VENTURA, CA: Patagonia, the outdoor clothing retailer, intends to take legal action to block US President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce the size of national monuments in Utah and Nevada by up to 85%, a stance that may endear it to some consumers.
“We’ve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we’ll continue that fight in the courts,” declared Rose Marcario, president and CEO of the company known for its environmental focus.
Founder Yvon Chouinard added that the US needed more parks and described the current government as evil – “and I’m not going to sit back and let evil win”.
The home page of the brand’s US website is currently a black page with stark white lettering stating “The President Stole Your Land” and an exhortation to take action.
Patagonia has long eschewed traditional advertising models in favour of what has become the current fashionable marketing trend, to imbue brands with purpose and usefulness.
Part of that approach includes a pledge to give 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations around the world. And on Black Friday 2016 it donated all sales on the day – $10m in total – to these bodies.
So it’s a brand that puts its money where its mouth is, something that recent research shows appeals to millennials, who, while being less likely to recycle than other generations, are more likely to buy from companies making a positive impact on the world.
A study by The Shelton Group reported that this age group believes global problems are too big for individuals to solve and so they reward corporations that take action and address problems for them.
“Millennials see corporations as having the power of many – the ultimate crowd,” explained Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of The Shelton Group.
“Millennials see spending money with these companies as another form of activism. It’s crowdsourcing by consumerism.”
“We’ve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we’ll continue that fight in the courts,” declared Rose Marcario, president and CEO of the company known for its environmental focus.
Founder Yvon Chouinard added that the US needed more parks and described the current government as evil – “and I’m not going to sit back and let evil win”.
The home page of the brand’s US website is currently a black page with stark white lettering stating “The President Stole Your Land” and an exhortation to take action.
Patagonia has long eschewed traditional advertising models in favour of what has become the current fashionable marketing trend, to imbue brands with purpose and usefulness.
Part of that approach includes a pledge to give 1% of annual sales to environmental organizations around the world. And on Black Friday 2016 it donated all sales on the day – $10m in total – to these bodies.
So it’s a brand that puts its money where its mouth is, something that recent research shows appeals to millennials, who, while being less likely to recycle than other generations, are more likely to buy from companies making a positive impact on the world.
A study by The Shelton Group reported that this age group believes global problems are too big for individuals to solve and so they reward corporations that take action and address problems for them.
“Millennials see corporations as having the power of many – the ultimate crowd,” explained Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of The Shelton Group.
“Millennials see spending money with these companies as another form of activism. It’s crowdsourcing by consumerism.”
Sourced from Patagonia, Advertising Age, CNN, The Shelton Group; additional content by WARC staff
