Force of Nature: Connect Representation With Participation

Read the campaign story

REI announced Force of Nature on 30 March 2017, with broader campaign activity described in the award record as an April launch. Its plan joined women-focused storytelling, gear, events and nonprofit support. The One Club credits Edelman Seattle for PR and marketing. These phases belong to one continuing initiative, distinct from the retailer’s Black Friday OptOutside programme.

An August 2017 REI follow-up named recipients of its open grant programme, distinguishing that round from support for existing partners. The announcement and follow-up document commitments and reported allocations, not an independent evaluation of participation or gender equity. The case does not present old event listings, grants or product availability as current opportunities.

Editorial interpretation: representation and access answer different questions. Seeing someone recognisable in an outdoor story may change whether an activity feels imaginable. Equipment, cost, information, social welcome and suitable instruction influence whether trying it becomes practical. The programme’s combined structure is therefore more useful to examine than a film alone. It creates several possible points of assistance, each requiring its own delivery and evaluation.

Editorial interpretation: the brand also becomes accountable across departments. A welcoming campaign may expose a poorly fitting product, an inaccessible booking process or an event that assumes prior experience. Those failures cannot be solved by producing more celebratory imagery. A responsible adaptation should choose a bounded obstacle it can address and involve the people affected in defining the result, without assuming all women face the same barrier or want the same experience.

Translate the promise into a participation journey

Trace the steps between noticing the invitation and completing a first activity. At each step, identify information, cost, equipment and support requirements. Give one accountable team responsibility for removing a specific obstacle. This makes a broad inclusion statement inspectable: people can tell what has changed and what remains difficult. Avoid claiming that a single improved step makes the entire category equally accessible.

Treat community partners as decision-makers

A partner’s local knowledge should shape the offer, not merely supply a credible logo. Agree how funding, participant feedback, storytelling permission and credit will work. Keep the partner’s service priorities distinct from the sponsor’s content calendar. Do not require beneficiaries to disclose personal difficulties or appear in promotional material as a condition of assistance. A quiet, well-run activity may be more valuable than a highly shareable one.

Report delivery and longer-term change separately

An announced grant, an allocated grant, an event registration and a completed experience are different records. Use the appropriate label and explain the period covered. Longer-term access or equity requires more substantial evidence than event volume or audience reach. Review who could not participate and why, while minimising unnecessary personal data. The unanswered questions should inform the next service decision rather than disappear behind a positive campaign summary.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: a community arts venue could co-design an introductory workshop with an adult group that says the existing offer feels difficult to approach. Pair a representative invitation with one practical change chosen by that group, such as clearer beginner information or a supported booking option. Pay contributors for design work and keep participation separate from publicity.

Compare information comprehension, successful booking and participant-reported welcome with the previous process. Record unresolved barriers and the cost of maintaining the improvement. Do not generalise a local pilot into a claim of social equality.

Stop promotional expansion if the practical change cannot be delivered, partners lose control of their contribution or assistance becomes conditional on public storytelling.

• Map the existing booking and arrival journey with compensated adult contributors.
• Assign an owner and a realistic budget to one agreed improvement.
• Offer accessible information, a clear contact route and optional anonymous feedback.