Woman in grey blazer walks out of a front door with a mug, laptop left behind, wearing beige Merrell sneakers — Merrell plays on the word 'connection' to sell stepping away from the screen.

Key takeaways

Format: Square campaign lifestyle with a wordplay headline
Best for: Lifestyle footwear and wellness brands selling time outdoors as a break
Hook: A double meaning of 'connection' (Wi-Fi versus real life)
Reuse it: Use a familiar tech word with a second, human meaning in your headline

Available sizes

Meta Stories/Reels (9:16)338 × 600 · JPG

What is a lifestyle ad?

A lifestyle ad shows the product being used in a real setting by the kind of person who buys it. Instead of listing features, it sells the feeling or outcome of owning the product, which makes it a strong fit for fashion, home, travel and wellness brands.

See all lifestyle ads →

Why this lifestyle ad works

01
Wordplay rewards a second look
'Losing a connection' sounds bad until you see the laptop left behind, then it becomes the point.
02
A prop tells the story
The dropped laptop explains the whole idea without extra copy.
03
Everyday setting, everyday shoe
A front porch shows Merrell is for daily life outside, not only for mountains.
04
Consistent campaign frame
The split tagline and centered logo make it instantly part of the same family of ads.

Full creative breakdown

Who this ad targets

This ad targets remote and hybrid workers aged 22 to 40 who spend long hours on screens and want small breaks outdoors. It speaks to urban and suburban people who care about wellbeing and like a casual, slightly fashion-led look. They may not hike, but they walk, run errands and take coffee outside, and the ad positions Merrell sneakers as the shoe for that habit.

Copywriting analysis

'Where the best connection is losing one.' is a clever twist on internet language. 'Connection' usually means Wi-Fi or signal, and losing one is normally frustrating. Here it means stepping away from devices to connect with the world, and the image makes the second meaning clear. The line is short, calm and a little poetic. Paired with 'It Starts Outside', it sells the feeling of a break rather than a product feature, suited to awareness and brand love. The line also leaves room for a playful follow-up in the primary text.

Visual design

Centered, eye-level composition through a front door, with the woman walking straight toward the viewer. The red door adds a bold color accent on the right, balanced by green plants on the left. Muted beige and grey tones keep the image soft, and the laptop on the floor adds a small surprise. White headline and split tagline sit in the center band, with the orange logo grounded at the bottom.

How to adapt this template for your brand

Pick a common frustration your product helps escape, like screens, traffic or meetings.
Find a word with two meanings that links that frustration to your product.
Add one simple prop that shows the escape, like a dropped laptop or a closed door.
Use an everyday location your audience knows well.
Keep the headline short and let the photo explain the double meaning.

Tips for footwear ads on Meta

The square size works across Facebook and Instagram feeds, Marketplace and the right column, and it also crops cleanly for Google Display and Performance Max image assets. Keep text in the central area so it survives a 4:5 or 1.91:1 crop. Use a short primary text with the line on the image repeated or extended, and test a Learn More CTA for brand-led messaging against Shop Now.

About this creative

A square brand ad from Merrell's 'It Starts Outside' campaign. The scene is the front porch of a suburban house with a red front door, beige walls, an oval window and green shrubs. A young woman with short red hair walks out of the doorway toward the camera. She wears an oversized grey blazer, white top, pink shorts and beige Merrell sneakers with white socks, and holds a mug that says 'DAD'. Behind her, an open laptop has been dropped on the floor of the doorway, a clear visual sign that she is leaving work and screens behind. A doormat sits at her feet. A small two-line headline at the top reads 'Where the best connection is losing one.' The campaign line 'It Starts Outside' is split across the middle of the image either side of her. The orange Merrell logo and wordmark are centered at the bottom on the dark path.

Meta ad · 338 × 600 · Footwear

Merrell 'Where the Best Connection Is Losing One' Ad

This square Merrell ad from the 'It Starts Outside' campaign shows a woman walking out of her front door with a mug, leaving her laptop on the doorstep. The wordplay on 'connection' turns a digital detox into a reason to go outside. It works on Meta feeds and as a brand image asset.

Added 11 Oct 2026