"Don’t Buy This Jacket"

Or…How Patagonia Profited by Being Sustainability-Focused

Background:
The founder of Patagonia, the outdoor clothing brand, built his company with two visions: manufacture quality goods and protect nature. Since its beginning, the company has donated to worthy environmental causes, switched to organic cotton, had its offices and facilities LEED-certified, and launched the Common Threads Garment Recycling program.

About Common Threads:
Patagonia’s Common Threads Recycling Program started by taking back forty-five tons of clothes and recycling them into thirty-four tons of new clothes. The program also encourages consumers to repair and reuse clothing rather than dispose of it.

Focus on Quality:
They changed their marketing efforts to encourage consumers to buy quality clothing, no matter the manufacturer. Called the “Don’t Buy This Jacket” advertising program, the company actively encouraged consumers not to buy even Patagonia products unless they really need them. This would help reduce the environmental footprint of the entire garment industry.

Sour Marketing Predictions:
Initially, many in the garment industry and marketing executives at Patagonia thought the Don’t Buy This Jacket marketing program would cause a steep decline in Sales.

The Reality:
Just the opposite occurred. The campaign was at the core of the most tremendous success the brand had seen in 2 years. Sales increased by 30% to $540 million one year after the program began.

My Take:
“This marketing strategy turned into a massive PR campaign. Patagonia products tend to be more costly than their competitors, but it proves consumers are willing to pay more for quality products, especially if they are manufactured by companies focused on sustainability and environmental causes.”

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