Lance Henie

In 2016, ahead of the grand opening of REI’s flagship store in Washington, DC, we set out to create a grassroots campaign that positioned REI as the epicenter for the DC outdoor community.

We developed a summer-long campaign called "United Outside" that featured 100+ outdoor events in the region, bringing more than 65,000 DC residents together during the strife of the 2016 presidential campaign. 

I served as associate creative director of copy, leading concepting, presenting concepts to senior leaders, developing the playful tone of the campaign, and overseeing all customer-facing copy.

In early 2015, we were tasked with creating a campaign that would inspire REI members to answer the call of the trail while also shining a light on REI’s commitment to stewardship.

We created "Every Trail Connects," REI's first-ever purpose-driven marketing campaign, leaning into the idea that trails connect us to nature, each other, and our best selves.

We activated the campaign by allocating $500K to 10 trail systems across the country and letting customers vote for the trail of their choice, with REI donating $5 for every vote. Engagement surpassed all expectations, and the trails were fully funded within 48 hours, 250% faster than planned. This was a pivotal moment in REI history, because it emboldened the company to double-down on values-driven marketing—which ultimately led to the award-winning #OptOutside campaign.

I served as associate creative director of copy, leading concepting, presenting concepts to senior leaders, developing the campaign language, and owning all customer-facing copy.