Brandnation has been shortlisted in two categories at The Drum Awards, with both nominations recognising the agency’s experiential work in sport and outdoor.
Merrell, Trail Sonified: Experiential, Tech-Enabled Experience
Trail Sonified started with a question: what does a trail run actually sound like? Working with run club Tempo and Jess Bartlett, the music producer, sound engineer and University of Cambridge academic specialising in data sonification, the Brandnation team turned trail runners’ Strava data into music. The idea grew from a foraging-run activation at Love Trails Festival into a full underground club night at Kendal Mountain Festival, held in a car park beneath the town, where DJ Advanced Rock played a live set powered by the runners’ own data, with support from Berwick.
The night sold out, drawing around 400 people. Across the campaign period, Merrell saw a 150% rise in brand mentions, and Trail Sonified went on to feature in The Future Laboratory’s Future of Discovery 2026 report. Merrell has since adopted data sonification as an ongoing creative platform, a sign of how far a single idea can run when it is built to last.
Columbia Sportswear Company, HikeFest Rave in a Cave: Experiential, Fan Engagement or Brand Community Experience
For Columbia Hike Society, Brandnation turned HikeFest into a rave in a cave. Guests were led across the Peak District moorland and down into a hidden cave venue, where electronic producer Duskus performed a live set shaped by the natural acoustics. The hike was the ticket. Everyone who made it underground had earned their place, and that shared effort became the heart of the community the campaign set out to build.
Earned first, by design
Both campaigns reflect the thinking behind Activate™, Brandnation’s experience studio, launched to deliver exactly this kind of work. Activate™ brings an earned first approach to brand experiences, creating moments designed to travel far beyond the people in the room, through creator content, press coverage and culture.
Being shortlisted twice at The Drum Awards is a real recognition of the work and of the brilliant partnerships with the Merrell and Columbia teams behind it. Brandnation is proud to see both campaigns named alongside some of the best experiential work in the industry.
