Branding · Global · 2011
Patagonia: Don’t Buy This Jacket
On the biggest shopping day of the year, Patagonia told people not to buy its jacket.
By Maer Media editorial teamPublished 4 October 20263 min readPatagonia in-houseBranding · Campaigns
- Brand
- Patagonia
- Market
- Global
- Year
- 2011
- Category
- Branding
- Agency or team
- Patagonia in-house
- Channels
- Print, Common Threads programme
The context
Patagonia’s mission put it at odds with consumer culture, and Black Friday was the ultimate expression of overconsumption.
Patagonia’s customers care about the environmental cost of buying.
The move
The company ran a full-page ad showing its best-selling jacket with the headline “Don’t Buy This Jacket”, explaining its environmental cost and promoting repair and resale through its Common Threads initiative.
How it was executed
- Ran a full-page ad on Black Friday.
- Explained the environmental cost of its best-selling jacket.
- Promoted repair, resale and recycling.
On the biggest shopping day of the year, Patagonia told people not to buy its jacket.
What happened Reported facts
The ad became one of the most discussed in retail history and reinforced Patagonia’s position. The company kept growing in the years that followed.
Why it worked Maer’s analysis
The message matched the company’s actions, which made a counterintuitive ad believable.
What to take from it Maer’s analysis
- 01Positioning means saying what others can’t.
- 02A counterintuitive message works only when it matches behaviour.
- 03Back the message with a programme (repair, resale).
Indian brands can encourage repair and reuse only if they offer real programmes, such as repair services or take-back.
Where Maer applies this
The same thinking runs through these brand templates:
Sources: Patagonia (2011); The New York Times. Figures are as publicly reported; Maer Media was not involved in this work and is not affiliated with Patagonia.
The Maer Media editorial team studies how brands are built, from positioning and packaging to launches and growth. Figures in each case study come from the public sources listed above; the analysis and the India notes are our own. More about Maer
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