Originally posted here on Smart Solutions for Sustainable Business Blog
by Mary Hunt
All that
rock climbing must be what makes Patagonia fearless in the business world.
Today they announced that they'll be
using their retail reach to encourage individuals to "Vote the Environment" and
are using You Tube to get the message across.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW3V6ThF6dc&feature=user
Casey
Sheahan, president and CEO of Patagonia says, "We're using our story-telling and marketing
expertise to get this message out during a critical time in our country's
history. We know that some customers may be put off by the strong environmental
message. Not
all our customers are environmentalists. But we are."
That last
line is the most telling about Patagonia's brand, they stick to their mission
regardless of who may not agree. That's being authentic at at a time when trust
in corporations is at an all time low.
Patagonia
understands its responsibility to not only make a profit, but to use its
advertising and retail distribution connections to provide continuing education
to the masses. If repetitive advertising can change a buying behavior,
then it also can change a social responsibility behavior.
It's
hard to tell where the .com stops and the .org starts.
Patagonia
has already given over $30 million to grassroots environmental activists since
1985. These are mostly micro projects, such as cleaning up a local river or
bringing an environmental education class to a small town. Those actions
don't make the big press releases, but are the ultimate in consumer
engagement. It must be working, they crested $280 million in
sales last year.
What I
appreciate most is their ability to educate their base on both the micro and
the macro issues impacting the planet. To do so they hold their own story
up to scrutiny. Their "Footprint Chronicles"
provide a retail-lite, Life Cycle Assessment. It falls short on
quantified numbers, but does give a nod to the good and the bad
of each product. That's a big step towards transparency.
"Vote
the Environment" doesn't pick a party, it provides educational links
for individuals to use and decide for themself who will do a better
job. In the primaries, according to research by the Nathan Cummings
Foundation, the environment was #18 on the list of top voter concerns
across party lines. With this new initiative, Patagonia is hoping to put
environmental issues into the #1 spot.
Contact Mary
at Mary@InWomenWeTrust.com
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