Full-service creative agency Barrett Hofherr has created a national multimedia campaign for performance boot and apparel brand Ariat featuring inspirational San Francisco 49er Brock Purdy, who rose from third-string quarterback to Super Bowl superstar in the 2023 season.
“Climb,” the 30-second spot, opens on a closeup of the 24-year-old’s face as Purdy looks past the camera and into the distance. When it cuts to his POV, we see that he’s staring down a football field that’s tilted upward into a mountain that’s seemingly endless.
Broadcast TV and online ads—:60, :30, and :15 spots—break September 9 during ABC Monday Night Football. Social, OOH, and in-store components will also go live around the same time. The work will run throughout the 2024-25 football season.
An Ariat fan since high school, Purdy connected with Ariat last fall when he wanted to gift his NFL offensive linemen Ariat cowboy boots for the holidays. During the fittings, Ariat and Brock discovered that they shared common values of teamwork, integrity, and hard work. From that moment, a partnership was born.
“It was very important to us that we developed a campaign featuring Brock that was emblematic of our shared values. To meet this objective, we needed a creative agency that was equally dedicated, understood Brock and sports, and local to the San Francisco Bay Area. Barrett Hofherr has been a wonderful partner to help us develop an inspirational campaign that embodies the values of both Brock and Ariat, and it will no doubt resonate with fans across the country.” said Liz Bradley, Chief Marketing Officer at Ariat.
“If you could turn Ariat into a football player, it would be Brock Purdy” said Jamie Barrett, Chief Creative Officer at Barrett Hofherr. “They have all the same qualities—hard-working, authentic, relentless. They see a challenge, they run toward it. Their stories are remarkable, and we’re excited to tell them.”
This is Ariat’s first campaign in the Purdy partnership. Other campaign elements include teaser posts about the visually compelling ad creative, making-of videos, and a six-part social series in which Purdy talks about his lifelong athletic journey—and rise from Mr. Irrelevant to 2023 Super Bowl QB. There are participatory components such as “Start Your Climb,” which encourages visitors to post their challenges and share inspirational stories of how they worked hard to overcome the odds, and a Giphy sticker pack with Purdy icons to cheer them on.
About Ariat International, Inc.
Founded in 1993 as “The New Breed of Boot,” Ariat was the first to integrate athletic footwear technology into boots for equestrian athletes. Today, Ariat develops innovative and award-winning performance footwear and apparel for demanding outdoor and work environments. The company takes its name from Secretariat, the greatest racehorse of all time.
About Barrett Hofherr
Barrett Hofherr, founded in 2012, is a full-service creative advertising agency—aka The Biggest Small Agency in the World™. They combine the experience and capabilities of big agencies with the efficiency and responsiveness of a smaller shop. Client partners include DoorDash, Yahoo, Habit Burger Grill,, Sutter Health, DXL Big & Tall, and more. For information, visit www.barretthofherr.com
