Bear Poop Beer…Yes, It’s Real

Columbia Sportswear just wandered into the Super Bowl conversation by taking the weirdest trail imaginable… straight through the woods, past common sense, and directly into a pile of bear poop. Yes, you read that correctly. Bear poop! Take a look at their promo.

The Oregon-based outdoor brand launched an unconventional campaign built around a real, limited-edition beer called Nature Calls, brewed with hops and botanicals recovered from grizzly bear droppings. Yes, that sentence is real. Columbia partnered with Portland’s Breakside Brewery to sanitize the foraged ingredients and turn them into an attention-grabbing stunt that proves their gear can handle just about any outdoor challenge.

The campaign, created by agency Adam&Eve/DBA, supports Columbia’s “Engineered for Whatever” positioning. And nothing says “whatever” quite like brewing beer from wilderness leftovers. Columbia provided the apparel used during the foraging process, showcasing performance in conditions that weren’t just rugged… but revolting. Take a look at the ad. Warning! They talk about bear sh#t.

It’s gross, it’s bold, and it’s designed to earn headlines instead of buying airtime. While most brands spend millions for a 30-second Super Bowl spot, Columbia chose a cheaper, stranger route: earned media, social buzz, and a story no one can ignore.

As Columbia marketing chief Matt Sutton joked, “Why spend $8m on an ad when you can just find bear poo in Montana, a water treatment facility, a local brewery, and do tailgate taste tests at Levi’s Stadium?”

In the race for Super Bowl attention, Columbia didn’t just think outside the box… they dug through the forest floor.

So, Columbia has answered the question “Does a bear poop in the woods?”. Yes. Then someone gets it and makes beer.

Would you try it?

Doug O’Brien