Timberland launches new TimbsTrails immersive digital storytelling experience via R/GA Australia

Launching today, R/GA Australia and Timberland in collaboration with plai are proud to present TimbsTrails, an immersive digital experience that invites Timberland fans on a captivating journey through the brand’s past, present, and future. TimbsTrails will allow fans to relive the most significant moments of Timberland’s history through five unique brand-defining chapters.

 

TimbsTrails shines a light on the authentic products that have defined the Timberland brand – from the original yellow boots to the progressive, eco-innovative styles of today and tomorrow.

It wasn’t just Timberland’s cultural impact that inspired TimbsTrails’ design and aesthetic, but its brand expression itself. R/GA translated the angular forms of Timberland’s logo into the design system, user interface and maze-like architecture of the experience, helping to evolve an iconic brand into a connected brand.

Says Michael Titshall VP, managing director R/GA Australia: “Timbs have played such a massive part in pop culture over so many decades. It was a real privilege to create a brand experience that enabled the next generation to interact with Timberland’s past while connecting them to its spirit of innovation and sustainability.”

Says Drieke Leenknegt, vice president, global marketing: “Our brand fans have been a driving force in making Timberland the icon it is today, and we’re incredibly excited about the experiential journey we’ve created for them. TimbsTrails provides a unique and entertaining platform to celebrate the footwear innovations and cultural moments that shaped our past, and explore our shared path forward. We’re always looking for new ways to engage our consumers, and TimbsTrails does that across the spectrum — from a gamified digital experience right into our retail stores.”

The TimbsTrails adventure lets players collect boot badges as they journey through the first five chapters to “unlock” the final chapter and step into the future. The immersive experience allows players to explore over 15 uniquely-themed environments, each crafted with details true to their time and place. The journey starts with the original Timberland factory in New England and travels to Tokyo’s Harajuku district, London’s rave scene, and the exact piazza where the Italian Paninaro movement started. Players who complete the journey will be eligible to win Timberland boots and other prizes.

Says Seamus Higgins VP, chief creative officer APAC, R/GA: “While influenced by gaming, we wanted to create a unique brand experience, and TimbsTrails is more like an explorable documentary that you can navigate and play. Knowing our target market are adventurers at heart and navigate their worlds through their devices, we knew we had to create something that was engaging and entertaining enough on mobile to entice them to explore it.”

Says Chris Etches, founder of Plai: “TimbsTrails is by far one of the most ambitious and feature-filled Unity WebGL cross platform projects to date, and pushes the boundaries of what is possible through a web game.”

The TimbsTrails experience is coming to life both online, and in Timberland retail stores across the globe, creating a link between the virtual and the real world. To explore the TimbsTrails, click here.

R/GA
Alex Tatoulis – Senior Producer
Cristina Douglas – Experience Design Director
Darragh O’Connell – Creative Director, Experience Design
Erik Carlson – DevOps Engineer
Hayden Bleasel – Senior Experience Designer
Joe Sanderson – Senior Visual & Motion Designer
Jon Holloway – VP, Executive Strategy Director
Kyle Belcher – Executive Content Producer
Lara Hewitt – Talent Director
Lucy Zhang – Associate Visual Designer
Michael Titshall – VP Managing Director
Seamus Higgins – VP, Chief Creative Officer, APAC
Ben Miles – Executive Creative Director, Brand Design & Consulting, APAC
Ciaran Park – Executive Technology Director
Peter Mountford – Senior Copywriter
Sam Maguinness – Creative Director, Visual Design
Shruti Shukla – Executive Producer
Siona Singletary – Senior Strategist

Timberland
Drieke Leenknegt – Global Vice President of Marketing for Timberland
Christopher Degaetano – Global Creative Director
Martina De Biasi – Senior Manager, Global Digital Brand
Katie Weeks – Head of Global Digital Brand Transformation
Kenwyn Forgeni

PL.AI
Adam Proops
Chris Etches
Chris Houston-Lock
Rob James