“We sewed, therefore we conquered.” – How did this brand use RIPS to REAP genuine market interaction? [Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire, and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
This is the mission statement of Patagonia, an American clothing company that markets and sells outdoor clothing.
While the quote above resonates with the “older” market, the company also wanted to connect with a younger demographic.
What did Patagonia do to bring its philosophy to life and reach millennials in 2015?
The “Worn Wear” Campaign!
Aside from reaching a new type of market, Patagonia also wanted to incorporate a larger purpose behind the campaign: To “change the relationship people have with the things they buy.”
How?
By encouraging consumers to repair and reuse some of their existing items―hence, the term “Worn Wear.”
Another reason why Patagonia pushed through with this marketing tactic was because millennials value self-reliance. In fact, most of them are naturally “DIY (do-it-yourself) people!”
If that’s the case, why not put those DIY skills to use and utilize the “Worn Wear” concept as a tool for millennial empowerment?
This led to the tagline…
“We Came, We Sewed, We Conquered”
For 49 days, Patagonia took the “Worn Wear” message from coast to coast―from the California Bay Area towards the east coast―and even stopped at areas where the brand’s sales are usually the strongest.
To make sure the mobile shop reached excited crowds at every stopover, the campaign team placed “Worn Wear” posters on different colleges and universities’ bulletin boards, transit stations, and outdoor community boards.
Patagonia also used its social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter to reach more people.
Ah… the power of online engagements!
The campaign team traveled using a Delia, a biodiesel-converted Dodge truck with a wooden canopy designed by San Francisco artist Jay Nelson.
At each stopover, Patagonia’s staff shared several sewing tips to DIYers and repaired used garments from people who visited the mobile shop.
Take note: They repaired stuff for FREE!
Wait… there’s more!
The campaign team also sold “Worn Wear” merchandise through Delia’s pop-up shop.
The mobile shop’s journey was chronicled on Patagonia’s social media channels. To make the posts more engaging, one of the brand’s content strategists gathered testimonials from consumers about how the “Worn Wear” program brought new life to their old stuff.
One message came from New York customer, Jay Palmer, who said:
“There is great value in passing garments down from one generation to the next, and the stories those garments hold when we make the commitment to keep them around. Most importantly, the fact that these garments become a vehicle of environmental conservation―the longer we use a garment, the longer we keep it out of the landfill, the less emissions and environmental impact the garment has.”
Because of reviews like that, Patagonia became appealing to millennials who are new to the brand―some of them even visited the mobile shop!
Was Patagonia’s “Worn Wear” Campaign Effective?
The brand’s 7-week, 6,000-mile “road trip” paved the way for the “Worn Wear” concept to become a fully-established Patagonia sub-brand in the coming years.
Results of the campaign:
- Patagonia had a total of 21 stops in its US tour.
- The campaign garnered over 11,000 tour attendees.
- The brand recorded an 88% merchandise sell-through rate during the span of the tour.
- About 685,481 online users viewed Patagonia’s “Worn Wear” landing page.
The campaign also won the Accenture Strategy Award for Circular Economy Multinational at the World Economic Forum’s 2017 annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
This was to acknowledge Patagonia’s contributions to the circular economy while “reducing dependence on scarce natural resources.”
There’s another award!
In 2019, Patagonia received the UN Champion of The Earth Award for its entrepreneurial vision and the “Worn Wear” campaign.
According to Patagonia CEO, Rose Marcario:
“There is nothing we can change about how we make clothing that would have more positive environmental impact than simply making less. ‘Worn Wear’ delivers a simple but critical message: Keep your gear in action longer and take some pressure off our planet.”
Through the “Worn Wear” campaign, Patagonia showed its commitment to product longevity and spread the word about responsible ownership and consumerism.
Never underestimate the power of bringing your brand’s principles into your Guerrilla Marketing tactics!
Just like “Worn Wear,” you can also reap genuine market interaction and customer loyalty when you know how to “go back to your roots.”
There is only one Mother Earth in the universe―one planet that your brand lives in―so be environmentally responsible.
Remember: Without Earth, there would also be none of the existing businesses we have at the moment.
May you be inspired with Patagonia’s creative tactic as you plan your own Guerrilla Marketing campaigns!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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