Columbia brings a taste of the outdoors to the Super Bowl

In its first-ever Super Bowl campaign, Columbia Sportswear is teaming up with Breakside Brewery to bring a taste of the outdoors in. 

On the one day of the year when lots of people will be indoors to watch the big game, Columbia is leaning on its expertise in the outdoors to help out the football fans stuck inside with a new tongue in cheek product launch. ‘Nature Calls’ is a beer infused with real bear poop in the water used in the brewing process. Columbia and Breakside Brewery are quite literally bringing a taste of the outdoors to fans.

The humorous new campaign is part of Columbia’s ‘Engineered for Whatever’ brand platform, which celebrates the extremes Mother Nature is capable of.  From ice and snow to bugs and bear poop, Columbia doesn’t suffer the conditions but celebrates them. 

“When we say engineered for whatever, we mean whatever,” said Joe Boyle, Brand President at Columbia Sportswear. “If Mother Nature hurls bear poop at us, we'll ferment it into a frosty pint. From the inside of a bear to your mouth – we’re making nature’s crap easier to swallow.”

‘Nature Calls’ beer is the latest iteration of the brand platform and marks the first time that Columbia is taking part in the Super Bowl ad frenzy.  

The campaign launches with a video starring former NFL, Lance Moore, Daunte Culpepper, John Kuhn and Mike Remmers. Titled, ‘The Big Game’s shittiest beer ad’, the spot sees the NFL stars endorse bear poop beer. They share: “Nobody knows the outdoors better than Columbia.”

Crafted by Breakside Brewery, ‘Nature Calls’ is a crisp lager born in Columbia’s hometown of Portland. It is made with water from the Bull Run River infused with a hint of bear poop collected trailside in Montana from the American black bear, malted grains grown in the Pacific Northwest, and a touch of honey and huckleberry.

The beer will be available at Columbia’s booth during The Players Tailgate in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, February 8th. It will also be available at Breakside Brewery’s locations.

The campaign has been created with the help of adam&eve\TBWA. It will be supported by activity across social media, including teasers and creator-led taste tests, with influencers including Joe Santagato, The Basement Yard podcast co-host.

“Bear sh*t beer coming from any brand might seem crazy – and it is. But we’re an outdoor brand that has a history of poking the bear, and this time it’s a black bear,” said Matt Sutton, SVP and Head of Marketing at Columbia. "Being slightly unhinged is the point. It’s how we break through at a moment when our competitive set is running wallpaper in $8M ad spots. We wanted to brew up a special stunt that speaks to our love of Portland and the outdoors, in a way you'll never forget.”
Capitalising on the cultural phenomenon of the Super Bowl, the memorable creative stunt will no doubt spark conversation and capture the imaginations of sports fans.