Latest / Community Marketing with Fexingo: Discord, Slack Groups, and Brand Communities / How Patagonia Turned Customers Into a Climate Action Movement
Transcript
- Lucas: There's a moment in marketing history that still makes me stop and think. November 2011, Black Friday weekend, and Patagonia runs a full-page ad in The New York Times with a picture of one of their best-selling fleece jackets. And the headline? 'Don't Buy This Jacket.' Luna: I remember studying that in school. It was such a bold move — telling people not to buy your product on the biggest shopping day of the year. Lucas: Exactly. And most people interpreted it as a brilliant PR stunt. But Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard was dead serious. The ad was tied to their 'Common Threads Initiative' — a partnership with eBay to resell used Patagonia gear. The message was: buy only what you need, and when you do, buy used if possible. Luna: So it wasn't just a stunt — it was the public launch of a community built on a shared value. Sustainability, not consumption. Lucas: Right. And that's what we're digging into today. Patagonia has arguably built the most authentic brand community in the world — not by creating a Facebook group or a loyalty program, but by turning their customers into climate activists. Over 80,000 people have taken action through their Patagonia Action Works platform, and their customer retention is off the charts. The question is: how did they do it, and can other brands replicate it? Luna: Let's start with the foundation. Patagonia has been donating 1 percent of sales to environmental causes since 1985. That's before most of us were born. Lucas: 1985, yes. And in 2002, they formalized it into '1% for the Planet' — which is now a global network of over 6,000 businesses. But here's the thing: Patagonia didn't just write checks. They used that commitment to build a community of like-minded customers who felt they were part of something bigger. Luna: So the community wasn't about the product. It was about the mission. And that's a different starting point than most brands. Lucas: Totally different. Most brand communities start with a product — think Peloton or Apple — and then layer on mission. Patagonia started with mission and used product as the vehicle. And that attracts a different kind of customer. One who is willing to pay a premium for a jacket because they know part of that money goes to saving a river. Luna: But here's the risk: if you lead with mission, you have to be incredibly consistent. One scandal or misstep and the community feels betrayed. Lucas: And Patagonia has had those moments. In 2020, they criticized the Trump administration's public lands policies, and some customers boycotted. But the community they built — the core — actually doubled down. Because the mission was authentic from day one. It wasn't a marketing pivot. Luna: So how do they scale that? How do you take a mission-driven community and turn it into a mobilization engine? Lucas: Great question. The key platform is Patagonia Action Works. It's essentially a network that connects customers with local grassroots environmental groups. You go to the website, enter your zip code, and it shows you petitions, events, and volunteer opportunities near you. Over 80,000 actions have been taken through it. Luna: So they're not just asking for money. They're asking for time and voice. That's a much deeper level of engagement. Lucas: Exactly. And it creates a feedback loop. Someone participates in a river cleanup, they feel connected to Patagonia's mission, they buy more gear — but they also recruit their friends. It's a community multiplier. Luna: I want to go back to the 'Don't Buy This Jacket' campaign, because I think there's a nuance there. It wasn't just about sustainability — it was about challenging the consumerist culture that most retailers depend on. Lucas: That's the brilliant part. Patagonia basically said: 'We're a business, and we need to sell things to survive, but we also need to consume less. So buy our used gear instead.' They cannibalized their own new sales in the short term to build long-term loyalty. And it worked. In 2023, Patagonia's revenue was over $1 billion. Luna: Let's talk about the 'Worn Wear' program. That's another community touchpoint. Lucas: Worn Wear is Patagonia's used-gear marketplace and repair service. Customers can trade in old Patagonia items for store credit, and then those items are resold. It keeps gear out of landfills, but it also creates a community of people who share stories about their well-worn jackets. There's a nostalgia and a sense of shared history. Luna: That's something you can't replicate with a discount code. The community becomes custodians of the brand's story. Lucas: And Patagonia amplifies those stories through their marketing. They feature customer photos and stories on their social media and in their catalogs. They even had a 'Worn Wear' tour where they drove a truck across the country, stopping to repair people's gear for free. It's community building in the physical world. Luna: So the question for other brands is: can you do this if you're not an outdoor company with a strong environmental mission? Lucas: I think the lesson isn't about the specific mission — it's about the depth of conviction. Patagonia's community works because they are willing to sacrifice short-term profits for long-term alignment. Most brands say they're mission-driven, but when push comes to shove, they choose the quarterly earnings call. Luna: Give me an example of a brand that tried and failed. Lucas: Pepsi's 2017 ad with Kendall Jenner is the classic cautionary tale. They tried to co-opt protest culture without any real commitment. The backlash was immediate and brutal. Patagonia would never make that mistake because their community would call them out. Luna: So the community itself becomes a check on brand behavior. That's powerful but also requires surrender of control. Lucas: Exactly. And Patagonia's founder understood that. In 2022, Chouinard transferred ownership of the company to a trust and a nonprofit dedicated to fighting climate change. So the entire company is now legally obligated to prioritize mission over profit. That's the ultimate community commitment. Luna: Let's talk about metrics. How do you measure the success of a community like Patagonia's? Lucas: Traditional metrics like engagement rate or repeat purchase rate are part of it. Patagonia's customer lifetime value is reportedly three times the industry average. But they also measure things like number of actions taken through Action Works, number of people trained in environmental advocacy, and media impressions from their campaigns. They're looking at community influence, not just community activity. Luna: And that's harder to track. Most brands don't have the systems in place for that. Lucas: Most brands don't have the will. But the payoff is a community that markets for you. When Patagonia sued the Trump administration over public lands, their community amplified that message organically. The brand didn't have to spend on ads. The community became the media channel. Luna: I want to take a quick step back. If these conversations about community marketing have sparked something you've actually used in your own work, it's worth mentioning that this show is listener-funded. A handful of people chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that literally covers the production costs for all these episodes. No ads, no sponsors — just people who find value in the content. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small group but it makes a huge difference. It keeps us independent and allows us to go deep on cases like this. So if you've gotten something out of it, that's the way to keep it going. Luna: And back to Patagonia. One last angle I want to hit: how they handle criticism within the community. Because no community is monolithic. Lucas: Great point. In 2023, Patagonia faced criticism from some environmentalists for continuing to sell to the oil and gas industry — workers need gear too. Patagonia didn't ignore it. They published a detailed response explaining their position, and they invited dialogue. That transparency actually strengthened the community's trust. Luna: So the lesson is: don't avoid hard conversations. Use them to reinforce your values. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the final takeaway. Patagonia's community isn't built on a platform or a program. It's built on a consistent, authentic commitment to a mission that customers genuinely care about. The tactics — Worn Wear, Action Works, the ads — they all flow from that foundation. Without it, you're just running a campaign. Luna: So for brands listening: if you want a community like Patagonia's, start with the mission. Not the Facebook group. Lucas: And be prepared to mean it, even when it costs you. That's the real test.