Patagonia Politics

Douglas Holt Marketing, Culture & Society University of Oxford (with Jill Avery)
Politics of Consumption University of Wisconsin October 2006

Social Mission Brands

Central solution for global problems?
Social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, sustainable business, CSR etc.

SMBs led, so much celebrated

Ben & Jerrys, Body Shop, Stonyfield, Toms of Maine, Patagonia, Red Mgmt books, biz mags

Seldom studied

Research Interests
Social Mission branding
How to build powerful SMBs? What are political effects?

Extend cultural branding model

Authenticity from citizenship-org myths (Holt 2002) Push customer segments (Holt 2004)

Commercial Activism Political analogy

 Yvon Chouinard, iconic mountaineering innovator, Ventura, CA 60s-70s Patagonia tech clothing -- late 70s Took off in mid-80s amongst UMC $300 million/year Catalogue driven branding
$7M vs $1M print ads

Patagonia Social Mission

In business to help resolve environmental crisis Introduced PCR Synchilla fleece All cotton to organic, Beneficial T line Greenest supply chain in the biz Eco advocacy in catalogue since early 90s 1% of revenue to grassroots activism

Left/Green politics

Academic literature: literal consumer-citizen model

Ethical Consumption (Europe) Mindshare Branding (Aaker, Keller) Social Identity (Bhattacharya, Sen) Brand equity stems from identification with pro-social business policies SMBs conflated with CSR

Patagonias SMB equity?

Academic
Brand equity from identification with eco-business policies Popular Understandings
Hardcore
eco-activism tied to fully committed lifestyle

Wannabes BoBos buy Patagonia symbolism, adventure-lite and eco-lite

Cultural Branding Model (static)

National Ideologies Expressive Culture
Source materials Comm Codes Cultural References

Populist World

Contradictions (tensions)

Brand Myth
Ideological POV, via expressive culture, which repairs contradictions

Target Identity Projects

Cultural/Political Equities

SMBs and Cultural Branding

Successful SMBs are identity brands So become iconic via cultural branding mechanisms Similar customer segments to commercial iconic brands
Insiders, Followers, Feeders

Do hypotheses hold? What does this mean for political effects?

Method
Genealogy of Patagonia Brand (72-present)
Catalogue + Yvon media coverage + retail

Identity Interviews
23 informants in Boston/Cambridge Patagonia loyalist screener Social network (HBS heavy) 2 hour inductive lightly structured interview Patagonia discussion via catalogue photos + essays

Extreme Adventure

Literate Essays

Wilderness Eco-Advocacy

Intimate in-the-wild biographies

Identity myth = 4 interwoven narratives

Dirtbag Culture = ?
Extreme Adventure Eco-Wilderness Back-to-Nature Bohemian Frontier Cosmopolitan

Classed articulation of revived Frontier. Perfect identity symbolism for post Reagan Revolution upper-middle class Stitch a tailored eco-activism to multidimensional identity project

Patagonia Stimulus Materials (Winter 2004 catalog)

Story #1: El Dorado [Extreme Adventure x Back-to-Nature Bohemian] Photo: woman climbing a rock wall next to the ocean Story: 2-year trip visiting desert (Joshua Tree), mountains (Boulder), ocean (Pacific) to learn nature s ways and to determine if they were desert, mountain, or ocean people. Story #2: Simple Customs of Salmon Nation [Eco-Wilderness] Photo: Native American drawing of burnt orange and white skeleton-like salmon Story: Celebrates salmon ecosystem with in a metaphorical new-age style, interspersed with memories of Native American culture and lore. Call to action to join Salmon Nation. Story #3: On Being First [Extreme Adventure] Photo: B&W of man on wintry, jagged mountain looking up steep incline. Story: Climb in Patagonia ice field besieged by bad weather. Trying a first ascent. They summit after great difficulty, but sensation of being first that has driven them is missing. Photo #4: Yosemite Climber [Extreme Adventure] Woman clinging to rock face on Chouinard-Herbert route way above valley. Photo #5: Australian Adventure [Back-to-Nature Bohemian] Guy on tailgate of old truck/van stuffed with gear in New South Wales, Australia. Photo #6: Tree Climber [Extreme Adventure] Scientist in Australian tropical tree canopy, high above misty forest floor. Photo #7: Fixing the Truck [Back-to-Nature Bohemian] Woman is under the hood of an old Ford truck parked outside of a barn in Durango, CO Photo #8: Machu Picchu, Peru [Frontier Cosmopolitan] Young girl celebrates her birthday entering the ruins of Machu Picchu. Photo #9: Headless Fish [Eco-Wilderness] Wolf biologist holding and staring at gory headless salmon in middle of forest.

Patagonia Politics
Eco Movement Eco Wilderness None

Extreme Adventure

Dirtbag Culture

Identity Symbolism
None

Identity Myths
#1: Dirtbag Myth
Identify with all 4 facets of Patagonia brand

#2: Extreme Adventure Myth

Very competitive-achieving articulation of extreme adventure dominates Frontier cosmopolitan is similar Ignore both bohemian and eco-activism

Patagonia Politics
Eco Movement
Patagonia as one player in broad movement pushing for sustainability Leopold eco systems language: restorative, balance, harmony

Eco Wilderness
Conserving Wilderness (Roosevelt tradition)

None

Patagonia Politics
Eco Movement Eco Wilderness
Michael Bruce Dwight Eric Martha Mark Heather

None
Steve Martha Laurette Sarah

Extreme Adventure
Liz David Dirtbag Phoebe Afshan Angela Brendan Frank Doug Rick

Culture

Identity Symbolism
None

Helena

Ashley Audrey

Patagonia Politics
Eco Movement Eco Wilderness
Michael Bruce Dwight Eric Martha Mark Liz David Dirtbag Phoebe INSIDERS Culture Afshan Doug Angela Rick Brendan Frank FOLLOWERS: MYTH #1 Ashley Audrey

None

FOLLOWERS: MYTH #2

Extreme Adventure

Steve Martha Laurette Sarah

Identity Symbolism

Helena LITERALIST None CITIZENCONSUMER

FEEDERS

Advocacy? Marginal Ideological Effects

Eco-Movement Insiders
Fellow traveler, marginal solidarity

Dirtbag Culture Followers

Patagonia plays minor pedagogical role

Extreme Adventure Followers

Dont know Patagonia as eco-activist

Key: Gramsci x Business

Patagonia has built broad-based cultural formation around progressive business practices Interpolate into radical green business customers who reject
Products for the enlightened
7th Generation, Toms, Hain, etc

Advocacy Organizations
Greenpeace, Sierra Club, WWF, Friends of the Earth