Outdoor retailer REI exists to get people outside. In 2015, we did something unprecedented in pursuit of just that.
On the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, REI closed all 143 of its stores. Employees were paid to spend the day outdoors and all of America was invited to #OptOutside with REI.
An integrated campaign was created to spread the #OptOutside movement across PR, TV, print, out of home, digital, influencer and social outreach. An online hub equipped the movement’s growing ranks with everything they needed to spend Black Friday outdoors.
When the dust had settled, REI’s bold stance had shaken the entire retail landscape. The campaign earned 6.7 billion media impressions and 1.2 billion social impressions. 150 businesses followed REI’s lead and hundreds of national parks opened their doors for free. Most importantly, 1.4 million people took the same stance on Black Friday: #OptOutside.
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REI believes that a life outside is a life well lived – and they closed their stores on Black Friday