Behind the Scenes - April 2020
It’s that time again and boy has this month flown in. I don’t know if it’s down to the fact that everyday feels the same or the wish for lockdown to be over increases as we look to return back to some sort of normality. Although somewhat hectic, this month has been amazing, from the distribution of 200 hygiene packs, launching our Hope campaign, our deliveroo partnership, new hoodie and so much more. Here’s a little insight into what went on.
200 Hygiene packs
In the last update you will have seen that our ‘Love Without Words’ collection helped to donate 200 hygiene packs to the Simon community in Belfast and Whitechapel mission in London. We finally got them all packed up and shipped out to help during COVID-19. Huge thanks to all of you guys who helped support this collection and also for the social impact team making sure we got the packs to our partnered charities. Above is our ever reliable DHL man coming to pick it up at the start of the month.
Oi Street Team
It was great seeing everyone again from the street team, the real unsung heroes who come from all walks of life but with a collaborative goal of rewriting homelessness, specifically in where we find ourselves right now in Belfast. The meeting was really to reflect on what we have done so far, what we can do during COVID-19 and what’s the plan after lockdown. So many stories came out of the meeting to inspire everyone; how lives have been changed, whether that be the team helping to get people into accommodation, into rehab courses or reconnecting those who are homeless with their family. It was amazing to see what’s being done behind the scenes. This is a part of OutsideIn that we are showing more and more on all platforms, why? because it’s the heartbeat of the company, it’s why we started and it’s why we continue to do what we do.
Hope Campaign
By far my highlight of the year so far. I guess this time in life will not be marked by what we say we do, but what we do. As a company we looked to see what was our role during COVID-19 and how could we give back with what we have. That’s when over many zoom calls we decided HOPE was a huge part of our brand and something we wanted to communicate to all who are part of the Oi fam; the team, customers, charities and those who are homeless. Product innovation has never been where my creativity lies, so getting to help be a part of a creative campaign that involves the giving back was incredible. Three weeks into the campaign (who knows when we will end it if ever..) and so far each week just keeps getting more exciting, would you agree? It's definitely a time where we all as a society are needing Hope to keep us carrying through, so we hope that what we have done so far has been something you guys have enjoyed being a part of.
Deliveroo
This was the big one we had been working on for quite some time, so to finally see the partnership happen was an exciting moment for the whole team. In case you haven’t heard up until this point we have partnered with deliveroo so that every purchase now provides a meal for someone who is homeless or vulnerable in the UK. In just under 3 weeks we have donated 746 meals which is beyond what we could have ever imagined by this point. We are still in constant communication with deliveroo to be able share more information, such as what a purchased meal looks like, what caterers are being used and some footage of the meals being received. So hopefully be the next BTS blog we have updated you all. It’s collaborations like this that go to show that anyone can work with anyone when two people are passionate about helping people. Did I ever think we would be creating clothing that distributed meals to people in a time of need? Of course not, but I’m proud that we are able to during this pandemic and so thankful that you guys have constantly backed us with each collection and concept.
Our Warehouse
Since COVID-19 we have been keeping staff numbers and time in our offices to a bare minimum, which has been working really well so far. With online now being the focus, the marketing team have definitely done their part in increasing orders, which in turn is keeping the warehouse team on their feet (racking up the step count). A huge thanks to the operations team for making it possible to keep running. Also a shoutout has to go to the delivery services for helping to create safe procedures for the team and being there day in day out.
OLY Clothing Interview
I had a lot of fun doing the podcast with Louis Pearson from OLY clothing on all things OutsideIn. With all speaking events off this year, getting to still communicate the journey of OutsideIn and why I started it is always important for new followers and old. Louis was a great host asking amazing questions from why I started, to how do we deal with opposition and what does the future look like. If you want to check out the full interview click the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGiuh0_gVJQ
I think we may have just created my favourite hoodie! The lavender colour with that simplistic hope sweet hope text… and it sold out before I could even get my hands on one! With our Hope campaign including the release of Hope stories, Hope quotes we reckoned it was the best time to introduce this latest piece of clothing to the HSH family. You guys LOVED it, by the time we had taken photos of the hoodie for our feed it had already sold out. *Update, we are having more manufactured as we speak so they will be back in stock very soon, promise! Also if you subscribe you will find out first… just a little incentive.*
Social Impact
So BTS there is always a lot going on in this department. That’s why we started communicating a lot more on our socials. This month a big focus was the deliveroo meals, creating the procedures behind it and also making sure we could still include the partnered charities we work with. Research! That’s the real hidden bit, so the team has been working on feedback from charities to do with giving products, what we can improve on as well as finding out the different needs of homeless charities in different cities. We always want to improve, to be the go-to for homelessness, so the hard work that these guys have been putting in will only keep pushing us further and further to give back more and in the most efficient way. I guess the best way to look at it is that after 3 years it’s incredible to have a social impact team that’s core focus is to ensure we keep on giving back bigger and better. I’m excited to see this team and concepts continue to grow, hopefully inspiring other businesses along the way to get involved.
THANK YOU!
The Oi Fam is the best.
David
