Rei's # Optoutside Campaign Analysis

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REI’s #OptOutside Campaign
Situation analysis
REI requires communicating to the public about a campaign that it has started. It has to convince the people that the #OptOutside campaign is not aimed at enhancing the reputation and sales of the company, but rather to give the employees time to enjoy nature and spend time with their families (Coffee, 2018). Black Friday is traditionally a holiday that people use for shopping and looking for the best bargains. REI is trying to revolutionize the holiday and give it a new meaning. No company has however attempted the approach before, meaning that REI may experience challenges in achieving success with their campaign. Additionally, REI has to convince other company’s and users to rally behind …show more content…

A week before Black Friday, REI posted a print advertisement on the New York Times (Coffee, 2018). The print advertisement over the Newspaper informed the public about the unconventional intentions of the company. The advertisement seemed unbelievable and aroused the interest in the program. Newspapers provided an effective communication medium for a company as newspapers are accessible to a significant number of people.
Soon after the advertisement is placed in the Newspaper, REI can generate sufficient attention that the program is discussed on television morning shows (Coffee, 2018). The use of television as a communication medium provides the company with a broader audience. The discussion about the company’s strategy in closing its operations and giving employees a holiday during the busiest shopping period is viewed as provocative as it goes against the expectations of the people. Breaking tradition is seen to be a primary factor that encourages the media to pick up the story and alert more people about the …show more content…

REI makes practical use of social media in communicating with the people about the program. It makes use of the #OptOutside hashtag on social media pages such as Twitter as a tool for creating a conversation among the social media users. Additionally, it creates an “experiential search engine” that allows people to post pictures of the destinations they visit and add a description of their experience (Birkner, 2018). The use of social media provides a channel through which the company can interact directly with the clients. The communication campaign also makes use of influencers. REI partners with influencers on social media pages as a tool for arousing the interest of people in the

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