Creative Collaborations in Adventure: Travel, Sports, and Exploration

Rolex and National Geographic Perpetual Planet

Time has always been a crucial element in the world of exploration, and the invention of the chronometer played a pivotal role ever since John Harrison invented the first one in the 1750s. Today, these timekeepers are commonly known as watches, which Rolex are renowned for. Intending to delve deeper into its scientific heritage, Rolex has partnered with National Geographic to support research in some of the most extreme environments worldwide. Their partnership dates back to 1954 when the first successful summit of Mount Everest equipped mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay with Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual chronometers.

The partnership began with physical assistance from the chronometers provided by Rolex, and today, National Geographic and Rolex have an ongoing partnership documenting changes over time throughout rainforests, mountains, and oceans. As their partnership has evolved, the production of documentaries and articles has followed to record the findings on each of these expeditions. This involves great close collaboration from both Rolex and National Geographic and requires the work of journalists, photographers, producers, scientists, social media managers, and cameramen to name a few, in production, editing, and advertising.

National Geographic already has expansive marketing coverage, including National Geographic Traveller Magazine which they used to advertise to their existing audience for Perpetual Earth. The collaboration also featured in articles from Forbes and other sites to show Rolex’s support for environmental causes. The goal of the collaboration is not about getting more sales but supporting each other’s mutual interest in protecting the earth for the long term and building a reputation for being responsible. Perpetual Planet has already increased the number of protected marine areas known as Hope Spots, from 50 to more than 145 - a huge success in protecting the ocean.

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Lexie Limitless and Ford Explorer: Charge Around The World

Lexie Alford AKA Lexie Limitless established her career as the Guinness World Record holder for the youngest person to visit every country in the world. With 1.2 Million followers on Instagram and over 500K subscribers on YouTube, Ford collaborated with Lexie to advertise for their Ford Explorer electric vehicle on a new project: Charge Around The World. Their goal was to build product awareness and prove that their electric vehicle was capable of travelling the world and covering large distances, despite the logistical worries that often come with electric vehicles.

Lexie’s responsibility for the collaboration was to show her followers the capabilities of Ford’s new electric vehicle whilst driving around the world. She provided a fun take with the content and posted regularly on her social media channels the status of her trip, miles covered, where in the world she was, and the adventures she got up to. Ford provided the car so she could revisit some of the countries she initially visited, including India, Australia, Malaysia, and more. By retracing her steps in partnership with Ford, they helped her also become the first person to circumnavigate the world by electric vehicle.

As early as 1914, Henry Ford himself began working on low-cost electric vehicles with the help of Thomas Edison. Their main problem was with storage batteries that were lightweight and capable of going long distances without recharging. In Ford’s collaboration with Lexie, they were able to prove that long distances were now possible in electric cars, helping to reduce carbon emissions and protect the planet.

Covering a total of 28,000km, it has been a successful collaboration for both parties. In 2024, electric vehicle sales are expected to reach around 17 million, accounting for 1 in 5 cars sold worldwide.

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GoPro and RedBull Form Epic Global Partnership

Each renowned for their parts played in capturing and providing epic adventures, both RedBull and GoPro have formed a global partnership to bring point-of-view content to thrill seekers around the world. Whilst RedBull are a sports brand that sponsors a variety of athletes and sports including surfing, Formula 1, and motorbiking, GoPro is a camera designed to capture sports in action and makes capturing high-octane content accessible to those who seek a thrill.

A particularly exciting element of this collaboration is the events held for such sporting events. The content created provides a thrill for the consumers across social media, television, and magazines, for both RedBull and GoPro’s audience. After 10 years of collaborating, it would be hard to say you haven’t heard of one without hearing of the other - a huge success for brand awareness. Each brand is now an integrated part of the other’s marketing strategy, bonded together through adventure and creative content production.

Their collaboration was formed in 2016, with RedBull receiving equity in GoPro, and GoPro becoming the exclusive provider of point-of-view imaging technology for RedBull. The partnership includes shared content production and distribution, as well as product designers working closely together to create new innovative ideas. The partnership was an overall success and helped both parties increase their authority. GoPro became the number one camera for adventure seekers, and RedBull increased its dominance in extreme sports.