Patagonia’s purpose: the ultimate mission-driven company
If there’s one brand that comes to mind when you think mission-driven, it’s Patagonia. There’s no other brand that has made the same level of commitment to delivering on its mission. Patagonia founder Yvonne Chouinard never set out to become a business magnate, so his approach was always going to be a little different. A climber, Chouinard built the brand from scratch originally by making high quality climbing products and clothing for his climbing buddies into what it is today, one of the world’s most well known outdoor retailers.
Patagonia’s mission wasn’t always so central to the brand. In his seminal book Let My People Go Surfing, Chouinard outlines how during a period where they received private equity investment they pursued the wrong approach, resulting in fast fashion and nearly bankrupting the company. In a radical approach, the leadership team spent time away from the office in an attempt to get back to what matters most – the heart of the company. From this came a mission that has endured for decades and driven business decisions across the company: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
This mission drove Patagonia’s marketing and campaigning initiatives, it drove its product purchasing and sourcing decisions and created new business units such as Patagonia Worn Wear. The mission gave Chouinard’s company a direction it had lacked, it enabled them to make strategic decisions of what to do next, but most importantly it gave them the reason to say ‘no’. What you don’t do is as important as what you do, and companies of all sizes make decisions every day that fail to deliver on their brand strategy. A distinct mission can solve for this and enable every area of the business to ensure they are moving in the right direction.
A classic Patagonia advert to drive a sustainability message
Patagonia’s advertising was pivotal in getting of the brand’s mission across. They developed breakthrough campaigns that put it front and center of their messaging, such as their influential advertising campaign telling customers to not buy their products. It was something very different for a market that tended to be focussed on pushing product features.
The genius of the Patagonia mission is that it directly ties the business goals to the environmental and societal impact they wish to have. This connection is often lost by brands and as a result the mission becomes too lofty and intangible for business units. The brand has now evolved its original mission into a more succinct version, that actually has a wider impact: “Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.” That shift in mission ultimately led to a completely new company structure when Chouinard and his family gave the entire company away to a trust and environmental arm so that the company could truly help the planet. “Earth is our only shareholder… the new owner is the natural world,” said Chouinard.
THE TAKEAWAY
Develop a mission that connects to your business.
Ensure your mission is clear and easy to comprehend across your company.
Ensure your mission helps drive strategic decisions and it can be delivered upon in tangible ways.
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