With Father’s Day right around the corner, there is no shortage of ads that show appreciation for fathers and everything they do for us. One of the more emotional campaigns would be outdoor company Yeti’s video series My Old Man. The mini-documentary is a series of six eight-minute videos that celebrate fatherhood and a father’s role in outdoor adventures.
Each subject featured in Yeti’s videos represent the demographics within the target market. “We wanted to connect with our core audience over their shared passions,” said senior director of digital Sara Kenton.
The heartfelt campaign follows pro surfer Shane Dorian, musician J.T. Van Zandt, fly-fishing guide and host of Trout TV Hilary Hutcheson, former NFL player Jordan Shipley, and Yeti co-founders Roy and Ryan Seiders. Dorian speaks about how fatherhood changed his life as the footage follows him and his son on a hunting trip in Hawaii. Van Zandt explains how he became interested in fly-fishing and woodworking due to the absence of his father. Hutcheson speaks about life growing up with a park ranger father who had taught her about fly fishing. Shipley, now a host on hunting shows on Outdoor Channel, speaks about his father and his role as a mentor and coach for Shipley during his high school years in Texas. The final two videos featuring the Seiders follows the brothers as they explain how their father, a fisherman and high school shop teacher, inspired them to become entrepreneurs and love the outdoors.
“They’ve all carved out interesting careers, and all of them had something different to say about being a son or daughter or mother or father,” said the head of content at Yeti Scott Ballew. “It was important for us to get well-rounded stories where people can see something that reminds them of themselves.”
John Muszynski, CIO at Mediavest Spark, the agency that worked with Yeti on the campaign, said that the videos were a way for Yeti to connect with their consumers in a more sentimental way. “The series shows the value of what premium storytelling is all about,” he said. “They’re creating a personality and aura of the brand without overt product placement, and it’s really powerful.”
Kenton echoes this thought by explaining how the emotional video campaign has helped Yeti reach the consumers in a way that conventional advertising can’t. “We’re using [videos] to tell stories that have a real human factor that connects with our core audience, and to a larger audience,” she said. “It’s hit an emotional chord with consumers that you don’t get from a traditional ad campaign.”
[Via: AdWeek]
