Coleman Canada wants Canadians to get outside and says a National Get Outside Day every July 17 is needed to force them outdoors.
It’s calling upon Canadians to sign a petition calling for the national holiday that will be presented to parliament. So far, about 700 people have signed the petition, which has an objective of 1,000 signatures.
“We know there’s a challenge of people not enjoying the outdoors as much” as they should, says Ezio Sbrizzi, president of Coleman Canada. The outdoor equipment company commissioned research on the issue last year and the results were “kind of alarming.”
Conducted by Vision Critical, the survey found 63% of Canadians spend less than two hours per week outside doing recreational activities despite the fact 86% believe it is important to spend time outdoors.
“It’s a major issue,” Sbrizzi says, noting that technology and a lack of time are major impediments to getting people outside.
Enter GetOutsideCanada.com, which contains the petition and a number of ideas for activities that can be done outdoors. Other partners have joined the initiative, including Walmart, Wholesale Sports, London Drugs and Ontario Parks.
The site was created by Cohn & Wolfe in Toronto, which is behind the campaign.
“What happened? This country used to be made of explorers, voyagers, and adventurers. We need to find the great Canadian outdoors again,” notes the site.
The site includes content like “30 ideas to get outside” sponsored by Walmart, including glowstick bowling and roasting Starburst candies.
By no coincidence, the ideas suggest the usage of Coleman products that are available at Walmart. “We’re all in the business of selling products, but it’s sort of a secondary piece,” says Sbrizzi.
The website also includes the Coleman Get Outside Manifesto, which notes thing like “selfies are fine, but action shots are better” and “sticks were made for hot dogs.”
Sbrizzi says the aim is to have a resource-rich site with additional content like “Best hiking trail” and “Best skinny dip.”
Sbrizzi has no illusions about July 17 being made a national holiday. “Let’s be honest, the odds are probably stacked against us to get that, but it’s really a way to bring awareness to Canadians.”
“If we can move the needle in the right direction, it’s a successful campaign,” says Sbrizzi. “We’re not using whether we get the national holiday as a measure of the success of the campaign.”
The campaign will continue throughout the summer.
