Retail sales on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, can often make or break a retailer’s holiday shopping season. But in 2015, as the sales started seeping further and further into Thanksgiving Day, REI changed course. The co-op closed all of its 144 stores and paid its 12,000 employees to spend Black Friday outside. Join REI’s marketing leader and Chief Creative Officer Ben Steele to learn how the #OptOutside campaign is core to what REI stands for as a brand, and how doing what’s best for members and employees enhances the brand’s messaging and connection with consumers.