From the foothills of the Appalachians to the Canadian Shield there are hiking trails and mountain peaks with names designed to make members of the population not only feel uncomfortable, but unwelcome. From the profane to the antiquated, these spaces represent huge barriers to genuine diversity in our sport. If Merrell believes that the outdoors is for everyone, we need to use our position to solve this problem.

We developed an advanced search algorithm, powered by machine learning, to build an exhaustive list of terms that have no business appearing on trail markers in this day and age. With this information on hand, we scrubbed the hiking internet to locate, flag and rename offensive segments on popular user-generated sites. Through our social platforms we empowered hikers to take back the outdoors, sparking conversations and inspiring change.

The trails belong to everyone. And each offensive name we pull down will be replaced by countless number of hikers who will now feel welcome to walk on it.

A global priority for Merrell has been to expand their base of active hikers. But in developing communication to entice this more diverse audience we discovered one important factor: what you name a trail often dictates who chooses to hike on it. In fact, data suggests that over two-thirds of Americans believe outdoor spaces are not inclusive of everyone, with nearly fifty percent claiming that route names often deter women / BIPOC hikers.

We wanted to do our part to help remove this needless barrier to entry

Using our social platforms we shared our intentions with the hiking world and the initiative rolled out from there. Automation and user submissions were used to help discover the offending trail names, but when it came to removing and replacing offensive trail markers, a more personal tact was taken with the websites and public parks in question. This meant raising the issues and discussing the legacy of discrimination behind every offensive trail marker. Prompting further discussion, online and offline as well as valuable PR wins for the brand.

Over 93% of the targeted offensive trails we discovered on all platforms were removed, replaced or renamed on account of our actions. Pushing the brand to the forefront as a leader in the outdoor space in the minds of our target.