I’m obsessed with Patagonia‘s story and marketing.
They are living proof that brands can change the world and that by going against a marketing or business playbook, you can become the most trusted brand in America.
After re-reading their brand origin story, I’m back to bringing them up in every business conversation as the ultimate inspiration.
Then I spent some time on their website and found this page where they tell Facebook to go f*ck themselves.
So, if you’re more a skimmer than a deep reader, here are some key things you can learn from Patagonia.
⭐ It’s worth it to take a step back to support your vision. I love how they have repeatedly forgone sales and profits to re-engineer products to be less harmful and more holistic with the environment. This supports their why, builds brand loyalty, and invests in their long-term health.
⭐ They are humble. When you’re honest about your journey, you get a lot of forgiveness and leeway from your customers. They repeatedly say they’re not perfect, but they’re always trying to do better, and brand integrity has always remained high.
⭐ Their WHY dictates everything. I will never stop saying that your why should dictate everything from who you hire to what products you put out to how you advertise. Their social media highlights the beautiful outdoors, their website links to their activism campaigns, and their Facebook advertising doesn’t exist.
⭐ People over profits. I will boldly say I have never seen a company go public and have it result in a better product, better experience, or better impact. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go public yourself. I’m sure you could send me a few examples, but Patagonia is about the planet. Period. So instead of going public they gifted 100% of their $3B fortune to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and Holdfast Collective.
It all comes back to your WHY.