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Cannes Lions, Titanium Grand Prix: REI "#OptOutside"
On the final day of Cannes Lions, REI's "#OptOutside" campaign won the Titanium Grand Prix. This category honors ideas that break new ground in the creative field and is particularly high-profile at Cannes Lions.
With #OptOutside, REI declared it would not operate on Black Friday—the retail industry's biggest sales day of the year—to encourage people to get outdoors. The day is called "Black" because stores across the U.S. simultaneously slash prices, marking the shift from operating in the red to turning a profit.
REI closed all 143 stores, paid approximately 12,000 employees, and encouraged them to "do what they love most: spend time outdoors." The company also suspended online payments that day, urging consumers: "Instead of rushing to stores for discounts and getting trapped inside, spend time in nature."
According to Ad Age, media impressions reached 2.7 billion within 24 hours of the declaration. Extensive TV coverage pushed the total to 6.7 billion. One million four hundred thousand people endorsed the campaign, choosing outdoor activities over shopping. Over 150 companies followed suit by closing their stores. Thousands of national parks reportedly offered free admission that day.
John Hegarty, founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty and jury president for the category, praised it as "a very brave idea. It brilliantly erased the line between advertising and brand." The work also won the Grand Prix in the Promotions & Activations category and a Gold in the Integrated category. It was produced by San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners.
Source: Ad Age
REI's #OptOutside Takes Titanium Grand Prix, Netflix 'House of Cards' Wins Integrated Grand Prix
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