Polaris tapped SixSpeed as its strategic creative partner to help plant a flag for their Off Road division to showcase the tenacity that has made Polaris a global leader in powersports for more than 70 years.
We showcased the significant lengths the off-road market leader takes to test their machines and establish new categories.
Off-road enthusiasts from racers, thrillseekers, farmers, ranchers, hunters, adventurers, and snowmobilers. People who use these vehicles to pursue a life through the outdoors.
For Polaris owners, a top-tier machine is more than a vehicle; it’s a badge of honor signaling they’ve arrived among the very best. They expect nothing less than excellence from their machines, and themselves as drivers. Tough Doesn’t Quit was an opportunity to galvanize that shared mindset in the pursuit of a next great feat.
To emphasize the investment Polaris has made in stress-testing their offerings, "Tough Doesn't Quit" takes the audience to the company's secret testing facility in Texas, the Polaris Proving Grounds, as well as a rural Minnesota research & development facility dedicated to pushing the limits of their machines.
The creative features vehicle drop tests, durability simulators, and suspension tests, giving a "behind the scenes" look into Polaris's relentless pursuit of the perfect ride. The campaign's through line is the reason that Polaris pours so much into product testing: its customers. Polaris continually pushes innovation and testing their vehicles to meet the needs of those who seek to dominate every trail and own every adventure.
We used existing photography superimposed around newly shot testing scenes to show the real-world application of what each test was for.
Polaris has staked a bold claim in the market that they are going to own toughness broadly as they push the categories they created forward into the future. And in doing so, they have galvanized their ambassadors and their audience to own the realities of pushing boundaries in pursuit of a life that few can build.
It has even served as an internal rallying cry, differentiating them from their competitors, and reinvigorated their work force with a shared vision for the future.
TDQ made a splash, garnering tens of millions of impressions across CTV, suggesting the content was well received in their key markets. As such, they saw a 20% increase in Video Completion Rate (VCR) compared to YOY content.
TDQ also resulted in a higher-than-average CTR for Polaris historically across TikTok and Meta in the first month of running.
To cap off a successful campaign, Tough Doesn’t Quit won top honors on the national stage, netting a Gold ADDY from the American Advertising Federation.
REBECCA HOUCK
Director of Marketing, Off Road, POLARIS
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