Patagonia: The King of Chemistry
Enigma’s CEO John Gutteridge’s take on why he thinks marketing has played a small but significant part in Yvon Chouinard’s – founder of Patagonia – decision to make a $4.4 billion bequest to NFP, Holdfast Collective.
Yesterday, Yvon Chouinard – founder of Patagonia, eccentric rock climber and reluctant billionaire – made headlines for giving away his circa $4.4 billion business to trust and non-profit organisation, Holdfast Collective. The bequest takes philanthropic efforts to another level and places a spotlight on other global billionaires whose rhetoric about sustainability and climate change might fall on deaf ears unless they follow up with significantly greater actions and consistency.
It’s fascinating to think how this $4.4 billion was created, and how that colossal amount of money is now funding the efforts of the good guys, dedicated to fighting our environmental crisis. I can’t resist but say marketing has played a small but significant part in all of this.
Why? Because responsible business practice is now a business imperative, not a ‘nice to have’. Culturally Australians demand accountability when businesses tout their environmental credentials; they often make choices about the role brands play in their lives based on an organisation’s environmental advocacy. For marketers, this has multiple implications, but the single most important focus right now should be about building and nurturing relationships with current and prospective customers.
