REI #OptOutside campaign

In the spring of 2015, REI set out to create a brand campaign born from a question that would, if nothing else, cost the company millions of dollars in guaranteed revenue: What if we closed our stores on Black Friday, paid our 12,000 employees to spend the day outdoors, and invited the world to join us?

A small group of REI marketers, myself included, were sworn to secrecy and began to flesh out the idea in a locked room, working in conjunction with agency partners from Edelman, Spark, and Venables Bell & Partners. As the lead in-house writer for the campaign, I crafted the copy that would bring the idea to life across store signage, bag stuffers, web, social media, internal communications, and newspaper ads. We knew that a campaign this subversive had the potential to make some noise, but we couldn’t know if the sounds would be cheers or jeers. As the unveiling of the campaign neared, we waited with collective bated breath to see how people would respond—or if they would even care.

On October 27, 2015, the #OptOutside campaign launched, and our anxiety quickly dissipated. Early media stories and customer reactions were overwhelmingly positive, and with each passing day the idea of “opting out” on Black Friday gained momentum, culminating in results we never could have dreamed of. All told, the campaign would:

  • Drive 6 billion media impressions.

  • Encourage 1.4 million people and 170 outdoor companies to follow REI’s lead and spend Black Friday 2015 in the great outdoors.

  • Help REI grow annual sales by 9.3% and co-op memberships by 36% in 2015.

  • Win 9 Cannes Lions Awards, including the Titanium Grand Prix, as well as Best of Show at the One Show.

In the years since, #OptOutside has become a case study in purpose-driven marketing. It has also served as a catalyst for conversations around consumerism and retail practices, paving the way for big-box companies like Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Macy’s to rethink Thanksgiving day openings and ultimately close their stores on the holiday.

Countdown clock on the #OptOutside microsite

National newspaper ad

Seattle flagship store

In-store customer engagement

We created customized bag stuffers for every market, detailing places to explore the outdoors locally.

Day-of signage

Day-of homepage