skills/creative-director/references/legendary-campaigns/cards/rei-optoutside-2015.md

---
id: rei-optoutside-2015
title: "#OptOutside"
brand: REI
agency: Venables Bell & Partners
year: 2015
country: US
region: north_america
industry: retail
pattern: [P04, P10]
category: integrated
idea_type: non_advertising
involvement: participation
channel: hybrid
duration: seasonal
goal: [purpose, advocacy, awareness]
budget: high
emotion: [defiant, proud]
emotion_tier: 2
insight_domain: autonomy
media_epoch: social
awards: [cannes_grand_prix, multiple]
quality_score: 9
scalability: unique
risk: provocative
confidence: high
quality: canonical
source_url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsxrJeJ8lU
---

# #OptOutside (REI · 2015)

## Insight
Black Friday is the commercial peak of the retail calendar — every outdoor retailer competes on deals. But REI's brand exists to get people outside, which is the opposite of what Black Friday demands.

## Mechanic
REI closed all stores and its website on Black Friday 2015, paid employees for the day, and called on the public to opt outside instead of shopping. The campaign hashtag became a mass movement; partner brands and public lands joined.

## Why it worked
The brand acted on its stated values at direct commercial cost — giving up one of the biggest retail days of the year. The sacrifice is the proof. No amount of messaging about the outdoors equals closing 143 stores on Black Friday.

## Steal
Identify the single day when your brand's values most directly contradict the category's commercial convention. Act against the convention, publicly, at visible cost. The action is the campaign.

## Related
- Pattern: [[../MOC-pattern.md#p04]]
- Sibling: [[nike-dream-crazy-2018.md|Dream Crazy]]
- Sibling: [[the-zimbabwean-trillion-dollar-campaign-2008.md|Trillion Dollar Campaign]]

---

*Author: Serge Shima ([t.me/aimastersme](https://t.me/aimastersme) · [sergeshima.com](https://sergeshima.com) · [aimasters.me](https://aimasters.me)) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: [smixs/creative-director-skill](https://github.com/smixs/creative-director-skill)*