Doing the opposite — L.L.Bean

As a marketer, trying our best to grab the attention of consumers is often a problem that we must rack our brains to think about every day. But last month, L.L.bean , the century-old brand, made a decision that would surprise all marketers — they announced that they would be shutting down their social platform for a month.

Here’s the thing, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, L.L.Bean announced a one-month suspension of social media activity starting May 2, 2022. So since May 2, L.L.Bean has stopped posting on social media, and at the same time, they have also emptied their Instagram account and replaced the previous image with a ‘go fishing’ grid layout. The same goes for other social platforms, for example , the company changed their Facebook account to automatically link to the login screen on its website. In addition, L.L.Bean made a $500,000 donation to Mental Health America as the fund of partnership.

The brand concept of L.L.bean has always been to promote outdoor activities and encourage people to be close to nature. This time, the unusual social media marketing also fits the brand’s philosophy — Encourage everyone to put down their phones and go into nature.

Under the influence of work pressure, it is easy for people to feel anxious. Especially under the closure of the epidemic in the past two years, people stay at home and gradually become accustomed to relying on mobile phones to pass the time. In May, the epidemic situation has improved and the weather has gradually warmed, which is a good time to go out for a walk. And many studies have also shown that being outdoors for more than two hours a week can have a positive impact on people’s psychology, which is why Mental Health Awareness Month promotes outdoor activities.

So, says Shawn Gorman, “For over a century, L.L.Bean has been helping people get outside because we believe that the experience of nature helps bring out the best in us. Now, research confirms our long-standing intuition: Being out is good for our individual and collective well-being .”

Marketers have mixed opinions, some for and some against, about the unusual marketing campaign.

In my opinion, this is a very smart marketing campaign. For a century-old brand like L.L.Bean, it is more important to manage its own brand concept with heart than a month’s sales revenue. In the age of the information explosion, almost all salespeople are trying to get attention by ranting loudly, racking their brains, trying to think of almost every idea. When people watch too much, they will feel boring. It is better to let go of temporary interests and show everyone the responsibility of a brand. Although this marketing will not translate into high sales, it will leave a deep impression on the people who follow the brand. This is an effective way to increase fan stickiness.