Black Friday is the biggest shopping season for retailers.
The sales generated in one day can contribute to over 60 percent of the year.
Hundreds of deal-seekers flock to stores every year ready to shop.
For one brand in particular, Black Friday was an opportunity to share the company’s purpose with the public — customers, employees, and retail industry.
REI did the unthinkable on Black Friday
In 2015, REI launched #OptOutside; a social awareness campaign.
Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) closed all 143 of its stores, paid employees to spend the day outdoors, and invited the country to #OptOutside on Black Friday.
Its purpose was to encourage their customers to spend the day enjoying nature, spend time with family, and recharge instead of participating in the hustling and bustling.
REI demonstrate the company’s empathetic understanding of its customers.
While this move was unprecedented, it also embodied what REI stood for.
In my two decades of marketing, I’ve seen many brands talk and write about their humanitarian commitments and their brands’ charity work.
REI is not the only company I have witnessed putting this into action. But the timing was unprecedented.
Customers want more than a good deal, they just don’t know it
I talk to many brands and for the majority, the idea of adding value usually mean giving customers a good deal.
Companies do this by out-marketing and out-spending competitors. Frenzied shoppers flood stores with money for big savings — and that’s how retailers kick off the holiday season.
Retailers are of the mindset that more is better. That’s understandable. It’s the biggest shopping season and opportunity to boost revenue.
So for years, retailers hardly considered the perspective of their employees or even customers. In short, retailers didn’t care.
REI’s deep understanding of this phenomenon caused the company to shift the way they do business. And what better time to make a bold statement than on the busiest shopping day of the year.
I was curious what the big deal with Black Friday was
I’m not a big shopper. And neither do I wait for a deal to buy what I need. But one year, I decided to go check out the mall on Black Friday.
I wasn’t there to find a deal. My purpose was to stroll around the mall to experience the power of consumerism.
But the experience wasn’t one of happy shoppers and festivities. I witnessed moms yelling at their children, shoppers arguing with store clerks, and couples squabbling over what seem to be a preference of deals.
Why would people willingly put themselves through this frenzy? All this stress to save a few dollars?
And the expression on the people who had to work on that day — let’s just say I could tell a fake smile from a real one.
REI’s move signaled a massive shift in doing business
We live in a world with better technology, and it’s not slowing down.
Brands are more vulnerable than ever. Customers demand a higher level of understand and brands to deliver value — not just a discount or a deal.
Customers can manage their relationship with brands on their terms better than ever. The true power of a brand lies in the hands of its customers — not with the brand.
And brands that desire to maintain their relationship with its customers must sufficiently understand their needs.
I’m not sure how much it costs REI in sales to be closed on that particular Black Friday. I’m sure it was significant.
But when the #OptOutside social hashtag captures people doing actual things instead of standing in line for a TV, it sheds light on what we should prioritize in life.
Like this image shared by a real REI fan on their Facebook page.
700+ comments on picture of a family being outdoors is impressive. But what’s more impressive is the contents of the comments. Other families replied with their own photos captured during #OptOutside Black Friday.
#OptOutside taught us the importance of values – we are humans first, then customers. We’re not merely little piggy banks for brands to leverage and meet their sales numbers.
Words will never describe the true impact of #OptOutside compared to the endless photos of families out in nature.
Till this day, along with pages of positive coverage, the hashtag #OptOutside is trending among consumers and REI employees.
A simple search in google for “rei opt outside” returns a huge list of websites that covered and continue to cover this campaign to this day.
#OptOutside impacted so many lives that many are planning to skip shopping on Black Friday, and asking other friends, family, consumers and retailers to join in.
Most importantly, 1.4 million people took the same stance on Black Friday: #OptOutside.
What can brands learn from REI’s #OptOutside Social Campaign
The reality is that when brands operate with empathy and use it to fuel every decision, action, message, product, service and experience, they are more successful.
The important thing to understand here is this. REI connected with its customers. It just so happens that opting out of Black Friday shopping was the vehicle they used as the common theme.
I don’t expect every brand reading this article to abruptly shift their Black Friday plans – heavens forbid that would incur the wrath of millions of shoppers.
REI’s approach is considered extreme, but it resonated with its customers. Their customers are enthusiasts of the outdoors and nature. What REI did was simply remind its customers about what they’re passionate about.
Here are some strategies for brands looking to adopt REI’s customer-inspired model:
1. We’re all humans, show empathy
Brands that embrace empathy tend to be more successful.
If you agree that excellent customer service is one of the pillars of a successful brand, then only an empathetic brand can achieve the highest level of customer excellence.
Adopt a culture that value your customers’ time and their loyalty. One of the most important asset we own, as humans, is our time. Everything your brand does should be mindful of your customers’ time.
Zappos is another great example of a brand that understand their customers.
They make returning purchases easy for their customers — a seamless experience that shows customers their needs are understood across the business. Showing a customer that you care about their experience — whether it’s a $80 shoe or a $8,000 handbag — means humanizing your brand.
We’re all humans. Let your brand’s purpose shine through and show your customers you listen, understand, and care about their needs.
2. Open up your lines of communication
One-way communication is the bane of your brand’s existence. The barrage of surveys, feedback requests, and review solicitations gets annoying.
Open lines of communication goes beyond just having access to excellent customer service.
It means not removing negative comments on social pages, or responding to inquiries promptly, or admitting fault when your brand screws up.
They thirst for accessibility and transparency from the company they are spending money on.
3. Let your purpose drive your actions
Even though 150 businesses followed REI’s lead to #OptOutside, one big question remain.
Were any of those businesses going to close their doors if #OptOutside did not happen? I don’ believe so, but that’s besides the point.
The truth is, not every business is purpose-driven. And if we’re honest with ourselves, most businesses are only focused on sales. After all, that’s why they existed to begin with. Right?
I disagree.
As much as we’re in the business to make money, we’re all humans. And we all love to help and be involved in social good campaigns.
Positive social message and innovation go hand-in-hand. Sometimes, your brand’s purpose could be born from a question from a customer, employee, friend, or stranger. That’s how REI’s #optoutside came about.
In fact, according to Ben Steele, REI’s Chief Creative Officer,
“Honestly, it started with a person inside the company, our head merchant actually asking us a question, ‘I know we could never do this, but what would happen if we closed on Black Friday?’
This campaign gained momentum because the company was built around their love of the outdoors, and how together they could live more of their lives outdoors.
Be open to possibilities, find your brand’s purpose, then take action.
4. Find courage to take that journey to find your brand’s north star
Closing your business on Black Friday is not for the faint of heart.
Most businesses rely on this time to boost their company’s revenue.
What REI did was a long-term investment in culture, purpose, and customer loyalty. What #OptOutside did was create a lifetime of loyalty with its customers by sharing its core values.
Because now, it’s more than just buying their camping gear or yoga pants from the company — it’s contributing to a greater cause and supporting what REI means to them. They just happen to sell camping gear and yoga apparel.
Your brand can do the same. But it takes courage and conviction in what you stand for. Every business has a north star.
Be Someone’s North Star in the World of Mindless Chaos
Your brand’s journey could take years before finding your north star. REI found theirs after almost eight decades of being in business. But when you find it, you’ll know.
You have to be willing to go on that journey and do what’s best for you to connect with people, your customers.
Finding that point of intersection between your brand and community is hard work. But your brand has a story to tell, your the storyteller, and your customers are part of your story.
So who’s the audience you ask? The world.
When you have everything working together in harmony, lives will be impacted, perceptions changed, and your brand will stand for something bigger than the business.
“I think every organization and brand has their truth and their purpose,”
– Steele
It’ll feel so right, you might even get goosebumps.
Conclusion
REI’s #OptOutside is a great example of social impact when purpose, values, mindfulness, and innovation are combined with intention.
Of course, REI’s sales have skyrocketed since #OptOutside launched in 2015. The long-term benefit of being socially responsible is worth its weight in gold. You can never lose when your focus is on the good of people.
That’s a function how your brand can create awareness that resonates with your customers and their connections.
Because of the success of their social campaign, REI has become the poster child for social good campaigns around the world.
#OptOutside will be studied by generations to come on how brands can go buck trends and still succeed because of their purpose-driven mindset and commitment.
