful field—until a frolicking woman is bitten by a snake.

Thunderstorms, avalanches, vultures, broken bones and a cameo from Aron Ralston—who famously amputated his arm to survive a canyoneering accident—follow.

An additional three videos test Columbia’s gear by dangling a man over alligator-infested waters, placing a woman inside a giant snowball and strapping a man to the front of a snowplow. Jackass meets Mythbusters, anyone?

This marks the brand’s first relaunch for Columbia in a decade.

“At Columbia, our gear is built not just for a perfect day but for whatever mother nature throws at you. With ‘Engineered for Whatever’ we’re showing people that our products are made to handle the extreme and unpredictable, with a healthy dose of humor and joy,” says Matt Sutton, the brand’s head of marketing. “By embracing the real and unexpected sides of adventure, we’re staying true to our legacy and charting a distinct and memorable path for our brand going forward.”

OOH elements feature apparel put to the extreme, alongside copy like “Made for the days when Mother Nature wants you dead,” “This jacket is a climate denier” and “Jack Frost ain’t got Jack S**t.”

“With its fresh and visceral ‘Engineered for Whatever’ brand platform, Columbia Sportswear is bringing the brutal side of the outdoors to life, to prove their gear can handle it all,” says Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland, CCOs at adam&eveDDB London. “The repositioning resurrects the brand’s irreverence and verve and shows its audience that they can trust Columbia’s apparel and enjoy the great outdoors no matter what (mis) adventures they get up to.”