Fjällräven launches Monday night football ad

Fjällräven announced today that it will start airing a TV commercial during Monday Night Football. Marmot ran a Superbowl ad last year, but television commercials are rare territory for outdoor industry brands.

The ad will air for the first time tonight, during the first half of the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos game. It’s intended to “inspire outdoor adventure,” according to a press release issued late Monday afternoon.

SNEWS spoke to Joe Prebich, North American Brand VP, and asked him why the company chose to invest so heavily on this mass marketing opportunity. (In 2016, a 30-second spot during Monday Night Football had a price tag north of $300K.) 

“We talk to a broad demographic—both urban and outdoor. The nature of who is a core consumer these days has evolved,” says Prebich. “Monday Night Football represents our customer base, which has also evolved. We want to represent that first step to people in the outdoors. We want to talk to these new consumers, looking to be inspired and spend more time outdoors.”

“We are a Swedish outdoor brand. That’s our DNA,” Nathan Dopp, president of Fjällräven North America, said in the press release. “The aspirational nature of the creative mixed with the targeting capabilities of TV advertising and captive audience of live sports aligned with Fjällräven’s audience growth strategy.”

The 30-second commercial features a couple adventuring through the elements—walking along a beach, hiking through water, canoeing, backpacking, and just enjoying nature. Apt, as the name of the campaign is “Forever Nature.”

The ad will run during six subsequent Monday Night Football games, as Fjällräven opens new brand stores in major cities San Francisco and Los Angeles. Prebich says that this is the kickoff to his company’s largest ad campaign to date, but that “they will continue to support the core trekking market.”

“A lot of people don’t know who we are in the U.S.,” says Prebich. “They don’t know how to pronounce our name, they don’t recognize our logo.” 

He says the company’s decision to invest to heavily in this mass marketing does not represent a shift away from his devotion to the core outdoor customer. “This is not about being in or out of the outdoor club,” he says. “This is about being inspired. Great brands find people to inspire. We want to appeal to the guy who’s drinking at the bar and watching the game with his friends. Maybe he’ll see the ad and be inspired to go out camping this weekend.”

“We want to tell our story loudly and drive people into our specialty retail stores.”