Outdoor clothing brand The North Face is being hailed for one of the marketing stunts of 2023 that has since gone on to rack up a staggering 16 million views online.
It all kicked off when American tourist Jennifer Jensen was hiking in New Zealand’s Queenstown region for her 30th birthday and proceeded to get drenched by heavy rain despite her black waterproof rain jacket she’d recently purchased from the outdoor clothing brand.
As damp, angry people do, Jensen then made a 30-second TikTok video roasting the jacket’s failings, which she posted to her “minimal followers” online.
Complaining about the waterproof merits of the jacket, Jensen raged: “Listen, I don’t want a refund. I want you to redesign this raincoat to make it waterproof and express delivery it up to the top of Hooker Valley Lake in New Zealand where I will be waiting. I’ll be the only one up here looking like a drowned rat. Waterproof my arse!”
@fannypack310 @thenorthface i’m not mad i’m disappointed …and wet
The TikTok video quickly went viral and soon reached The North Face marketing team who not only reached out to offer her a new rain jacket but to ask Jensen to be part of a marketing video involving a helicopter.
The second clip published on The North Face TikTok page shows a staffer grabbing a red women’s jacket before jumping in a helicopter. It then meets the hiker in the mountains to personally deliver her the jacket, as she had asked for express delivery.
Jensen’s video racked up close to 11.5 million views, while North Face’s response garnered almost 4.5 million. Watch it below:
@thenorthface Replying to @Timbrodini We were busy express delivering @Jenn her jacket at the top of mountain. Thanks for the help Jossi!
Social media were big fans of the rapid response too! “Well done marketing team, perfect response,” one person commented. While another said: “They saw an opportunity and absolutely smashed it.”
A another wrote: “This is customer service.”
“A brand that understood the assignment,” someone else penned.
Another added they were “very impressed” and another said: “Say WHAT? I think they may have redeemed themselves.”
