Merrell, the footwear brand known for its hiking boots, wants to democratize the outdoors with the first global brand platform in its 45-year history.
Its new campaign, “It Starts Outside,” created by new agency partner Uncommon Creative Studio, is based on a simple premise: even one step outside can open the door to possibilities.
Merrell’s marketing push comes as it aims to differentiate itself in the crowded outdoor category as a more democratic, culturally rooted brand.
The outdoor apparel market is growing, estimated to increase from $174.45 billion in 2026 to $229 billion by 2031, according to Mordor Intelligence. Meanwhile, the outdoor recreation participant base grew 3% in 2024 to a record 181.1 million participants, or 58.6% of all Americans aged 6 and older, per the Outdoor Industry Association’s 2025 Outdoor Participation Trends Report.
Merrell wants to be a more accessible brand for everyone, from athletes to city dwellers, said global CMO Richard McLeod, who joined the company last year from Champion.
“The outside isn’t meant to be elite. It’s accessible—like, it’s right there. It can mean so many different things to so many people,” McLeod told ADWEEK.
In research, Merrell met a consumer who expressed the sentiment, “‘I hate the outdoors but love being outside,’” McLeod recalled. So the brand’s use of the word “outside” as opposed to “outdoors” is intentional, to include a broader set of people and activities from “simply stepping outside your door to everything in between, from walking outside in the park to running on a trail to going to a festival,” he added.
“If you look at advertising or the positioning of the competitive set, it’s very performance-driven. It’s summits, faster, bigger landscapes. That’s all relevant and still makes sense for us as a brand, but what we’ve done doesn’t romanticize achievement,” McLeod said. “It’s less about summits and finish lines, and more about intentional shifts to what happens when you step outside. It’s a lot more democratic.”
The campaign features three vignettes that capture the subtle transformation that happens when you step outside. The cast includes Olympic runner Alexi Pappas hiking alongside visually impaired marathon runner Lisa Thompson.
“The casting was intentional, with unexpected people and occasions, to reflect the breadth of audience we need to reach but also speak to people’s real lives,” said Steve Zaroff, chief strategy officer of Uncommon. “It brings in people who may feel alienated by the traditional outdoor category.”
