Insight Behind the Execution: Merrell’s “It Starts Outside” Campaign

Why reframing the outdoors around accessibility, not achievement, is resonating with a new generation.

Merrell’s “It Starts Outside” campaign is gaining attention for making the outdoors feel more accessible to a new generation. Here’s why it works and the breakdown of the consumer insight driving success:

CONSUMER
The Outdoor Curious (Gen Z)

SITUATION
Currently, outdoor participation is growing fastest among people who only get outside a few times a year.

But many outdoor brands have historically centered the category around the top of the mountain, focusing on performance, achievement, and technical excellence.

INSIGHT
In chasing “top-of-the-mountain” achievements, brands have made the outdoors feel unapproachable and inaccessible for new consumers.

But the majority of these consumers aren’t looking for extremes. They are looking for simple, everyday adventures that help them “reset, reconnect, and rediscover,” as Merrell’s CMO Richard McLeod puts it.

In other words, consumers are going outside to reconnect within.

EXECUTION
“It Starts Outside” is built on this tension, reframing the outdoors not as an achievement, but as an accessible starting point to create your own adventure. It opens the door and invites consumers outside.

By showcasing a diverse set of consumers, grounded in Gen Z cultural cues, starting their outdoor adventures, the brand is redefining who the outdoors is for and how people engage with it.

In doing so, the brand becomes associated with adventure for a new generation of outdoor participants, deepening its relationship with them and expanding the brand's consumer base.

Well done Merrell and Uncommon Creative Studio for leaning into how consumers want to experience the outdoors today and expanding who feels invited into the category.

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This is part of an ongoing series breaking down the insights that likely informed the brief behind the product/campaign and why it resonates with consumers.

What products or campaigns should we unpack next?

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Photo credit: Merrell

Note: This perspective is based on a consumer research lens using publicly available information.