4 ms·

Kind of turned off by their front-and-center political advert on the home page though[1] I mean, regardless of where you stand on this particular pet issue...

by Alupis 7y ago

Kind of turned off by their front-and-center political advert on the home page though[1] I mean, regardless of where you stand on this particular pet issue... it's not what I came to their site for! I came there to look at their clothing... instead I got a face-full of politics. Why do that??? Some of you will support this particular cause - but what if it were something you don't support? Right to life, build a wall, etc... Would that change your impression? Keep the politics out of your business - in particular - keep it off your home page! [1] https://www.patagonia.com/home/ https://www.patagonia.com/home/

JohnJamesRambo 7y ago
The owner of Patagonia cares about environmental issues. I’m sorry that bothers you. He’s not a conglomerate with a board afraid of offending someone. But he has a record of putting his money and time where his mouth is. He was a world renowned climber and original dirtbag. The earth is important to him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvon_Chouinard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvon_Chouinard https://www.earth.com/news/chile-new-national-parks/ https://www.earth.com/news/chile-new-national-parks/
- Alupis 7y ago
  The earth can be important to him, and he can "put his money where his mouth is" without placing politics on his webstore's home page. Like I said - if it was some issue that wasn't your kind of politics, it would be a turnoff to see this when you're just trying to do some shopping. It's a turnoff even if it is your kind of politics - I was interested in their clothing. Now I'll shop someplace else.
devindotcom 7y ago
I think for an outdoors apparel company, being visibly concerned about conservation and global warming is very on-brand. Part of why people choose Patagonia is their politics. Most companies you're not quite sure where to find those politics listed - because the front page is all products. I think it's brilliant for Patagonia to do the opposite here. It's not like people can't find the jackets after hitting the landing page.
- Alupis 7y ago
  > I think for an outdoors apparel company, being visibly concerned about conservation and global warming is very on-brand Except "Extinction" is pretty radical, extreme, and alarmist. Even for someone that supports doing something about global warming.
  - cweagans 7y ago
    What exactly do you think the consequences are if we don't do anything about global warming? Mass extinction is not outside the realm of possibility.
  - pfranz 7y ago
    It reminds me of the George Carlin bit, "Save the planet? The planet will be fine. We're the ones that are screwed."
timwaagh 7y ago
Patagonia has been very successful with this marketing model. Now reddit and also this site is full of free adverts for them.
snowwrestler 7y ago
There are other comments about Patagonia specifically, but broadly speaking, there are a bunch of recent examples of companies whose business growth benefited from adopting public political positions: Penzey's spices against Trump, Nike's Colin Kaepernick ads, or Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby on political issues related to Christian faith. Eco-politics has been part of Patagonia's identity for decades and is arguably important to their business success. There's a growing sense among business leaders that companies benefit from participating more broadly in society than just making a profit. You can see this discussed in tons of business articles, and in the recent statement from Business Roundtable on the purpose of corporations.
pfranz 7y ago
I don't remember if it was in his book[1] or if it came up when I was discussing the book with someone. Climate change basically ruins all the outdoors stuff so it's tied pretty directly to his business. [1] Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard; the founder of Patagonia

by Alupis 7y ago

JohnJamesRambo 7y ago

The owner of Patagonia cares about environmental issues. I’m sorry that bothers you. He’s not a conglomerate with a board afraid of offending someone. But he has a record of putting his money and time where his mouth is. He was a world renowned climber and original dirtbag. The earth is important to him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvon_Chouinard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvon_Chouinard https://www.earth.com/news/chile-new-national-parks/ https://www.earth.com/news/chile-new-national-parks/

Alupis 7y ago
The earth can be important to him, and he can "put his money where his mouth is" without placing politics on his webstore's home page. Like I said - if it was some issue that wasn't your kind of politics, it would be a turnoff to see this when you're just trying to do some shopping. It's a turnoff even if it is your kind of politics - I was interested in their clothing. Now I'll shop someplace else.

devindotcom 7y ago

I think for an outdoors apparel company, being visibly concerned about conservation and global warming is very on-brand. Part of why people choose Patagonia is their politics. Most companies you're not quite sure where to find those politics listed - because the front page is all products. I think it's brilliant for Patagonia to do the opposite here. It's not like people can't find the jackets after hitting the landing page.

Alupis 7y ago
> I think for an outdoors apparel company, being visibly concerned about conservation and global warming is very on-brand Except "Extinction" is pretty radical, extreme, and alarmist. Even for someone that supports doing something about global warming.
- cweagans 7y ago
  What exactly do you think the consequences are if we don't do anything about global warming? Mass extinction is not outside the realm of possibility.
- pfranz 7y ago
  It reminds me of the George Carlin bit, "Save the planet? The planet will be fine. We're the ones that are screwed."

timwaagh 7y ago

Patagonia has been very successful with this marketing model. Now reddit and also this site is full of free adverts for them.

snowwrestler 7y ago

There are other comments about Patagonia specifically, but broadly speaking, there are a bunch of recent examples of companies whose business growth benefited from adopting public political positions: Penzey's spices against Trump, Nike's Colin Kaepernick ads, or Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby on political issues related to Christian faith. Eco-politics has been part of Patagonia's identity for decades and is arguably important to their business success. There's a growing sense among business leaders that companies benefit from participating more broadly in society than just making a profit. You can see this discussed in tons of business articles, and in the recent statement from Business Roundtable on the purpose of corporations.

pfranz 7y ago

I don't remember if it was in his book[1] or if it came up when I was discussing the book with someone. Climate change basically ruins all the outdoors stuff so it's tied pretty directly to his business. [1] Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard; the founder of Patagonia