A brand reading
Patagonia.
Explorer Out into the wild, and back to defend it.
Yvon Chouinard built Patagonia for people who go out into wild places, then pointed the brand back at protecting them. The 2011 ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ ad in the New York Times used the company’s own sales to argue against overconsumption. The Explorer’s tell is that the gear is a way outdoors; Patagonia’s twist is that the outdoors is the thing worth defending.
The reading.
Explorer with a Caregiver counterweight, expressed.
- Character
- Explorer
- Drive
- Adventure, freedom, novelty, self-discovery, discovery.
- Fear
- Restraint, stillness, entrapment, confinement, caution.
- Strategy
- Invite people to explore the brand, the world, and ultimately themselves.
- Counterweight
- Caregiver
- Opportunity
- Outdoor gear sold performance. Protect-the-place-you-explore was open.
- Diagnostic
- Expressed
The Explorer with a cause. Patagonia equips the trip and then defends the places the trip depends on, up to and including telling you not to buy the jacket. The Caregiver counterweight is the stewardship of the land itself.
Famous spot
Don’t Buy This Jacket, 2011