In a new feature, Marketing Week breaks down how Patagonia has become the magnetic north of the fashion industry’s moral compass, and why their mission-driven business is so hard for other brands to replicate.
“The company’s three-strand mission statement – to build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis – informs every aspect of the marketing strategy,” the story says.
“Unafraid to take a stand against mass consumerism,” the company “wants to be known for the transparency of its supply chain, promoting social justice for its workers and creating durable products that, where possible, are made from recycled, fair trade or organic materials,” rather than crazy growth or huge earning reports.
“Patagonia is an unconventional brand not only in the way it rejects the trappings of mass consumerism, but also in the way it thinks of fashion,” the story says, noting that their European marketing director, Alex Weller, “believes the word fashion carries with it connotations of buying a product for its aesthetics or to keep up with the latest trends, a consumption dynamic Patagonia ‘actively resists.’”
This ethos manifests itself in their atypically successful marketing strategy, the story posits, which is lean but impactful, and usually centers around causes rather product. And because it has been successful, other brands have tried to co-opt those values in their own marketing strategies — but as with most poser behavior, people ain’t buying it.
“Weller believes a sheer lack of will is preventing other businesses pursuing more values- and mission-driven strategies that use their businesses as a platform for good,” the story said.
“You can’t reverse into a mission and values through marketing,” he told Marketing Week. “The [organizations] that are struggling with this are probably the ones that are thinking about marketing first. The role of marketing is to authentically elevate that mission and purpose and engage people in it, but the purpose needs to be the business.”
That translates, roughly, to: “don’t 👏shoehorn👏 morals👏 into👏 marketing👏 campaigns👏 if👏 you👏 don’t👏 actually 👏exhibit👏 moral👏 behavior.”
You can read more about it at Marketing Week.
