Female Opps: The North Face shifts strategy under new CMO (Score 80)

Sales Lead: The North Face (NF)'s CMO, Sophie Bambuck, recently announced the launch of a new brand purpose and mission.

• She described some details of the brand's ongoing voice evolution in general.
• Bambuck joined NF as CMO in September 2022 and has been shifting its strategy since doing so.
• She's focused on making the brand stay relevant and seem almost human, personal, apologetic, and real
• To do so, Bambuck is changing NF's tone to show emotion, not just the aspiration and beauty on which it's focused in the past.
• The brand's current focus is on equipping and inspiring extraordinary lives, per Bambuck, while also pushing the industry forward regarding products, inclusion, and sustainability.
• NF will also focus on introducing underprivileged youth to outdoor activities such as climbing.
• It additionally just launched a new athlete development program.
• The brand will likely:
  • Focus on additional cause-oriented initiatives to promote its new purpose and mission
  • Continue implementing strategy shifts
  • Return to higher spend
  • Conduct agency reviews
• Target demographic: 
  • Gen-Z and millennials with a female skew

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: NF has spent approximately $2.8k on national TV commercials YTD, 26% less than the approximately $3.8k spent by this point last year.
  • Last year: In 2022, the brand ended up spending around $6k on this channel after having spent 23% less, around $4.6k, in 2021.
  • 2023 ad programming: NF's 2023 commercials have targeted Gen-Z watching USA Climbing, Diagnosis Murder, and Scarface.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: So far this year, the brand has allocated roughly $1.4m toward digital ads, down 18% from the roughly $1.7m allocated within the same 2022 timeframe.
  • YTD data: NF has earned about 166.7m digital impressions YTD, 43% via Instagram ads, 29% via Facebook ads, 26% via YouTube ads, and 2% via desktop display ads.
  • Last year: The brand's estimated full-year 2022 spend of $6.7m reached 20% more than that of $5.6m in 2021.
• Additional channel insights  
  • The brand utilizes Google Ads along with digital, OOH, print, local broadcast, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and online video (primarily via Youtube.com) ads.
  • NF sponsors podcasts such as REAL AF with Andy Frisella, Dermot & Dave, the Relationship School Podcast, and High and Mighty.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: NF will likely conduct agency reviews considering its September 2022 appointment of CMO Sophie Bambuck.
  • NF already seems to have moved on from Within, its media AOR since October 2022  ​​​​​​​, and is now working with EssenceMediaCom.
• Current agency roster:
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​EssenceMediaCom: Media AOR (2023)
  • In-House: Media
  • Sid Lee: Creative AOR
  • United Entertainment Group: PR agency partner
  • Publicis Media: Agency partner

Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix; podcast insights by Podchaser.