What would you do if you were paid to skip classes and work to- morrow to do something fun for the day? The popular outdoor equipment store, REI, is doing just that for their employees on Black Friday this year, and they are not going quietly.
A whole ad campaign has been developed around the idea to not only get REI employees out of the aisles and into the wilderness on Black Friday, but customers and any other consumer around the world as well. Use the hashtag #optoutside and you could get your outdoors-y photo featured on their website: over 890,000 people already have.
The “Opt Outside” website even features an interactive map full with places all over the country to inspire Black Friday day trips. While there are no North Country locations on the map (come on, REI!), the site suggests a variety of activities including biking loops just outside big cities, hiking trails to scenic overlooks, and even backcountry skiing.
While many businesses use social media and advertising to get into their customers’ (and potential customers’) heads and promote mindless consumerism, REI seems to be using its interweb power for good, not evil. In a short video, CEO Jerry Stritzke urges viewers to get outside on Black Friday because “a life lived outside is a life well-lived”.
And while it may just be really good advertising to get customers to come in after the turkey (or butternut squash)-filled holiday weekend, REI’s campaign does get you to think. A morning hike up Azure Mountain or cycling around Lake Placid both sound like better ways to spend the rest of the holiday with your family rather than pushing and shoving in the aisles of Target.
Instead of buying hundreds of dollars’ worth of fancy elec- tronics and marked-down cloth- ing this Black Friday, let’s fol- low REI’s lead and take a step outdoors. You’ll save money, see some awesome views, and even start working off all of that pumpkin pie. So, where will you go to #optoutside?