The North Face x SKIMS collaboration marked an unprecedented partnership between two iconic brands, fusing outdoor performance credentials for cold-weather moments with best-in-class shapewear — fundamentally surprising and delighting the Gen Z female consumer. Our campaign centered on two primary objectives: First, to generate buzz and ignite social conversations about this unexpected partnership, creating an immediate sense of FOMO that would drive demand. Second, to completely dominate the cultural conversation during launch week through strategic, high-impact media placements that would flood the feeds of fashion-forward Gen Z women and ensure the launch was impossible to ignore.
In today's fragmented media landscape, capturing Gen Z's attention requires more than just presence – it demands omnipresence. With an extremely short flight duration, we knew we needed to maximize buzz on launch day, creating an inescapable social presence that commanded every conversation from the moment we went live.
The media buying strategy for the North Face x SKIMS collaboration was built on the synergy between traditional and digital media - creating an amplification loop where our physical presence fueled digital buzz and online conversations drove people to seek out our real-world installations.
The activation took over high-traffic areas like Times Square in NY and Los Angeles fashion districts with eye-catching OOH placements, turning them into real-time photo opportunities. These weren't just billboards; they were designed to be photographed, shared, and reshared, giving every passerby a role in the conversation.
Capitalizing on the buzz generated from the OOH placements, we maintained momentum with targeted digital activations. We initially secured premium ‘Top Feed’ placements on TikTok, leveraging the platform’s significant influence on Gen Z’s fashion trends. However, the product’s near-immediate sellout required us to quickly pivot to maximize our impact across other digital channels.
Simultaneously, we launched social partnerships with digital fashion and culture publications known for their strong connection with our Gen Z female target audience — specifically Dazed, Paper Magazine, Hypebae, and i-D — and engaged their followers through dark social activations. Partners deployed our creative content through their own handles, targeting their most engaged followers. This strategy allowed us to infiltrate genuine fashion conversations in a way that felt native rather than promotional, bridging the gap between organic engagement and directed marketing.
The North Face x SKIMS campaign exceeded expectations, selling out online in under 20 minutes and becoming a prominent cultural topic during launch week. Our strategic media placements generated 26.3 million impressions at a cost-effective CPM and 262.3K site visits, significantly boosting winter apparel sales.
More importantly, we achieved genuine cultural penetration. Our OOH installations, in partnership with OUTFRONT Media, transformed into social media landmarks, sparking organic sharing. This organic amplification created a cycle where physical media drove digital engagement, and online buzz further amplified the impact of our OOH presence. This success was further fueled by our partnerships with top-tier publishers like Dazed, Paper Magazine, Hypebae, and i-D. They didn't just report on the collaboration – they became active participants in the cultural conversation we orchestrated.
This collaboration showcased a measurable and lasting impact, reaffirming both brands’ leadership in their respective markets.
