REI has announced that it will continue its award-winning #OptOutside campaign in 2018, closing its doors on Black Friday and urging others to spend the day outside. This year, the brand is expanding the cause marketing campaign with a sizable donation and a new initiative called Nature for Health.
#OptOutside is an initiative that began in 2015 when REI announced it would not participate in the biggest shopping day of the year. Instead, the brand paid its employees to take Black Friday off and launched a campaign that started a movement. A meme generator launched alongside the campaign allowing consumers to share their outdoor experiences on social media.
For a retailer, skipping Black Friday was virtually unheard of, but the message resonated with consumers and businesses alike. REI took home two awards from Cannes Lions in 2016—the Promo and Activation Grand Prix and the Titanium Lion Grand Prix for #OptOutside.
In the past three years, 15 million people and 700 organizations have made it a tradition to enjoy the great outdoors instead of battling crowds. Jerry Stritzke, REI’s CEO, said that the campaign is a choice to put people ahead of profits.
“We thank you all for your help building the movement, but our work’s not done,” said Stritzke.
This year, REI will keep the tradition alive but is taking its message even further with an initiative called Nature for Health. The company has donated $1 million to the University of Washington’s Earth Lab to study any connections between a person’s health and their time spent outdoors.
Obviously, REI benefits tremendously when people take up outdoor activities, but the reason this campaign works is that the idea isn’t limited to mountain climbers and extreme sports. Anyone can go to the park or just sit on their porch instead of getting trampled over a discounted toaster.
Despite the campaign’s previous success, skipping Black Friday is still a risk—the National Retail Foundation predicts record spending this holiday season, reaching as high as $721 billion.
Regardless, REI is sticking to a brand message of putting consumer health first. Announcing the Nature for Health initiative, Stritzke cited a study from the Outdoor Industry Association that found less than half of Americans participated in a single outdoor activity in the past year. REI’s website offers suggestions for those who want to get outside but don’t know what to do.
As the world becomes connected digitally, convenience and technology raise concerns about public health and detachment with nature. Earlier this year, Velux launched a viral campaign called “The Indoor Generation.” The dark video warned consumers of the adverse effects of depriving one’s body of natural light.