Clif Bar pumps good into the world (and bodies)

Clif Bar - Company-Clif Bar Is Looking To -Make It Good- For Can

Clif Bar is going on an urban road trip to encourage people to make good choices for their bodies (and therefore the planet)  just as the company has been “pumping good into the world for the past 27 years.”

Between August 7 and early fall “Make it Good Adventure Trailers,” featuring rooftop viewing platforms, serving windows, digital screens, solar panels and a stage, will be rolling through Toronto and Vancouver. The brand is offering tips on local urban adventures and activities, along with complimentary Clif Bar energy foods, adventure gear and what it describes as “a few surprises.”

According to Clif Bar brand manager, Aniefre Essien, the trailers thematically build on its recent “Make it Good” campaign, the largest in the brand’s nearly three-decade history. “Make it Good” features a spot that includes a whimsical bucolic setting and a Jim Carrey-esque pitchman gently chiding viewers for their part in hurting the planet. According to Essien, it was designed to break through the clutter of typical food advertising and tells the story of how the brand runs a sustainable food business by making ethical choices.

Essien says with the new campaign, the brand is “hitting the road to bring ‘Make it Good’ to life and share how locals and visitors alike can embrace a sense of fun and adventure in their own backyards.” He adds that Clif Bar has traditionally invested heavily in events and sports, such as marathons and mountain bike races.

The supporting “Make it Good Adventure Trailers,” which will be strategically targeting places where people are active — stadiums, beaches, and parks — aim to inspire people to “‘make it good’ in their own day-to-day lives, but also continue the story-telling around Clif Bar values and how we built a different kind of company,” says Essien. This includes tapping into its core pillars (which the company calls “Aspirations”) that include building healthy communities and encouraging one another.

Brand ambassadors will talk to consumers about Clif’s CSR initiatives, which include partnerships with Protect our Winters (POW), an organization dedicated to mobilizing outdoor sports enthusiasts against climate change, as well as Trans Canada Trail, a group which promotes the enhancement and use of a 24,000 km network of hiking trails, which crosses Canada from the Yukon to Newfoundland. According to Essien, Clif will be highlighting some of the journeys its core consumer can experience in their own backyard, and remind Canadians that adventure isn’t just found at the top of a mountain or in the middle of the woods.

And as it looks to target a young, urban and diverse audience, Clif Bar is partnering with sports clubs such as Toronto Sport & Social Club and Vancouver’s Urban Rec, where its efforts will be focused on organized games and fueling competitive amateur athletes.

Earlier this year, Clif Bar hosted a boxing workout activation at the Bolo gym in downtown Toronto, which Essien says is in line with the brand’s urban adventurous community spirit. Similarly, it is hoping to  inspire people to “seek new activities outside their routines [and] right in their own communities.”

Golin is managing media relations and influencer marketing for the campaign, while Mosaic is handling field marketing and the event execution.