Tough Mudder
Tough Mudder: Redefined
Tough Mudder
Redefined
As the UK agency of record for “probably the toughest event on the planet”, Edelman are tasked with convincing a large, diverse audience of potential participants that they can tackle the intimidating challenge of a Tough Mudder and disprove the perceived end of the obstacle course ‘fad’.
We aim to show up in unexpected places to make the brand famous (again), and make Tough Mudder stand out amongst the crowded weekend warrior event landscape while re-exciting consumers about an event series that’s already been shocking participants for five years.
Idea
Throughout the 2015 season, Edelman approached a variety of new media outlets with the opportunity to take on the challenge of a Tough Mudder and showcase the power of the event experience. To help the journalists and their readers believe “I can do this”, Edelman and Tough Mudder sifted through more than 2 million Mudder stories from around the world to identify the most relatable and inspiring accomplishments to share.
A whole new look
In January, we announced the brand’s innovative new obstacles and a renewed commitment to teamwork and resolution through a global media tour.
We debuted Mudder Maker, the first official Tough Mudder training course from Virgin Active and issued a challenge to more than 30 first-time Mudders from top fitness and lifestyle outlets to take what they learned on the gym floor and put it to the test at an event.
We also announced the new Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event, an opportunity for children ages 8-12 to experience the thrill of getting in the mud alongside their parents, and enlisted top parenting and lifestyle journalists and their children to come out for a day of family fun in the mud.
Masculinity vs. Mud
We debuted “Weekend Warriors”, a feature length BBC2 documentary that follows five British men preparing for their first Tough Mudder and explores their various reasons for taking part. Showcasing the emotional, intimate exploration of the hopes, fears and dreams of the average man that unfolded during Tough Mudder’s unique event experience, the documentary debuted to rave reviews in the Telegraph, Guardian, Metro, Daily Mail, Huffington Post and more.
The toughest of all
We worked with Good Morning Britain to create a customised event that would put their presenters, celebrity friends and viewers through some of Tough Mudder’s signature obstacles. “Tough Mums” documented the inspirational stories of everyday mums across the UK for a month on the top morning show, leading up to 50 mums from the GMB audience taking on one of the biggest fitness challenges of their lives alongside their presenters and celebrity friends.
Making History
We celebrated the first tetraplegic to complete a Tough Mudder course when UK student Rob Camm, left paralysed in a car crash two years prior, powered through the course in a wheelchair controlled by his chin. Robb’s accomplishment captivated the hearts of readers around the world, as featured on the BBC, Telegraph, Mail Online, Huffington Post, Press Association, Reuters and more.
Getting their hands dirty
How better to demonstrate just how much fun and achievable a Tough Mudder is than to put journalists at the heart of the action? Across Tough Mudder’s 8 events in the UK and Ireland in 2015, Edelman facilitated the training, preparation and attendance of more than 400 journalists.
Impact
Across the 2015 season, we delivered the highest annual UK media coverage in Tough Mudder’s history.
Our January season kick-off announcement coverage drove the highest single day of web traffic in company history, generating a 15% sales lift the day of the announcement and an overall 25% increase during the month of January.
Number of impressions
Total media placements
Please update your browser.
This website requires Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 9+
