Patagonia: The truest example of authentic purpose-led PR we have ever seen
Our MD, Nick Rewcastle, offered his thoughts on Patagonia and authenticity to PR Week. The full article, dated 16 September 2022, is available here, and below.
Patagonia’s only shareholder is now the Earth. The outdoor clothing brand lives and breathes the outdoors, with the planet at the heart of its everyday activity. From its inception, Patagonia has committed itself not only to providing a high-quality product, but also to negating the devastating effects of ecological destruction going on around us.
Patagonia was started as an experiment in responsible business. It was founded by craftsman and self-confessed accidental businessman Yvon Chouinard in 1973. In 2002, the company committed to giving away one per cent of its profits to grassroots sustainability and environmental causes.
Many would argue that Patagonia is the undisputed world leader in its approach to the planet. Having sustainability at the core of business objectives from the get-go has shaped its PR strategy, moulding its messaging quite differently from pretty much any other brand in the world.
There’s not that expected and all too common hard sales narrative, invasive PR campaigns and self-indulgent coverage across owned or earned platforms. The reality is real-life issues highlighted and the brand’s mission clearly narrated as being to resolve them. Consistent messaging over decades has delivered what we are now seeing.
No other brand has made such a commitment to any societal crisis. Patagonia has created, through impactful communications, a real sense of brand advocacy for its consumers. Its customers share its journey to ‘save the planet’.
Last year, Patagonia changed its marketing messaging around Black Friday, pledging to donate all online and retail profits from the day. The message resonated with the brand’s customer base, with one referring to it as a “fundraiser for the Earth”. Against the backdrop of a general dip in Black Friday revenues across the US, a record $10m was donated to non-profits working to improve sustainability through protecting air, water and soil for future generations.
Since 2018, the company’s purpose has been: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” Simply put, without more resources pledged to protect the Earth, there will be no businesses and no brands. Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability was even recognised in last year’s widely publicised and highly regarded Laureus Sport for Good Index.
This week, Patagonia announced the transfer of its profits after reinvestment into two charitable trusts. The company could have taken a different path, selling the brand and donating the proceeds, or going public – but this would have led to inevitable pressure for short-term gains from investors.
The brand’s approach has always been to get the bills paid and to be a platform for influencing change within its customer and supplier communities. It’s the truest example of authentic purpose-led PR we have ever seen. And it also acts as a call to other brands to consider their approach and commitment.
This week’s media coverage, widespread from The New York Times to the second-most-viewed article on BBC News, wasn’t a purely commercial exercise. It was a genuine example of telling the story of how Patagonia plans to use its purpose-first approach to fight climate change – and how others can join it, too.
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