To celebrate the arrival of its new Peakfreak™ hiking shoe, Columbia Sportswear is launching the F££T FUND, offering hikers cold hard cash for photos of their feet.
The social campaign taps into the booming feet pics business, predicted to be worth €2.3 billion by the end of the year (Statista), by giving away cash for photos of bare feet taken in the wilderness. But unlike the rest of the internet, Columbia isn’t interested in tootsies in the wikiFeet sense, it’s focused on what great footwear can do for them.
The campaign kicks off on September 15 2026 with a series of teasers across social platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat . Then, outdoor influencers will share screenshots of what appears to be a private direct message from Columbia asking them for feet pics. The messages are real.
To reveal what’s actually going on, James Norbury will publish an unboxing video with a difference. Rather than using their hands, they will unbox a pair of the new Peakfreak™ hiking shoes using only their feet. Shoes are lifted from the box with toes. Tissue paper is peeled back with feet. The creator campaign, which is running across markets in EMEA, will culminate with Columbia announcing that it’s officially paying for feet pics.
To enter the F££T FUND, followers simply need to DM Columbia a photo of their bare feet taken outdoors on a hike. Selected entries will receive a £135 payment directly from Columbia, enough to purchase a pair of Peakfreak™ shoes to protect their most prized assets. Winning entries will be featured in the Hall of Feet, a social gallery celebrating the finest examples of trail-tested toes.
“We designed the new Peakfreak™ to keep hikers comfortable across long journeys, challenging terrains and unpredictable conditions. But instead of talking about our innovations in cushioning, traction and support, we’re shining a spotlight on the thing the shoe is built to protect – your feet.” Issam Djemel, Europe Footwear Director.
Ant Nelson, chief creative officer at adam&eve\TBWA, said: “Hikers proudly share snaps of mountain summits and epic views, but the feet that carried them there rarely get any recognition. The F££T FUND is here to change that. Stepping away from the standard glossy, earnest outdoor ads,
