What do you think the overall impact on your business was?

[shaownhasan]

Customers have been overwhelmingly supportive, celebrating our brand for living up to our purpose. The social performance and growth from 2023’s time spent off the grid further solidified our commitment to make this a recurring, growing effort.

A screenshot of the comment section of L.L.Bean's initial post announcing they were going off the grid for the second year in a row. Comments include: As a company to agree this and give your social team some much deserved rest, all I can say is wow. Bravo. Coolest thing I've seen today. I absolutely love this. I'm joining in. See you around the camp fire.

It’s reassuring that your YoY impressions were teacher data actually up 95% during May. Do you credit the social media pause for your success?
Our YoY impressions being up indicates that L.L.Bean’s customers value our commitment to our purpose and to their well-being. Our customers have seen us commit to this break for multiple years and have continued to engage with our brand. It’s important to note that our decision to pause organic social media was largely driven by our desire to help our customers get outside to prioritize their mental health. We want to encourage them to get outside more often and experience the benefits of nature.

Our Mental Health Month initiatives further established us as a purpose-led company. We have spent the past 111 years helping people get outside, with the understanding that spending time outdoors is good for our bodies and our minds. Through our Off the Grid campaign, we were able to reach new customers who weren’t yet familiar with our brand’s values. From these new fans to legacy customers, we enjoyed engaging with our community and boosting awareness of what we stand for.

What surprised us the most was that our customers were as engaged as ever. Our sales were solid, and our customers’ offline engagement with the brand was strong. We were still able to connect with our customers through our partnerships with Strava and Mental Health America, providing them with resources to make the most of their time spent outside.