The original Hopper Backpack cooler was one of YETI's top-performing products, but in 2022, the brand identified a potential magnet ingestion hazard. Though zero incidents were reported, YETI decided to proactively recall the product and work around the clock to redesign it, ensuring that it was absolutely safe. After investing in the redesign, YETI needed a low-cost way to relaunch a product family that was essential to the brand's bottom line. The brief: show the world how mobile the Hopper Backpack cooler was while targeting a diverse audience. The sales goals for the new Hopper line were lofty, but YETI’s campaign reached people around the world and helped smash projections by over 300%.

In 2023, YETI launched its most mobile product ever, the Hopper Backpack Cooler, built for outdoor enthusiasts passionate about exploration. T show that this product was meant to be taken to the ends of the Earth, YETI tapped into the world's largest digital map, which covers over 98% of the planet, and started filling in the remaining gaps.

Introducing: Map The Gaps, where YETI successfully uploaded 78+ miles of under-the-radar routes to Google Street View. The ones that not even Google could reach.

YETI began by searching Google Street View to find unmapped routes. Then, it sent 15 of its ambassadors (from mountaineers to fishermen) with a 360-degree camera to record them. Finally, YETI did what no other brand had done: added the footage to Street View.

New trails featured ambassadors wearing the Hopper, so when users discovered the trails on Google, they were met with an interactive demo.

YETI is known for its premium, tough-as-nails Tundra hard coolers, which primarily appeal to an older, male consumer. This line of Hopper Backpack Coolers isn't just YETI’s most mobile product ever, it’s also the most widely appealing and accessible. YETI wanted to target a wide audience that skewed younger and included more women, but had no media budget. YETI turned to one of the world's most widely used and ubiquitous technology platforms, Google Street View, and used its open platform to create living demos that could be discovered by any of Street View's 1 billion monthly active users. YETI tapped into a diverse audience eight times as large as the Super Bowl with zero media spend.

YETI started by tracking down some of the wildest places even Google Street View couldn’t find. Then, YETI tapped 15 of its global ambassadors to map the gaps — including Conrad Anker (mountaineer and climber), Maddie Brenneman (fishing expert) and Jo Barrett (food and beverage influencer). Each ambassador was given a GPS-enabled 360º camera and the YETI Hopper Backpack Cooler before sending them to hike the undocumented trails.

From there, YETI uploaded the footage onto Google’s open API and did what no other brand had done before — integrated the footage into Google Street View, hacking a platform with over 1 billion active monthly users and transforming it into a free, interactive demo for the mobility of the YETI Hopper. Newly mapped trails on Google Street View became organic ads for our YETI backpack coolers and YETI gave outdoor enthusiasts everywhere a blueprint for their next adventure.

Map The Gaps combined an original idea, a custom digital experience, a disruptive campaign and an e-commerce play — all with zero media budget. We’ve seen the impact of the campaign across our business and brand.

Impact:

- +300% over the sales forecast for the Hopper

- #1 viewed product page on Yeti.com after launch

- 1B monthly users accessed through Google API

- 73M impressions from press across Forbes, Ad Age, Gear Junkie and more

- 78 miles of new trails charted (and counting)

- Awards: Webby Award Winner in Advertising, Media & PR - Best Use of Online Media, Merit Winner in The One Show and ADC, Shortlisted in The Andy Awards, 3x Finalist in The Shorty Awards