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Stop Sharing REI’s #OptOutside Campaign

By Frugaling 17 Comments

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IMG_0066

Ads are forcefully injected into our daily lives, without permission or explicit consent. We didn’t explicitly sign up for them and never agreed to the terms. And yet, we live alongside these glossy pages, commercials, and billboards every day.

They are ubiquitous. Ads are everywhere from our public schools to smartphones. Frankly, it’s easy to get fed up with the onslaught. To crave peace, tranquility, and minimalism is only natural. People are forcibly removing ads from view and saying “enough is enough.”

Marketers have noticed the resistance among consumers. Their old methods don’t seem to work. Print is dying, television is increasingly losing out to on-demand, and people are using ad blockers for the Internet. In response, they’re changing their methods, mediums, and messages. They’ve cleared the drawing board and developed new ways to attract us.

For marketers, the times are a changing. Consumers are living in this strange epoch of technology, social networking, and the “sharing economy.” Growing numbers of people are eschewing ownership, as technology has minimized our book cases and empowered us to pool resources. Selling us products has become a difficult proposition: what will we buy?

Amidst changing demographics, economic interests, and consumer preferences, growing numbers of companies are creating inspirational, aspirational, and ethically driven advertising. They know that if they inspire, touch, and/or move us we’ll share, tweet, fave, and like. The strategy is complex, but if advertisers can appeal to causes you believe in, you’ll be more likely to spread the word. As a bonus, articles and ads that are shared by consumers aren’t tagged with “advertisement” or “sponsored;” instead, they sneak behind the consumer wall and get peers to market to each other.

Even people who believe in anti-consumption, frugality, and simple living are being psychologically duped into sharing advertisements. And we seem to be accepting that our friends’ updates and tweets now include these reminders to buy, buy, buy. We are volitionally advertising to those we love most.

By now you might be looking for some examples. Most recently, REI created a massive social networking ad campaign centered on boycotting Black Friday. USAToday’s Hadley Malcolm wrote, “In an unprecedented move for the modern-day holiday shopping season, REI’s 143 stores will be closed the day after Thanksgiving.” REI even inspired a creative hashtag: #OptOutside. How fun! This outdoor and recreational company’s value driven campaign appeals directly to those who hate the co-opting and consumerism of that day.

REI-OptOutside-Black-Friday-e1445944915341-590x443

Malcolm’s article has been shared over 200,000 on Facebook alone. That’s one article for the company’s decision. Many in the simple living community have written about the decision – highlighting how it meets their values. It’s been shared all over Twitter.

REI is bucking a trend, but it’s not the first company to say they’re not supportive of post-Thanksgiving mass shopping. Last year, Patagonia published ads that said, “Don’t buy this jacket” in regards to Cyber Monday (the week after Thanksgiving). Again, the anti-consumptive ads were shared massively. It was a viral success — just like this year’s ads.

After Patagonia’s advertising campaign, they received huge press attention and their sales skyrocketed. It worked. REI’s advertisements have already worked, too.

They’ll reduce sales for one day: Black Friday. And then, the sales will greatly increase as those remember REI meets their values. To the company, money is money – doesn’t matter if it comes on Friday or next week.

Ultimately, it’s our power not to share. Companies know how to captivate us with their messages – even if they say “Don’t buy me.” We can’t help but respect these values and click tweet. In this economy, we choose what brands, products, and companies win. The responsibility is ours, but we needn’t do the work for them.

Filed Under: Minimalism, Save Money Tagged With: ad, ads, advertising, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, marketers, Marketing, OptOutside, REI, Thanksgiving, USAToday

Healthy And Frugal? Hello, Food Co-Op!

By Frugaling 9 Comments

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Food Co-Op Out of Bike Wheels

There are moments in my life where I feel like I’m living in a film. The trees shine greener. Light flickers and casts friendly shadows. It’s cinematic, as if somewhat set up this scene — just for me, us. These moments hit me when I find a simple solitude. Sometimes it’s just a great song. By reducing my possessions, selling my car, buying a bike, and focusing on what’s important, I’ve begun to feel it more often. But there’s one piece that lags behind: my diet and eating habits.

The weakest point for the longest time has been eating out. Generally, it’s expensive, unhealthy, and wasteful. Not a great combination, but a great treat every now and then. Unfortunately, I struggle to make it occasional.

This is all despite watching countless documentaries (i.e., Fed Up, Food Inc, Super Size Me, A Place At The Table) about problems with industrial farming, agriculture, and the various health consequences of our fast eating habits. While I’ve never really had weight problems, my body definitely feels worse depending on what I eat. And more than that, I want to find a frugal way to shop that’s healthy for me, the environment, and the employees of said company.

That inspired me to turn to my local food cooperative (co-op). Co-ops are totally different from most of our capitalistic system. Most of the time, businesses exist to make the owners and shareholders exorbitant amounts of money. But co-ops exist — most of the time — to support the “members” and “consumers” instead. This shift of interests is reflected in pricing, staffing, and profits. As you might imagine, co-ops grew out of the 60s/70s and have a social bent.

Co-ops are present at many credit unions, where members are the shareholders, and even the popular outdoor/adventure company, REI. Sometimes, they pay special dividends at the end of the year to their members, too!

A little over two years ago I moved to Iowa City, Iowa for graduate school. I was in a bit of a food desert. The closest place was a little, local grocery store called New Pioneer. I didn’t understand it, and every time I went shopping there I paid a 5% surcharge on every purchase because I wasn’t a member. When I asked about membership, they told me it cost $60. Spending that amount of money from my budget — not even on food — was troubling. I was hesitant to drop $60 on a piece of paper that called me a member, and wondered why this was any different from Costco (where you have an annual membership due).

Just Coffee Co-Op Company
Just Coffee is a cooperative company that pays growers, roasters, and employees a living wage.

For starters, New Pioneer is a cooperative grocery store, where I receive a dividend check every year they make profits. I get to support a group of people that have more respect for their employees. As for my health, the foods are generally without artificial colors, flavoring, and creepy ingredients that are part of our massive industrial agricultural complex.

Since I sold my car, every time I bike over to the co-op I’m saving gas money and being easier on the environment – it’s a breeze. I load up my backpack with groceries, which are simple, healthy, and natural. Take a peek inside and you’ll find salads, fruits, eggs, pasta, coffee, and rice. They’re ingredients that suit me, my stomach, and are friendly to the world.

With my backpack full, riding home by bike is invigorating. I’ve minimized my impact. But then I think about my budget: can it handle shopping for organic and/or natural foods?

Well, that’s the exciting part about minimalism and my budget! I’m now saving $300 more per month by not having a car, and the food — simple as it is — doesn’t actually cost much at all. That’s what I call a win-win.

Have you thought about joining a food co-op or shopping at a local farmers’ market?

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: co-op, collective, cooperative, diet, eating, Food, healthy, new pi, New Pioneer, REI, sharing, Shopping, socialist

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