The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2025–2026
'Peaks of Courage' sells Nepal beyond Everest — Spikes Asia 2026 Activation Grand Prix
QR codes and a 'Dare Score' turn every bottle into an expedition portal — 100+ non-Everest climbs and 2,000+ seasonal jobs
Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) · Nepal Tourism Board
What it had to solve
Nepal's mountaineering legacy was synonymous with Everest alone — lesser-known peaks, their stories and the guides who live below them were overlooked. Mountain Dew's brief was to inspire Nepalese youth and redefine adventure as part of their national identity.
How it works
Nepal's mountaineering legacy had become a monopoly: Everest was the story, and the country's other peaks, their untold stories of courage and the communities below them, were invisible. Mountain Dew, in partnership with the Nepal Tourism Board and amplified by Discovery Channel, launched 'Peaks of Courage' in 2025 to celebrate the wider mountain identity and inspire a new generation of Nepalese youth.
The campaign made lesser-known summits the product. A campaign film — following a seasoned Sherpa and an international climber to reveal that the spirit of climbing is what lies beyond the summit — sat at the centre, while QR-enabled digital hubs and a 'Dare Score' turned every bottle of Mountain Dew into a portal for adventure.
Scanning a bottle led to a microsite where exposure became expedition planning; local activation partner Digitalin helped bring Sherpa community members into the rollout for authenticity, with the Nepal Tourism Board lending the campaign official weight. TV, digital and influencer integrations carried it across the country.
The results: 20 million people reached, 4 lakh microsite interactions, 100+ confirmed non-Everest expeditions and 2,000+ new seasonal opportunities for guides and communities in previously overlooked regions. Spikes Asia 2026 gave the work the Grand Prix in Activation, a Silver in Innovation and two Bronzes — a historic first for Nepal on the regional stage.
Why it lands
- It reframed a national cliché — Everest — as the problem, then made the overlooked peaks the story.
- The Dare Score turned a commodity bottle into an interactive portal, making the product itself the media.
- It created measurable real-world impact — expeditions booked, seasonal jobs created — not just awareness.
- Grounded in the Sherpa community, the campaign was authentic enough to travel from Kathmandu to the region's top award show.
What it did
Reached 20 million people across TV, digital and influencers; drove 4 lakh microsite interactions; enabled 100+ confirmed non-Everest expeditions and created 2,000+ new seasonal opportunities. Spikes Asia 2026: Grand Prix in Activation, Silver in Innovation, two Bronzes — a historic first for Nepal.
What you can take
When a country's whole story is one icon, the creative move is to expand the category instead of fighting for it — turn the overlooked peaks, and the people around them, into the product itself.
Since then
After the 2025 launch, the campaign kept generating expedition interest: over 100 confirmed non-Everest expeditions and 2,000+ new seasonal opportunities, with the film continuing to reach climbers globally and foster sustainable support for Sherpas and local communities. In March 2026 it won four Spikes Asia awards, including the Grand Prix in Activation — a historic first for Nepal's creative industry.
Sources
- Digitalin, Nepal's Local Activation Partner for Mountain Dew's 'Peaks of Courage,' Celebrates 4 Wins at Spikes Asia – A Historic First for Nepal
- Peaks of Courage campaign earns four Spikes Asia awards
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