4 ms·

Seems like a marketing ploy. Everyone is cutting spending right now due to the economic downturn. What better way to cut spending you were going to cut than t

Seems like a marketing ploy. Everyone is cutting spending right now due to the economic downturn. What better way to cut spending you were going to cut than turn it into a publicity stunt that translates into likes on Twitter! Great time to buy outdoor apparel ads on FB, btw.

rubber_duck 6y ago
I sort of agree with the first part but I fail to see how this translates into "great time to buy outdoor apparel ads" when the market leaders are forced to cut spending.
- rodiger 6y ago
  Probably more room for the smaller players to get their ads seen. Idk if pricing or visibility is realistically affected by market saturation though.
- jayparth 6y ago
  It's cheaper to get clicks because there's less competition for the keyword. True for a lot of categories right now.
  - rubber_duck 6y ago
    But are those clicks worth as much if spending is down ?
lowmemcpu 6y ago
Since they're only stopping for the month of July, I now suspect that you're presumption is correct.
- pentae 6y ago
  Wow what a nothingburger this is, and the press took it hook line and sinker. Amazing PR
  - jeromegv 6y ago
    PR is the whole point, but it's also PR against Facebook. For sure this won't make Facebook cry for the lost of ads dollar, but it's another day in the press where Facebook is being looked as the bad guy, and ultimately that might influence Facebook.
- ryneandal 6y ago
  Another poster covered this point better than I could: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23602328 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23602328
libertine 6y ago
I think you underestimate what vision and mission of companies are, maybe because for a lot of them it's fluff. I'll reframe it: it's being leverage by marketing, it's not a marketing ploy in itself. And that's fine - they are letting their audience, and potential new audiences, know their stance on a specific matter, to try to make a change. If it's amplified by media, it's great, that's why it's called "earned media". Plus, they are not saying "We won't allow anyone in our supply chain to use Facebook Ads to advertise our products.", so they're are not hurting any businesses. They are simply taking a position and owning it - like they did with a lot of things. Patagonia understands branding quite well, and they understand the power of consistency when you want to build a long term and sustainable brand. Specially if you want to change the world. You don't have to be a tech company that develops the next level of AI, or a new efficient fuel light-weight fuel, or a pharmaceutical company that develops the cure for a type of cancer, to make effective change. Patagonia caters to a specific audience. They are doing their part to try to make what they believe is positive change.
baddox 6y ago
If it were a great time to buy outdoor apparel ads, and Patagonia were only concerned with their bottom line, then I expect they would not stop buying outdoor apparel ads. You really can’t have this both ways.
- chillacy 6y ago
  I think the parent is implying that it's a good time to buy outdoor apparel ads _because_ Patagonia is no longer buying ads. Ad impressions are sold as price per impression, so if a major player is no longer there to bid up the prices, then prices should be lower in theory.
  - linuxftw 6y ago
    Exactly right. Prices for the smaller players will drop or otherwise be easier to get broader exposure for the same product category. If I was running an ecommerce business, this would be a strong signal to buy placement on FB.

rubber_duck 6y ago

I sort of agree with the first part but I fail to see how this translates into "great time to buy outdoor apparel ads" when the market leaders are forced to cut spending.

rodiger 6y ago
Probably more room for the smaller players to get their ads seen. Idk if pricing or visibility is realistically affected by market saturation though.
jayparth 6y ago
It's cheaper to get clicks because there's less competition for the keyword. True for a lot of categories right now.
- rubber_duck 6y ago
  But are those clicks worth as much if spending is down ?

lowmemcpu 6y ago

Since they're only stopping for the month of July, I now suspect that you're presumption is correct.

pentae 6y ago
Wow what a nothingburger this is, and the press took it hook line and sinker. Amazing PR
- jeromegv 6y ago
  PR is the whole point, but it's also PR against Facebook. For sure this won't make Facebook cry for the lost of ads dollar, but it's another day in the press where Facebook is being looked as the bad guy, and ultimately that might influence Facebook.
ryneandal 6y ago
Another poster covered this point better than I could: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23602328 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23602328

libertine 6y ago

I think you underestimate what vision and mission of companies are, maybe because for a lot of them it's fluff. I'll reframe it: it's being leverage by marketing, it's not a marketing ploy in itself. And that's fine - they are letting their audience, and potential new audiences, know their stance on a specific matter, to try to make a change. If it's amplified by media, it's great, that's why it's called "earned media". Plus, they are not saying "We won't allow anyone in our supply chain to use Facebook Ads to advertise our products.", so they're are not hurting any businesses. They are simply taking a position and owning it - like they did with a lot of things. Patagonia understands branding quite well, and they understand the power of consistency when you want to build a long term and sustainable brand. Specially if you want to change the world. You don't have to be a tech company that develops the next level of AI, or a new efficient fuel light-weight fuel, or a pharmaceutical company that develops the cure for a type of cancer, to make effective change. Patagonia caters to a specific audience. They are doing their part to try to make what they believe is positive change.

baddox 6y ago

If it were a great time to buy outdoor apparel ads, and Patagonia were only concerned with their bottom line, then I expect they would not stop buying outdoor apparel ads. You really can’t have this both ways.

chillacy 6y ago
I think the parent is implying that it's a good time to buy outdoor apparel ads _because_ Patagonia is no longer buying ads. Ad impressions are sold as price per impression, so if a major player is no longer there to bid up the prices, then prices should be lower in theory.
- linuxftw 6y ago
  Exactly right. Prices for the smaller players will drop or otherwise be easier to get broader exposure for the same product category. If I was running an ecommerce business, this would be a strong signal to buy placement on FB.