Since ECCO has always led the way in technological footwear innovation, it wasn't a surprise when they became the first major shoe manufacturer to produce performance outdoor footwear made out of yak leather—a leather that is three times stronger than cow leather. They entrusted us with branding their new
innovation.

Naturally, when we thought about yaks and their hides, really tall mountains and those who climb them came to mind. And who's better at climbing mountains than Sherpas? We wanted ECCO's Sherpa campaign to not only speak about the exceptional performance characteristics of yak-leather boots, but to the ability all of us have to go out and conquer the world's toughest terrain as well.

So, we created a 360-degree marketing campaign that went way beyond traditional print and POS elements by including web and on-the-ground, interactive promotions. Thirty-two real-life Sherpas from around the world were sent gear kits that we designed, and were told to put ECCO's Sherpa line to the ultimate test.

These hardcore outdoorsmen subject Sherpa gear to extreme conditions every day and then blog about their exploits on the Sherpa website where aspiring adventurers can interact with them.