Works

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Over 2 million people went outdoors.

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Retail sales increased by 106%.

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813,000 joined the campaign.

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In just 18 days, 65,100 flags were planted.

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One winner alone planted over 4,000.

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Coupon redemptions rose by 150%.

| Over 2 million people went outdoors. | Retail sales increased by 106%. | 813,000 joined the campaign. | In just 18 days, 65,100 flags were planted. | One winner alone planted over 4,000. | Coupon redemptions rose by 150%.

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Ad Age China’s Top 10 Campaigns.

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Bronze Interactive One Show 2010 China’s only Pencil.

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Best in Asia, PMAA 2011.

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Best Interactive, AME 2010.

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Gold Interactive New York Festival 2010.

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D&AD Interactive in book 2010.

| Ad Age China’s Top 10 Campaigns. | Bronze Interactive One Show 2010 China’s only Pencil. | Best in Asia, PMAA 2011. | Best Interactive, AME 2010. | Gold Interactive New York Festival 2010. | D&AD Interactive in book 2010.

 

Some Conquests Are Worth
Thousands of Times Over.

  • Role:
    Creative Lead for Activation & part of the 360 Team

    Market:
    China 

    Objective:
    Make Never Stop Exploring culturally relevant in urban China, where outdoor life was distant and gear seen as irrelevant.

    Key Actions & Strategy:

    • Integrated campaign: Inspired people to go outdoors, plant flags, and experience the brand essence.

    • GPS-triggered conquest platform, built with Baidu Maps, tracked exploration in real time.

    • Participants realised their everyday attire wasn’t warm enough; The North Face products were discovered in retail, events, and activations.

    • Redemption vouchers tightened the loop, driving shoppers back to purchase.

    Results & P&L Impact:

    • 813,000 recruits; 2 million+ went outdoors in 18 days.

    • 65,100 territories claimed; one participant planted 4,000+ flags.

    • Retail sales surged 106%; coupon redemptions rose 150%.

    • Campaign secured Top 10 Campaign of the Year in Ad Age China.

    Awards & Recognition:

    • One Show Bronze Interactive Pencil 2010 (China’s only Pencil that year)

    • Best in Asia, PMAA 2011

    • Gold Interactive, Golden Dragon 2011; Gold Interactive, New York Festivals 2010

    Technical & Creative Innovation:
    First-ever national-scale GPS campaign in China, engineered on Baidu Maps before mobile apps/QR codes mainstreamed.

    Legacy & Business Impact:
    Proved that Never Stop Exploring could live in China as both brand essence and retail driver. Elevated The North Face from niche gear to lifestyle movement, while showing how digital, cultural insight, and retail could close the loop to conversion.

    Signature POV:
    “Exploration is complete only when inspiration, experience, and purchase connect.”

In 2009, The North Face wasn’t just launching a campaign in China.
It was searching for a tribe of people built for the outdoors—but not yet living it.

At the time, outdoor exploration didn’t fit into urban life.
Most city dwellers saw performance gear as irrelevant.
The outdoors was either work or far away—not something to aspire to.

Therefore, the brand’s global line, Never Stop Exploring, required a local spark.
Not by changing its meaning, but by making it personal.

There’s a phrase in Chinese culture – 众里寻他千百度
Search through the crowd a thousand times until the right one is found.

We built the entire campaign around that spirit of pursuit.
Not just to find new places, but to help people discover what they were made of.

To make that happen, we didn’t lean on hype.
We engineered a first-of-its-kind:

GPS-triggered experience. Powered by an early partnership with Baidu Maps. Before apps were common. Before QR codes were standard.

We turned people’s browsers and phones into a live conquest engine.
No downloads. No gimmicks. Just movement.
Plant a flag. Claim a place. Make it yours.

Each territory taken was tracked and published in real-time.
Players had to keep moving, searching, and exploring to stay ahead.

It worked.

Over 2 million people went outdoors.
813,000 joined the campaign.
In just 18 days, 65,100 flags were planted.
One winner alone planted over 4,000.
Retail sales increased by 106%, and coupon redemptions rose by 150%.

From Ad Age China’s Top 10 Campaigns to global honours at D&AD, Golden Dragon, One Show, New York Festivals, AdFest, and PMAA Best in Asia—

The campaign was recognised for its breakthrough tech, cultural precision, and brand relevance.

And at One Show 2010, it became China’s only Pencil in Interactive.
A single Bronze that marked a turning point for tech-led brand storytelling in the region.

We weren’t following the market.
We pushed it.
We proved local platforms like Baidu Maps could power national-scale experiences.
And that Never Stop Exploring could live, move, and belong in China.

We didn’t just create reach.
We created a sense of belonging for a generation discovering they were made for the world outside.

Some campaigns sell.
This one converted.

Because when something truly matters, you don’t try once.
You go again and again—Even a thousand times over.

  • Top 10 Campaign, Ad Age China 2010
    Best in Asia, PMAA 2011
    Best Interactive, AME 2010
    Interactive, Golden Dragon 2011
    Interactive, D&AD in book 2010
    Interactive, Gold New York Festival 2010
    Interactive, Bronze One Show 2010 (China only pencil)
    Interactive, Bronze AdFest 2010
    Interactive, Bronzes Spike 2010
    Digital, Bronzes Spike 2010 

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