DieHard batteries made a mini-doc about Kirstie Ennis, a die-hard climber

DieHard, the Advance Auto Parts battery brand, continues to lean into its name with a new mini-doc from agency TMA featuring Kirstie Ennis—a former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant who was seriously injured in Afghanistan before becoming a die-hard mountain climber.

Ennis nearly died when the CH-53D helicopter she was flying in as an aerial gunner crash-landed in June 2012. She had her left leg amputated below the knee, and later became a Paralympic snowboarder. But perhaps most notably, she took up climbing and managed to scale six of the world’s tallest mountains.

She relates her journey in DieHard's 60-second spot, which was shot in one day Lake Perris State Park in Riverside, California.

“Kirstie spent a very long day—and part of the night—climbing up and down that cliff, and never once stopped smiling. She absolutely crushed it," says TMA chief creative officer Harris Wilkinson.

“Kirstie is one of the most inspiring figures in society today," adds Jason McDonell, Advance’s EVP of merchandising, marketing and e-commerce. "We’ve witnessed first-hand how Kirstie defines what it means to be a diehard. There is a strong correlation between her relentless drive and the hallmarks of our DieHard brand—reliability, durability, and specifically, power.” 

Leveraging the spot's cinematic nature, Advance Auto Parts will run the film in movie theaters before such films as Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in February and Creed 3 in March. 

“Advance has been part of my journey for several years, and I admire their dedication to supporting members of the military," says Ennis. "My hope is that this video inspires people to accomplish their goals, even when the path is full of obstacles and challenges."

The new spot comes after a brand relaunch in 2020 that saw Bruce Willis reprise his John McClane character from the movie Die Hard. In 2021, the "Diehards Choose DieHard" campaign debuted.