How Backcountry Builds Coalitions to Fund & Distribute Brand Films
Elise Day, Senior Brand Manager at Backcountry pulls back the curtain on Backcountry's innovative "Venture Beyond" film series to explore how brands can use collaborations to create deep, emotional connections with their customers and inspire outdoor enthusiasts to push their limits through these breathtaking cinematic adventures.
TRANSCRIPT
Elise Day:
If you look at brand marketing right now, there's this huge emphasis on collaborating on campaigns. Something as simple as a paint company partnering with Heinz Ketchup to get them “ketchup red,” to a smoothie-flavored body wash — and — hopefully nobody knows body wash, but, you know, there's really unique areas that we can go and, and pushing in that direction of our storytelling.
Jesse Roseler: Greetings and welcome to "Content that Moves," the podcast from Brand Storytelling and Credo NonFiction. It's my distinct pleasure to interview the brightest minds in branded content creation who are out there telling stories that make you feel something on behalf of brands. I'm your host, Jesse Roesler, the founder of Credo NonFiction, where we partner with brands to find and tell stories that reveal brand purpose and deepen brand meaning in a way traditional advertising just doesn’t. This podcast is co-produced by Brand Storytelling, bringing you the latest news, trends, and insights in branded content with top-of-industry events and in-depth industry coverage onine. Brand Storytelling encourages a higher level of collaboration among advertisers, agencies, media partners, and creators in pursuit of a richer media environment. For more of the latest in the world of branded content or to explore event offerings, visit BrandStorytelling.TV today.
Elise, it's always fun to put a face and a voice with a brand that I already know and love, which is the case here. I have many Backcountry orders to attest to this. So welcome to the show. I'm happy to meet you. I'd love to dig into your "Venture Beyond" film series, a beautiful film series. But first, can you give an overview of your role at Backcountry and what the larger content and storytelling strategy looks like? What are you all dreaming up and making, and how are you getting it out into the world?
Elise Day: I really enjoy it. At Backcountry, I oversee our brand marketing department. That encompasses our social media, athlete influencer strategy, and I work very closely with our creative director on our content and production side of the business to really further the brand.
Jesse Roseler: Awesome. When you're thinking about the types of content you're creating, the films are very story-driven. Are you doing different types of content, or is it all in the storytelling sphere? What type of mediums are you looking at?
Elise Day: We're all storytellers in marketing, right? We want to tell the best story and connect with everyone. From a Backcountry standpoint, we have a few different goals with our content: one is to inform and educate, another is to entertain, and perhaps our favorite is to inspire. When we look at our content and what we put out to the world and the larger community, whether you’re new to the outdoors or an experienced adventurer, it's going to touch on one of those things. We have a very unique customer-driven approach through our Gearhead program. We have people that eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, whether it's skiing, standup paddleboarding, backpacking, through-hiking, or trail running. They connect and serve our customer base in such a unique and personal way.
I use the word "personal" because we have Gearheads who attend customers' weddings. That's how close they get. You have someone who hooks you up with great gear for a lifetime, and there's a bond that you just can't replicate. We have various pieces of content on our YouTube channel and our site. This past year, we ventured into podcasting, which has been really fun for us as a brand and to pull in our larger community. We've had guests from nonprofit partners to legends like Shaun White, who shared insights into his experience, career, and his views on the future.
Jesse Roseler: I love that you talk about bringing partners in. I think partnering with nonprofits is a great way to do that, especially in the outdoor industry. Partnering in general is a big theme I want to touch on, specifically with your "Venture Beyond" film series. Can you start by explaining what the series is and how it originated?
Elise Day: It starts with "Venture Beyond," a phrase that’s become our call to action and corporate ethos—pushing beyond your boundaries and limits. For some, that means climbing the tallest peaks or running the PCT. For others, it’s just going on a hike or exploring a new sport. We took this inspirational concept and wanted to bring it to life in a very theatrical way.
Jesse Roseler: That’s a good word—"theatrical." You don’t always hear that from brands. I love it.
Elise Day: You don’t, but there's an immersion that happens when you're pulled into somebody's story. While you might not be at their physical ability or level, you can still connect on a human level. It’s that human connection in our stories that helps us come together as an inclusive community.
Jesse Roseler: Absolutely. I was very taken by the intimate, first-person point of view in the series. The fly fishing episode, for example, really immersed me in that stream and the mountains. Pairing that with a genuine point of view is really powerful.
Elise Day: Anyone who loves the outdoors recognizes the sound of a cricket or a babbling brook. Those sounds are key elements that connect us to nature and start the serotonin flowing for outdoor enthusiasts.
Jesse Roseler: Especially in winter, where I live in Western Wisconsin. I love winter sports, but hearing running water and crickets makes me miss summer. How did you decide to make "Venture Beyond" more than just a mantra? Did you start with an idea for one film or a series? How did you find the stories and people to feature?
Elise Day: It’s really an evolution of storytelling at Backcountry. We started with a series called "Outermost," aimed at inspiring people to break out of their everyday lives. We took individuals on unique excursions and experiences. As it evolved into "Venture Beyond," we began looking for deeper personal stories rather than just adventure experiences. Our partners in the series are a combination of vendor relationships and our athlete and influencer relationships. A good example is our film with Karel Sabbe, who ran the PCT for the fastest known time. "On Running, his sponsor, wanted to collaborate, and we decided to film Karel’s journey. It was a big commitment, but we felt the story had to be told whether he succeeded or not.
Jesse Roseler: What an accomplishment. You mentioned partnerships with vendors and athletes. Can you give examples of other films and how those partnerships came about?
Elise Day: It's a mix. Our athlete influencers all have unique stories. We work with our athlete management team to identify those stories that haven’t been told and match them with the pursuits we want to highlight. On the partner side, we align with brands that help people reach the next level. For instance, Mountain Hardware collaborated with us on "Taming the Wolverine," where two employees planned to ski all the lines in the Wolverine Cirque in Utah in one day. We had great snow last year, and it was the perfect time to do it.
Jesse Roseler: That’s smart on so many levels. How do you build a coalition for a piece of content? Your films are beautiful and high-quality, which is an investment. How do those partnerships work in terms of co-funding and distribution?
Elise Day: We co-fund and collaborate on production. For example, we shot a piece with Yeti in New Zealand, which involved co-funding. Distribution includes our own brand channels, paid channels, and amplification using partner channels. We’re in lockstep on timing and distribution with our partners. We also play around with different models, like fireside chats in retail stores or large greeting nights and film debuts.
Jesse Roseler: The gear becomes part of the story but isn't the main focus. How are you measuring the success of these films, and how do you determine what's next?
Elise Day: It’s a balancing act between performance and brand marketing. We measure the success of educational pieces by their direct ROI. For the more inspirational pieces, we look at the overall performance and brand metrics within channels like social, PR, athlete engagement, and traffic to content portals. We’ve seen significant growth in these areas, indicating that people relate to our content and that content is the right path for our company.
Jesse Roseler: What do you hope to do next? More films in the series, or something different?
Elise Day: We’ve experimented with longer format videos and found success with them. We’re looking to create more long-form content and collaborate with film festivals and other partners like Warren Miller to broaden our reach.
Jesse Roseler: Where do you find inspiration, whether in brand storytelling, film, art, or literature?
Elise Day: I believe in being well-versed in many areas to excel in one. There’s inspiration everywhere. Collaborating on campaigns is a big trend right now, and emerging technologies like AI are becoming a greater part of storytelling. It’s about balancing imagination, authenticity, attainability, and inclusivity.
Jesse Roseler: Great advice. Any parting words for brand storytellers looking to form partnerships?
Elise Day: Ask. The worst they can say is no. Be open to collaborative conversations and align with companies that resonate with your brand ethos or product perspective.
Jesse Roseler: Beautiful advice. Brand storytellers, go out there, form partnerships, and create something beautiful that you couldn’t have made on your own. Thank you for being here today, Elise. Thank you so much. I hope you’ve been enjoying the podcast, and I’d love to hear from you. If you have ideas for guests or topics for future episodes, drop me a note at jesse@credononfiction.com.
