Unlocking the Great Outdoors

The Challenge

The challenge from Helly Hansen was to uncover and confront the barriers hindering Brits from embracing outdoor activities, by creating a campaign bolstered by public data findings and expert advice, with the aim to inspire the public to get outdoors for Helly Hansen’s Open Mountain Month in January.   With a growing disconnect between individuals and the outdoors, it was imperative to understand the root causes preventing people from embracing the outdoors. Factors such as safety concerns, lack of knowledge, financial barriers and accessibility issues were the expected obstacles, particularly in inner cities, to get outdoors. And, once confirmed with some in-market research, global outdoor brand, Helly Hansen, wanted to tackle these barriers and challenged us to develop a comprehensive campaign that identified these key issues and provided inspirational solutions from Helly Hansen’s ambassadors, Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team, to encourage individuals to reconnect with the outdoors, equipped with expert advice.

The Solution

First, we developed a survey and conducted it with more than 2,000 members of the British public to gain real life insights into the specific barriers to get outdoors. This data served as a foundation for the campaign launch, which then inspired an immersive press trip Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team.

 

In order to support the activation and provide authentic case studies and feedback, we identified the community engagement group, AKA, to support in developing well-rounded and inspirational offering – both for the media event and to share the campaign. We worked closely with the three founders to compare the research with their experience, and developed an event that gave AKA the opportunity to talk about their work and collaborate with the media in attendance.

Top-tier media outlets were secured for the experience in the Scottish Highlands of Arrochar, where we wanted to address the barriers found in the survey and give them practical insights into the work of Helly Hansen’s professionals (Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team), to see how these barriers can be broken down. The event also aimed to provide a platform for allowing the media to authentically test Helly Hansen’s outdoor gear that is “Trusted by Professionals”, during an interactive hike and mock rescue mission.

 

Through a combination of survey analysis, expert guidance and media engagement, the campaign aimed to inspire individuals to overcome obstacles and embrace outdoor activities with confidence.

The Results

We took five top-tier journalists to Scotland for the Helly Hansen ‘Barriers to the Outdoors’ event and the results were highly encouraging and impactful. Through the survey, valuable insights highlighted the specific challenges preventing Brits from enjoying the outdoors. The media event facilitated meaningful discussions and exchanges between outdoor experts, key journalists and industry partners, and generated widespread awareness and interest in outdoor activities among the public.

 

We secured top-tier media coverage of features in Hello! Magazine, Country Living, The Great Outdoors, Live for the Outdoors, Advnture, MyOutdoors and Mountain Rescue Magazine, as well as a slot on BBC Breakfast. The event and survey findings reached a broad audience, sparking conversations and inspiring action with a combined reach of over 31 million. Overall, the campaign successfully addressed barriers to outdoors, whilst paving the way for a renewed appreciation of nature and outdoor adventure among Brits, providing invaluable insight from inner-city charity group, safety tips from Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team and professional-grade kit from Helly Hansen.