Image Source: Patagonia Website
Patagonia ads seem to be
written by their founder!
An ode to the masterful ads that ooze honesty
The iconic, ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ print ad on Black Friday was a big slap in everyone’s face. On the other hand the “flying-baby” photograph published in 1995 was the epitome of viral marketing (way before the term “viral marketing” was coined).
The world had never seen such ads before, and Patagonia continues to release amazing communication that delineates their founders' vision.
The new ‘Patagonia50’ ad film is a great example of the same. The film has simple copy and visuals that effectively convinces its audience about the brand’s beliefs even after 50 years. The highlight of the ad film is a scene where founder Yvon Chouinard writes “Earth is now our only shareholder” in his book. One line that hits hard, and in the right spot.
Image Source: Patagonia Website
Image Source: Patagonia Website
The brand has been a disrupter in its older days. They had created a storm when they featured the “flying-baby” photograph in their 1995 Spring catalogue. You see Sherry throwing her baby in a purple jumpsuit towards her husband Jeff in the photograph. Recently the controversial photograph went viral on social media and was turned into memes titled “Born Free Baby”. Responding to the social trend the brand did an article on their website featuring the baby in the picture, Jordan Leads, who has grown into a happy child.
Image Source: Patagonia Website
The European brand has built credibility and a strong community as they have had a clear brand goal defined by founder Yvon Chouinard that has been translated across marketing platforms.
Nothing beats their full-pager ad that appeared in the New York Times on the Black Friday sales day in 2011. Patagonia’s provocative ad with a large image of their best-selling jacket, and the copy, ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ was a big slap in everyone’s face.
Image Source: Bettermarketing.pub
While there have been sceptics who found the ad hypocritical the brand got the attention it deserved. An article by Harvard Business Review calls it a great example of “Systemic Authenticity.” This means the creative team and Patagonia marketing team have crafted an ad that makes “systemic efforts aimed at achieving specific goals”, as per Uri Neren, who wrote the Harvard article. Uri also talks about how this is the best practice in Innovation Management.
This proves the power of audacious headlines followed by purposeful body copy that supports the brands ethos. The creative is a masterful take on the 50s print ads, which sold products with clean visuals and long copy. All done in black and white.
Patagonia ads seem like they have been written by Chouinard himself, which is good. If you look closely all of them have three things in common – they are honest, to the point and about saving the planet.
The ethical outdoor clothing brand has given us iconic anti-consumerism ads that we will continue to adore for years to come.
So the next time you plan to buy their products, think if you really need it!
