Subaru and REI Encourage Dog Lovers to #OptOutside

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Subaru of America announced that, through its partnership with REI, it is bringing together two passions of Subaru drivers—the outdoors and pets—to invite dog lovers everywhere to #OptOutside with their four-legged friends on Black Friday. Subaru is encouraging millions across the country to #OptOutside with their pets and share their outdoor adventures on social media leading up to and on Black Friday itself.

From November 16 to November 27, for every photo of pet lovers enjoying the outdoors with their pet posted publicly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and tagged with #OptOutside and #MakeADogsDay, Subaru will make a $1 donation to longtime “Subaru Loves Pets” partner the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), up to $50,000. Subaru will also host two events in New York that will enable both shelter dogs and city dogs to #OptOutside into the great outdoors leading into and on Black Friday.

“REI made a bold decision last year in encouraging its customers to #OptOutside on Black Friday, and it was a message that truly resonated with our brand and our drivers who share a passion for the outdoors,” said Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing at Subaru of America, Inc. “We felt compelled to join the conversation, and through our partnership with REI and the #OptOutside movement, we will encourage drivers to show their pets the love that they show us each and every day by enjoying the great outdoors with them on Black Friday.”

Introduced in 2015, REI’s #OptOutside initiative was created to mobilize Americans to set a new tradition of choosing trails over hectic sales on Black Friday. This year, REI will once again shut its doors on Black Friday and work alongside more than 475 national and local organizations and like-minded brands to ask America, “Will You Go Out with Us?” To learn more about REI’s intention behind this year’s #OptOutside initiative, please visit REI’s Co-op Journal.

Subaru will participate in 2016 by hosting two targeted pet-centric events and a social campaign. On Black Friday, Subaru will provide a fleet of Subaru Outback vehicles, with drivers, to take dog owners in New York City and their four-legged friends to the great outdoors for a day. Earlier this week, Subaru also partnered with ASPCA for a special event where its local New York shelter dogs and ASPCA volunteers were given a fleet of Subaru Outback vehicles for their own #OptOutside experience. Subaru retailers will remain open on Black Friday to help power all drivers’ outdoor adventures.

For more information about Subaru’s commitment to animal welfare, visit subaru.com/pets/. To find out where to #OptOutside and how to join the movement, visit rei.com/opt-outside.