American footwear brand Merrell is on a mission to get people outdoors and when The Drum sits down with VP of digital marketing Jane Smith at the judging of The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas, she gives us a glimpse into the brand’s evolving strategy: one that leans into AI without losing sight of nature.
For a company that makes hiking boots, you’d think the terrain was predictable. But for the Merrell marketer, it’s more like scrambling over digital cliffs, political crosswinds and economic uncertainty.
“In recent times, we’re working through all the political unrest, the tariff situation and we’re always thinking about people’s discretionary spending,” she tells us. “What is it that is going to be most important to them?”
Against that backdrop, Merrell’s positioning has never felt more timely. “We’re really lucky. Our mission is to get people outside and in a time when there’s a lot of mental health struggles and people …