The Path Ahead
I helped REI Co-op define their purpose and position them as long-term custodians of the outdoors. I worked with REI’s senior leadership and CEO to help them understand the biggest issues facing the future of life outdoors and their long-term legacy in preserving it. The work became a piece of thought leadership published as part of REI’s annual #OptOutside campaign - The Path Ahead - and led to the creation of their core purpose “to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors in every American”.
The Brief
Inspired by the centennial of the National Parks system, REI Co- wanted to understand the biggest issues facing the future of life outdoors and their long-term legacy in preserving it.
The Solution
I helped lead research into the long-term trends around the outdoors which uncovered a shocking statistic: Americans spend 95% of their lives indoors and led to our core insight: that humans are becoming an indoor species.
As REI’s annual #OptOutside campaign approached, I helped develop a piece of thought leadership based on the research, to raise awareness about the importance of spending time outside. My team wrote and designed “The Path Ahead,” a report that highlighted the ‘brutal truths’ and ’beautiful possibilities’ of the future of life outdoors. It was sent to REI’s 16 million members, hundreds of non-profit partners, featured on social media and hosted on REI’s Co-op Journal.
We also gave the overarching insight - that we are becoming an indoor species - its own platform by creating an animation that tells the story of “The Long March Indoors.” The animation was featured on the website, in stores, and social media posts throughout the #OptOutside campaign.
Results
Both the report and video were among the best performing pieces of content throughout the #OptOutside period. The project also led to us working with REI’s CEO and senior leaders to define their purpose and the long-term impact strategy that supports it.
See more: The Path Ahead
