Anti-Shopping is the New Black Friday
by Caitlin Sorensen
Photo courtesy of nypost.com
Can you believe we have an entire day devoted to shopping in America? If you ask me, I would prefer to devote most days to shopping, but my time and financial restraints keep me in check. Conveniently taking place a few weeks before Christmas, Black Friday is the day consumers and their Thanksgiving stuffed bellies parade around shopping centers while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” plays over the intercom. As expected, most businesses hop on this holiday shopping wave and wow with promises of coupons, sales, and BOGOs galore! Black Friday is a day dedicated to spending and collecting money, but not all businesses want to participate in this cycle of monetary exchange. There is a very clear indication of greed they want to avoid.
REI is one of those companies.
Cue the “anti-shopping” effort. 2019 will be REI’s fifth year avoiding Black Friday. Not only will they not be participating in the attractive deals associated with Black Friday antics, their doors won’t even be open. That’s right. Doors locked and sealed. But why would they willingly give up the foot traffic and potential benefits of the most lucrative shopping day of the year? Originally Ben Steele, REI’s Chief Customer Officer, stated that the company wanted to focus on its employees over profitability, but as the award-winning “Opt Outside” marketing campaign emerged, the anti-shopping strategy proved to be more than a day off for employees. It was a call to action. The words “Opt Outside” appeared in window displays and throughout REI’s website, encouraging customers and employees to spend Black Friday outside as opposed to wandering around crowded shopping malls. So why would REI “opt outside” instead of opting for cash? The strategy aligns perfectly with their purpose.
Purpose is a key element of the Message Architecture we create for our clients; it’s what you offer the world to make it a better place. REI’s purpose is to “inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.” As Steele stated to Business Insider, "the next generation of people who love the outdoors may not have an outdoors to love in the same way. That's absolutely an existential risk for our business, but more than that, it's an existential risk for our purpose and our passion." What better way for a retail business to make a statement than to close its doors on the busiest shopping day of the year? By forfeiting immediate profits, REI sees long term gains by promoting its purpose and operating authentically.
Traditionally, businesses take advantage of consumers’ willingness to empty their pockets in order to reap the benefits of profitability. For REI, that’s old news. They are focused on the future of the outdoors and creating a better environmental outcome today. REI consistently proves that a genuine purpose, communicated authentically, can actually strengthen the relationship between a company and its target market. People buy from corporations with which they share values, and with positive growth each year, profitability isn’t a problem for REI. It’s admirable (and smart) that REI chooses to commit to its purpose rather than indulge in the short-term benefits of Black Friday, and their customers agree.
I think it’s pretty clear who will be on Santa’s nice list.