This outdoor apparel brand’s new ad is a real cliffhanger

A trio of hikers cling to Macpac gear for dear life in a wry commercial from The Monkeys

Published On
Mar 20, 2023
Three hikers hanging from a cliff in Macpac's new ad

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Acrophobics will want to steer clear of the new Macpac ad in New Zealand. But everyone else will get a kick out of the deadpan banter from three hikers stuck in a rather difficult position—with a Macpac jacket key to the survival of at least one of them.

The absurdity of the visual enhances the comedy, as the three friends are all-too-nonchalant about their predicament. The spot, created by agency The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, was directed by Damien Shatford from Sweetshop.

 

“We watched Cliffhanger, and Cliffhanger 2 (2 Cliff, 2 Hanger) and realized cliffhanger moments are called so for a reason—you can’t look away,” said Hugh Gurney, creative director at The Monkeys Melbourne. “So, we just added a Macpac jacket, some deadpan Kiwi delivery and a little special Shatford sauce and it ended up pretty great.”

“Macpac gear is designed and tested by some of New Zealand’s best alpinists in some of the world’s toughest environments, so it’s great to demonstrate this in such a distinctive and memorable way,” added Maria Glass, acting general manager of marketing at the client.

The campaign extends to TV, outdoor, social, online and in-store.

Credits

Date
Mar 20, 2023
Client :
Macpac
Agency :
The Monkeys
Managing Director :
Cathy Seaholme
General Manager of Marketing :
Maria Glass
Chief Executive Officer :
Paul McMillan
Chief Creative Officer :
Ant Keogh
Chief Strategy Officer :
Michael Derepas
Strategy Director :
Dave Collins
Creative Director :
Hugh Gurney
Creative Director :
Joe Sibley
Head of Production / Producer :
Romanca Mundrea
Production Coordinator :
Genya Mik
Group Account Director :
Vicky Mockler
Account Director :
Ella Goldberg
Account Director :
Jenny McLarney
Account Manager :
Grace Tenaglia
Media Agency :
OMD
Production Company :
Sweetshop
Director :
Damien Shatford
Producer :
Katie Kempe
Managing Director/Exec Producer :
Edward Pontifex
Executive Producer :
Greg Fyson
Executive Producer :
Ben Dailey
Executive Producer :
Kate Roydhouse
DOP :
James Brown
Editor :
Simon Price
Colorist :
Matic Prusnik
Online/VFX :
Stuart Bedford
Sound House :
Squeak E. Clean Studios
Sound Design :
Paul LeCouteur
Sound Design :
Ceri Davies
Photographer :
Vaughan Brookfield
Retoucher :
Dave Mercer
Stills Producer :
Katherine Muir

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