Volcom CMO on #StayHomeForThis Campaign
If you’ve scrolled through Instagram lately, it’s been hard to miss Volcom’s #StayHomeForThis campaign.
The campaign, which Volcom executed on 24 hours after coming up with the idea, encourages people to share images of what they plan to do when life gets back to normal while reinforcing the need to stay at home in the meantime. Volcom provided its fans with a step-by-step guide on how to participate.
Volcom Chief Marketing Officer Ryan Immegart shared with us how the campaign came about and how the Volcom team is holding up during the crisis.
Why did you start this?
Ryan Immegart: We were sick of watching from the sidelines and couldn’t just sit back and accept what was going on around us especially at a time when all of our worlds have been turned upside down. It was hard to not feel helpless, angry or even depressed as almost everything we take for granted on a daily basis was being upended by this global pandemic. Not to mention we felt that the world needed to come together right now more than ever.
I believe deep down in my soul that our industry and culture is truly powerful, and if we work together, the energy that embodies the DNA of this lifestyle we all love would support us and want to do their part to help.
How does it relate to Volcom?
Ryan Immegart: It’s crazy to think about really because not only does it relate to Volcom, it relates to almost every industry and human being on the planet. Of course, I realize that wading in a public conversation about the genuine necessity to practice social distancing maybe perceived as polarizing. But myself and my friends and family at Volcom can’t stand by and not use our collective voice of the brand to persuade those who have yet to heed the call of scientists, researchers and plain old common sense to Stay Home.
Far be it for a brand like us, born under the banner of ‘Youth Against Establishment’ to tell anyone how to live, the call to voluntarily Stay Home is exactly what will keep the Establishment from further encroaching on our lives. So, we actually felt like it we owed it to everyone to take this time out to preserve the future of all our passions and help defend the freedom to pursue them on a daily basis which is a fundamental ingredient to the foundational philosophy of being ‘True To This.’
Did you have other launches planned for this time that have been postponed?
Ryan Immegart: Yes, unfortunately we had a bunch of product launches that are being postponed while we sort through this chaos. Notably, our second Volcom X Coco Ho collection, which had a very successful first launch earlier this year. We want to ensure that the follow up lands when our partners and consumers are ready.
We’ve also been strategizing with some of our peer group as well to try and align our product strategies for the greater good of the industry at large.
What has been the response to #StayHomeForThis so far?
Ryan Immegart: At a time when you are surrounded by bad news this has been uplifting for so many people. Even simply scrolling through your camera roll puts a smile on your face as you relive moments that you can’t wait to get back to!
Also considering that we came up with the idea and executed this campaign in a 24-hour time span we are humbled by the overwhelming response from our supporters.
How are you guys holding up in this challenging time?
Ryan Immegart: Well, it’s not easy for anyone these days but we are all supporting each other wholeheartedly. At the very least we take solace in knowing that we are all in this together. And if there is a silver lining in this, it will hopefully be a renewed appreciation for the joy of simple human interaction along with a much deeper respect for our mother earth.
We’d also like to humbly invite and encourage the entire SES community to get involved however they see fit and would be honored to ban together in supporting this message for the greater good.
Editor’s note: Snow brand 686 participated in the campaign this weekend.