Merrell’s first global brand platform looks to redefine the outdoors

Dive Brief:Merrell has debuted its first global brand platform, titled “It Starts Outside.” The effort looks to shift the maker of hiking boots into an outdoor lifestyle brand, per a press release.The platform launches with an eponymous campaign that includes a 30-second hero spot that shows a variety of consumers taking their first steps into various outdoor scenarios. Created with Uncommon Creative Studio, the campaign will roll out globally across social, digital and connected TV.In addition, the brand will launch the Merrell Outside: Futures Project, an initiative that looks to expand access and opportunity for aspiring designers. The effort comes as parent company Wolverine Worldwide looks to build on the brand’s recent growth.Dive Insight:Merrell, the footwear brand known for its hiking boots, is hoping to evolve into an outdoor lifestyle brand with its new brand platform and campaign. “It Starts Outside” looks to reframe the outdoors as an immediate and accessible refuge for consumers who are overwhelmed by the pace and digital demands of modern life.“For 45 years we’ve built the world’s most trusted hiking boots. Now we’re expanding that purpose: to help people unlock clarity, connection and momentum, simply by stepping outside. This belief guides how we design product, shape culture, and empower the next generation of outdoor creators,” Richard McLeod, global chief marketing officer of Merrell, said in a statement.In a 30-second spot, the campaign focuses on the simplicity of going outside, reframing the outdoors as “immediate and attainable rather than aspirational or elite,” per the press release. The spot features brand ambassador and Olympian Alexi Pappas hiking alongside visually impaired marathon runner Lisa Thompson.The brand platform also includes a purpose-driven element around creating ways into footwear and product design, especially for underrepresented talent. The Merrell Outside: Futures Project was developed with the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund administered by the Fashion Scholarship Fund and Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design. The initiative includes curriculum and apprenticeship opportunities.“It Starts Outside” comes as parent company Wolverine Worldwide continues its turnaround, with growth largely driven by Merrell and sister brand Saucony. Merrell saw full-year revenue increase 8.4% year over year in 2025, per a recent earnings report.“With positive momentum and a strong product pipeline, Merrell is entering the new year with an enhanced marketing strategy and demand creation plan for record investment to further elevate the brand,” Wolverine CEO Chris Hufnagel said on a call discussing the earnings results.