New Era of Brand Activism

UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW.
HOW PATAGONIA IS LEADING THE
WAY.
NEW ERA OF
BRAND ACTIVISM
1
the latest installment of our: Snapshot Series
LHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM

ABOUT.
At LHBS, we believe in continuously observing and learning from
what’s happing in the market.
We’ve created our Snapshot Series to provide insights on platforms,
industries and companies. Using best practice examples, we explore,
analyze and share how businesses are adapting to new trends.
Moving from insightful data to best practices to inspiring thought
starters for brands, Snapshots can be a guide to bring meaningful
innovations to life in different areas of business.
This issue explores the growing relevance of CSR and cause
marketing for business due to changing customers’s expectations,
giving leading industry examples and key learnings.
We hope you enjoy this deck and ﬁnd inspiration for your innovation
process.
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 2
Discover Deﬁne Develop Deliver

INTRODU
CTION.
As consumer’s demands for transparency, sustainability and social
responsibility of brands are rising, brands can no longer duck away as
not doing anything can have real negative business impact.
Consumers want brands to take a stand and do good. The CSR
powerhouse Patagonia is leading the way to a new era of brand
activism.
How can brands adapt to this changing expectations and demands?
What can brands learn from industry CSR leaders?
This Snapshot points out the increasing relevance of CSR in light of
changing consumer expectations and explores the current best in
class examples of brands rooted in a strong cause, followed by
implications for brands.
LHBS is a marketing & innovation ﬁrm with ofﬁces in Berlin and
Copenhagen. We help clients to understand today's emerging
customer expectations and to shape their business offerings for
tomorrow.
http://www.lhbs.com
Christina Gundacker
Strategy Consultant at LHBS
lhbs.com | cg@lhbs.com
INTRODUCTION
3

CONTENT.
Chapter 2
WHY IS IT NECESSARY
TO TALK ABOUT CSR?
Chapter 4
HOW DID PATAGONIA
BECOME THE CSR
POWERHOUSE?
Chapter 1
CONTENT
4
WHAT CAN BRANDS
LEARN FROM
PATAGONIA?
Chapter 3
WHAT ARE OTHER
BRANDS DOING?
BEST AND WORST IN
CLASS

CHAPTER ONE
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO TALK
ABOUT CSR?

From this, we began to see an
increase in brand transparency,
cause marketing and generally
in CSR. This intensiﬁed as
consumer expectations grew at
the same time.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO TALK ABOUT CSR
The information age
brought people more
opportunities to discover
and act on national and
international causes.

Consumers are now well
aware of the inﬂuence
and resources brands
have to make more of an
impact.
So people are increasingly
looking to brands to take the
lead and stand up for political,
societal and environmental
causes.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO TALK ABOUT CSRLHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM

Brands who do not make an effort to
demonstrate CSR, or who are found to be
taking part in socially insensitive,
environmentally harmful or dishonest
activities are now held accountable.

55%
45%
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW.Source:
24%
76%
consumers said they would
purchase a product because
a company supported an
issue they care about
9
13%
87%
87%
Source: Conecomm CSR Study
will refuse to buy from a
company if they learn it
supports an issue contrary
to their own beliefs
76%

55%
45%
millennials would switch
brands to one associated
with a cause.
10Sources: Forbes and 2016 Food Revolution Study
6%
94%
of consumers say
transparency is important
to their purchase decisions
9
in
10
94%

55%
45%
of millennials want businesses to make it
easier for them to do their part in
addressing issues such as health, the
economy, and environmental
sustainability
11
30%
70%
70%
Source: Msl Group

Brands who want to be relevant
tomorrow need to think about what they
will stand for today.

But how can brands engage successfully in
honest CSR efforts that have real
business impact?

CHAPTER TWO
HOW DID PATAGONIA BECOME
THE CSR POWERHOUSE?

"I didn’t realize how much power we
have. And to not use it would be
irresponsible.”
- Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia
HOW DID PATAGONIA BECOME THE CSR POWERHOUSE
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 15Source: Outside Online

Key success factors for Patagonia’s position as a leading
brand activist:
FITTING CAUSE &
AUTHENTICITY
SINCERITY &
TRANSPARENCY
CONSISTENCY PRACTICE WHAT
YOU PREACH
HOW DID PATAGONIA BECOME THE CSR POWERHOUSELHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM

FITTING CAUSE & AUTHENTICITY
A brand needs to follow a cause that is ﬁtting and
relevant to the business it is in. With just bandwagoning
on a popular cause brands risk being perceived as
hypocritical and self-serving.

55%
45%
of Americans say when a
company takes a stand on
a social or environmental
issue, they will do
research to see of it is
being authentic.
18
13%
87%
65%
Source: Conecomm CSR Study

UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 19Source: Patagonia
“Build the best product, cause no
unnecessary harm, use business to
inspire and implement solutions to the
environmental crisis.”
- Patagonia Mission Statement

Reducing the environmental footprint is
and was always ingrained in Patagonia’s
DNA. Making their efforts authentic an
sincere.

LHBS // 2018: THE YEAR OF BRICK & CLICK
100% Traceable Down
With 100% Traceable Down, Patagonia continues
to promote its ethical practices for the
manufacture of their down garments.
Explore the Sign
The high-end outdoor clothing manufacturer
released a video “What the Pluck” to raise awareness
of the often cruel, unethical treatment of birds, which
include force-feeding and live plucking in harsh living
conditions. Distancing themselves from these
practices, Patagonia is also promoting the premium
quality of their down products, which are now 100%
traceable on an ethical supply chain. The video is
launched in conjunction with a website that raises
awareness of the unethical practices of the industry,
and detail how Patagonia prioritizes animal welfare in
the production of their down products.
21

Corporate Giving
Program: 1% For The
Planet
Patagonia is pledging one percent of its annual
sales to environmental causes.
Explore the sign
Patagonia’s founder Yvon Chouinard co-founded the
international organization ‘1% for the planet’. It is a
global network of businesses, nonprofits and
individuals working together to fight for a healthy
planet. Each company is pledging to donate one
percent of their annual sales to the organization who
is investing in environmental programs. Patagonia’
also earned the B Corp certification for meeting high
standards for environmental impact, accountability,
and transparency. But the brands efforts go far
beyond that.
22

Common Threads
Initiative
Patagonia are encouraging customers to reduce,
repair, reuse, recycle and reimagine clothing with
their new initiative.
Explore the Sign
The Common Threads Initiative is a partnership
between Patagonia, their customers and eBay to
encourage a more sustainable use of clothes. The
brand’s ultimate goal is to keep all of the clothing
they make and sell from reaching landﬁll sites.
Content surrounding the initiative includes
celebrations of the stories of clothes, educational
bites to help people repair or reuse clothing and
touring events to bring experts and inspirational
people to every corner of the world.
23

Patagonia’s
Environmentally-
Friendly Beer
Patagonia Provisions, an environmentally
conscious food brand centring on sustainable
sourcing, is entering the beer business.
Explore the Sign
The company produced soups, Buffalo jerky, Alaskan
pink salmon, organic grains and other snacks before,
but the beer is new in its product range. It is launched
in partnership with Hopworks Urban Brewery as a
Long Root Ale.
The beer is a breakthrough because it is made from
Kernza, a grain that doesn’t require pesticides and
uses less water. It also reduces erosion and cuts
carbon from the atmosphere.
24

SINCERITY & TRANSPARENCY
Sincerity and transparency are building up trust and will
make brands look honest and committed. It doesn’t
mean that you have to do everything right from the
start, but being transparent and honest about your
efforts and limitations. Consumers are as informed and
able to engage with brands like never before and they
will ﬁnd out and call you out for being dishonest.

55%
45%
of consumers wish it were
easier to know what
companies were doing
good.
26
21%
79%
79%
Source: Hufﬁngton Post

The Footprint
Chronicles
Patagonia takes a step further into full
transparency with the publishing of their
Footprint Chronicles which openly talks about
things that need to be improved in the value chain.
Explore the Sign
Patagonia took the classical Corporate Sustainability
Report a huge step further when they published their
Footprint Chronicles which offers a rich digital
experience. The Website lets consumers trace
dozens of their products through every step of the
manufacturing process. Next to the positive things
that Patagonia has already achieved in their sourcing
it also talks about the things that are not perfect and
need improvement to minimize the footprint on the
environment.
27

The Cleanest Line Blog
The blog accurately informs their followers about
their environmental efforts and product
innovations in their quest for less environmental
harm.
Explore the Sign
Patagonia is engaging its customers in a way that
loyal buyers are becoming loyal brand evangelists
supporting their cause and their brand. The Cleanest
Line blog, features substantive and compelling long-
form content about environmental issues and
outdoor adventures. Creating loyal brand evangelists
with compelling content on their blog that ﬁts their
brand and their cause. Also enthusiastic customers
are producing compelling content and enthusiastic
customers are communicating with other
enthusiastic customers.
28
© Patagonia

CONSISTENCY
Being consistent across time and cause. Even stick to
practices when against conventional marketing strategy.
No fear of being counterintuitive.

Patagonia's Repair Van
Patagonia is touring the US in the Worn Wear
wagon on the mission to repair old clothing and
encourage customers to think about how fashion
choices affect the environment.
Explore the Sign
Patagonia has recycled a Dodge pickup truck, pimped
it out with recycled wine barrels as walls, solar panels
for energy and fueled it with biodiesel. The truck is
touring the country- spreading the message about
conscious consumerism by offering free apparel
mending services and seminars. The wagon’s interior
has an industrial sewing machine that repairs any
garment that customers decide to bring- from
Patagonia or not. The technicians also advise on the
maintenance of the item and ways to extend its life.
30

‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’
Advertisement
For their 2011 Black Friday campaign, Patagonia
published an advertisement in The New York
Times which tells people not to buy anything.
Explore the Sign
This counterintuitive marketing move ﬁt perfectly in
their “buy less” initiative and supports Patagonia’s
claim to reduce its harm to the planet. With this ad
Patagonia addressed the issue of consumerism
especially apparent on Black Friday in the US. It was a
full-page ad which included honest facts about how
much liters of water the production of a jacket needs
how much carbon dioxide is produced in the process
and so forth. The ad concludes: "There is much to be
done and plenty for us all to do. Don't buy what you
don't need. Think twice before you buy anything.”
31

Patagonia’s ‘Worn
Wear’
For Black Friday 2013, Patagonia, long known for
their “buy less” initiative, did what no other brand
would dare consider even thinking about: They
screened a controversial mini-documentary that
told consumers NOT to buy their wares.
Explore the Sign
The impeccably beautiful ﬁlm, which was shown in 15
of their major store locations, was a 28-minute long
ode to ‘saving what you have’ titled Worn Wear. The
ﬁlm tells the real-life stories of a handful of
adventurers and their Patagonia gear. Each
participant tells how their beaten, battered and
bruised Patagonia goods came to be as they are, and
how they don’t want to ever give them up.
32

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
Only nice advertising messages and one off campaigns
won’t do the trick in the long term. Well informed
consumers know if you are walking the walk or
otherwise you will be shunned as hypocritical. A strong
commitment from leadership and internalized CSR
strategy is needed.

Recycled Clothing by
Patagonia
For its new collection Patagonia places reclaimed
and recycled materials at the center.
Explore the Sign
The Truth To Materials line is discovering the origin
of a material and staying as true to that as possible
during every step of design and manufacturing. As
materials Patagonia is using un-dyed cashmere,
reclaimed cotton and wool. The discarded materials
and clothes are shredded, mixed with polyester and
nylon for strength, and rewoven back into fabric.
The project also repurposes discarded Patagonia
outerwear and reconstructs each returned or
damaged jackets into durable, cold-weather scarves
manually by artisans.
34

Patagonia Offers
Repair Workshops
The retailer partnered with iFixit to offer tutorials
on how to replace Patagonia items and ﬁx things
like broken zippers.
Explore the Sign
Broken zipper, lost button, torn sleeve ... a lot of
unfortunate things can happen to your favorite
clothes. But before getting rid of the stuff, the
company is encouraging consumers to extend the
lives of their items of clothing by repairing
them. Patagonia & iFixit.com announced their
partnership, publishing an ofﬁcial series of free repair
guides for Patagonia garments and gear—in an effort
to reduce our ecological footprint and encourage
everyone to repair what's old, instead of buying
whats new.
35

‘Vote Our Planet’
Presidential Election
Initiative
Patagonia completely shuts down for election day
to push both employees and customers to vote.
Explore the Sign
In support of Patagonia’s ongoing support of
environmental activism, they made the bold move to
shut down all 29 of their stores across the US on
election day. They hoped to push employees and
would-be customers to make sure they attend the
polls and make their vote.
They also held voter registration rallies at their
stores to ensure everyone was informed as to where
they needed to go to vote.
36

Patagonia To Protect
Public Land
Patagonia speak out and are encouraging people
to take action against the president’s move to
eliminate protected land.
Explore the Sign
As Trump announces the decision to reduce the sizes
of two of America’s National monuments, Patagonia
are taking action. The public land in question face the
largest elimination in America’s history, and
Patagonia are encouraging people to join their quest
in protecting what belongs to the many through
signing a petition and speaking out.
"We’ve fought to protect these places since we were
founded and now we’ll continue that ﬁght in the
courts." —Rose Marcario, President and CEO
37

Doing good for the environment is also
good for business. Ethics and politics can
go hand-in-hand with proﬁtability.

55%
45%
In 2016, sales jumped 18
percent, according to the
company. The North Face,
meanwhile, declined by 2
percent.
39Source: Outside Online
Patagonia controls 9
percent of the outdoor
industry’s apparel market,
(without company’s
massive direct-to-
consumer business)
+18% 9%

55%
45%
The year after the ‘Don’t Buy
This Jacket’ initiative
Patagonia saw its revenue
grow around 30%, and an
additional 6% in 2013
40Source: Mind Body Green
The day after the
announcement of the ‘The
President Stole Your Land’ law
suit their online sales where 6
times higher than normal
+30% +6x

"What we are doing is stealing other
companies’ business. You do the right
thing, it leads to more business. What
am I going to do, say no?”
- Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 41Source: GQ

CHAPTER THREE
WHAT ARE OTHER BRANDS
DOING?
BEST AND WORST IN CLASS

The brands that will win are the ones who
can build up real trust. Consumers will
reward those brands with lasting loyalty.
WHAT ARE OTHER BRANDS DOINGLHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM

BEST IN CLASS EXAMPLES FOR
WHAT SHOULD RETAILERS DO ABOUT IT
FITTING CAUSE & AUTHENTICITY

What they did
45
Marks & Spencer’s Plan A was a movement launched
within their business to tackle five big issues - climate
change, waste, resources, fair partnerships and health.
All of their actions as a business and brand since then
have aligned to in some way address these topics.
This initiative began with the goal to create a more
sustainable future for the business, and to help their
customers to have a more positive impact on wellbeing,
communities and the planet.
They ended up also benefitting significantly in financial
terms from this more environmental and health-focused
approach, which is something they did not anticipate.
How is this authentic?
Marks & Spencer launched not only a one-off campaign, but a plan for the
coming 10 years (at least). They made a commitment and even forecast
an initial loss in business benefit. Their customers saw changes and felt
they themselves were having an impact on these causes.
Marks & Spencer’s Plan A
Source: signmesh, Watch Video
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign

What they did
46
Stella McCartney’s brand is evolving its fashion
through eco innovation by teaming up with Bolt
Threads, a San Francisco startup developing next gen
materials. The new material is based on natural
proteins and is processed in a cleaner and closed-loop
manufacturing protocol with green chemistry
practices. This way, silk is produced using yeast and
hence becomes vegan-friendly.
The fashion icon always has been committed to
sustainable materials and the new partnership marks a
new milestone in the fashion and garment industry. It
brings together fashion, sustainability and tech
innovation.
McCartney describes it as “a truly modern and mindful
approach to fashion”.
How is this a ﬁtting cause?
Stella McCartney is well known for her activism surrounding
environmental causes and sustainability, so this move simply adds to her
list of similar campaigns and eco-friendly products. It also appeals to her
clientele, some of who would be buying due to this eco-friendly element.
Stella McCartney Vegan Thread Fashion
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign

SINCERITY & TRANSPARENCY

What they did
48
Founders Isabel Kücke and Rohan Michael Hoole are
practicing radical transparency for their value chain
and communicating all price calculations to their
customers. For all of their products, each cost point is
communicated: from materials to packaging to labour,
transport and taxes. Even their own mark-ups are
included, making their approach truly transparent and
a ﬁrst in fashion industry.
The fashion industry shifted from an exclusive industry
to a more open playing ﬁeld in the last few decades, and
is now being disrupted by brands simply doing things
differently.
Von Hund are really looking to set themselves apart by
taking transparency to a new level.How is this transparent?
This sign speaks for itself in terms of transparency. The entire value
chain was made visible to customers from material sourcing to pricing -
something that has been a long time coming in the fashion industry.
Radical Transparency in Fashion Comms
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign

What they did
49
A healthier option for fast food, Panera are shaking up
the food industry by being open about the contents of
their food on menus, making efforts to remove artiﬁcial
additives and using “clean” ingredients.
They describe themselves as being “advocated for clean
food” and empowering guests to choose exactly how
they want to eat.
They also state that they’re “committed to making a
positive impact on our food system. We believe guests
deserve to know not only what is in their food, but
where it comes from and how companies are impacting
the food system.”
How is this transparent?
Panera are being more careful in selecting ingredients and so can offer
customers more insight into what’s going into their food. They’re
simply taking a more honest approach to displaying their menus while
taking steps to making this information look more positive.
A New Kind Of Fast Food
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign

CONSISTENCY

What they did
51
They launched an LGBT inclusive campaign -
#BetterTogether - which depicted a series of various
‘normal’ relationships enjoying Lush products.
They have also released a special soap for their
#GayIsOK campaign, with all sales going into their
Love Fund. This then distributes the money raised to
LGBT organizations around the world.
Lush wanted to launch a campaign which was
refreshingly modern, but without being offensive or for
people to feel as though they were simply ‘tokenizing’.
They also wanted to reach as many people as they could
with their messages of equality for LGBT people, and in
the process encourage the Supreme Court ruling on
marriage equality to happen.
How is this consistent?
Lush are well known for their activism surrounding animal cruelty and
environmental causes, and so already had the image of being a socially
and environmentally conscious company. To take a stand on LGBT
rights, especially when marriage equality was a hot topic in the US
seemed ﬁtting for Lush.
Lush’s support of LGBT charities
Why they did it
'
'
Explore Sign 01
Explore Sign 02

What they did
52
Edeka store in Hamburg, Germany, removed all foreign
offerings from its shelves. Instead shoppers could ﬁnd
posters saying things like “this shelf is boring without
diversity”, “today, our assortment does know boarders”,
and “this is how empty a shelf is without foreigners”.
Edeka wanted to make a strong point about just how
ingrained other cultures are in Germany, and show how
boring our choices would be without them. They wanted
to get people talking about the subject and make people
aware of just how multicultural we really are.
How is this consistent?
Edeka Group’s core value is responsibility, with a mission to always act
responsibly when it comes to their employees and their families, society
and the environment. So this social stand was clearly in line with
previous mission statements.
Edeka’s Statement Against Racism
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

What they did
54
Ben & Jerry's has introduced a new ice cream flavor
called SOS (Save our Swirled). The flavor is launched
along with the global climate talks being held in Paris at
the end of this year.
They also marketed their participation in the climate
change marches around the world with videos and the
provision of facts and figures around the topic.
The ice cream brand want to encourage people to sign a
petition calling for urgent action to be taken against
global warming.
Their campaigns helped in spreading their brand across
a potential customer base, as well as having also
succeeded in generating spark amongst general public
around the issue of climate change.
How is this ‘practicing what they preach’?
Not only did they encourage people to sign a climate change petition
and launch an ice cream to support the cause, but the brand also got
physically involved in marches around the world, and helped inform
people on information around the topic. This real-world action is what
demonstrated their dedication to the cause.
Ben & Jerry’s Climate Change Campaign
Why they did it
'
'
Explore Sign 01
Explore Sign 02

What they did
55
REI kept their doors closed on Black Friday for the
third year running, and instead encouraged people to
#optoutside.
More than 700 organizations have now partnered with
REI on this initiative. They also launched an
“experiential search engine” featuring photos from
people’s #optoutside experiences to really spread the
word and perpetuate the consumer sentiment shift.
Based on a moral decision by CEO Jerry Stritzke, the
outdoors retailer REI began closing on one of the biggest
shopping days of the year.
Their #optoutside initiative encourages people not to
engage in “rampant consumerism” and instead spend the
day outside.
REI is an outdoor gear and clothing brand, so to demonstrate their
support of outdoor activity is a no-brainer. To actually close down
stores on a day where retailers make a huge proﬁt is a bold move to
show their dedication to the cause outweighs their greed.
REI Reject Black Friday
Why they did it
'
'
Explore the Sign
How is this ‘practicing what they preach’?

Socially minded bath bomb
supplier Lush is trying to fight
pollution by collecting and
recycling ocean waste into
packaging materials.
A handful of other great CSR examples…
'
'
Explore the Sign
"Cards Against Humanity" bought
a piece of land to prevent the
building of the planned wall at the
border between Mexico and the
US.
Founder Aydin Umutlu is fighting
racism by introducing cola in
different “skin colors”.
Explore the Sign Explore the Sign

There is a real risk in taking CSR and
cause marketing too lightly.

In an era of unprecedented connectivity
between brands and consumers,
superﬁcial marketing claims from brands
are easily called out.

As a result brands have to face declining
trust of consumers, which might harm
their brand image.

#DeleteUber
Uber faced immense backlash for undermining the taxi strike at JFK Airport in New York
City against the muslim travel ban. Also Ubers CEO, Travis Kalanick was perceived as
supporting Donald Trump as he was part of his advisory council. People started deleting
their Uber app and did so public with the trending hashtag #DeleteUber. Moreover people
posted pictures and videos on social media deleting their Uber accounts. 200.000 people
deleted their Uber accounts in the course of the backlash. More than 50,000 people
have signed a petition called “Tell Uber: Stop collaborating with Trump.” It ended with
Travis Kalanick leaving the advisory counsil.
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 60Source: Fortune, Hufﬁngton Post

WHAT SHOULD RETAILERS DO ABOUT ITLHBS // 2018: THE YEAR OF BRICK & CLICK WHAT ARE OTHER BRANDS DOINGLHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM

Pepsi’s Failed Kendall Jenner Ad
For its ad titled “Live for Now Moments Anthem”, brought in many angered reactions from
the audience. The ad featured social media influencer Kendall Jenner. The brand created a
“short film”, featuring Jenner joining the march by leaving a photoshoot. Where she is
shown to be managing to bring everyone together by handing a cop a Pepsi. The ad was
not received in a welcoming manner by viewers, as within 48 hours of it going live it
received five times as many down-votes as up-votes. “Borrowing images from the Black
Lives Matter movement, the Pepsi ad was accused of commodifying and trivializing
social movements to sell soft drinks and belittling the experiences of minorities enduring
police brutality back in April,” reported Independent.
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 62Source: Fortune, Huffington Post

#BoycottDove
An advertisement for Dove body wash which showed a black woman removing her t-shirt
to reveal a white woman caused an social media outcry. It escalated quickly into a public
relations disaster for the Unilever brand being called out as racist.The black-to-white
transition was reminiscent, in the eyes of some viewers, of infamous soap ads from the
19th century or early 20th century showed black people scrubbing their skin to become
white. During the hight of the outcry there was one tweet per minute using
#boycottdove.
UNDERSTAND TODAY. SHAPE TOMORROW. 64Source: New York Post, Quartz

CHAPTER THREE
WHAT CAN BRANDS LEARN
FROM PATAGONIA?

ONE
WHAT CAN BRANDS LEARN FROM PATAGONIA
MAKE PEOPLE INVEST IN YOUR CAUSE.
Patagonia was able to align themselves and their mission with millions of outdoor
enthusiasts, so ﬁnding a cause that ﬁts your industry is crucial.
Your customers are part of your mission, so they have to be involved in your efforts. Your
customers need to be invested in your cause and philosophy, so that they feel they are
making a positive impact with their purchase. And just like Patagonia, your brand needs
to be inspiring, if you can imagine a better world then so can your customers.

TWO
TAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS SERIOUSLY.
Today’s consumers are well informed and connected, so direct and honest
communication is key to becoming a trusted brand.
Don’t be afraid to explain seemingly complex topics such as supply chain processes and
sustainability. Take the reins like Patagonia and don’t talk down to your customers or
dumb down your messages. It is tempting to avoid unpleasant stories, but telling the
good as well as the bad will increase your trustworthiness and leadership position. And
your customers will thank you for that.

THREE
CONSIDER CSR AS A REAL BUSINESS STRATEGY. 
A brand’s CSR efforts need to be ingrained in their everyday business strategy to really
have an impact. So brands need to lead with their actions.
Image marketing is part of standing for a cause, but before spending the time and money
on planning communications around their new position, brands must actually do
something ﬁrst. Learn from Patagonia’s ability of really walking the walk. Only then
should you use your brand’s megaphone to talk the talk and engage consumers to take
action themselves.

FOUR
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE YOUR INFLUENCE AS A BRAND.
The bigger your brand the bigger your inﬂuence and impact. but even Patagonia, being a
relatively small business was able to shake up the standards in the outdoor industry,
advised Walmart and those alike and lead them to take a greener path. Thereby creating
new standards of brand activism interlinked with business success.
“The question now is what Patagonia could accomplish if it became a Nike-size
megabrand.”
Source: outside online

A SOLID CSR STRATEGY WOULD BRING…
When your brand is honest
and transparent about their
shortcomings, consumers
will be more willing to
accept mistakes.
CRISIS
RESISTANT
BRAND
CREATING A
LOVE BRAND
LASTING
BRAND
RELEVANCE
ATTRACTIVE
EMPLOYER
BRAND
By creating a strong link to
your customers you will be
able to develop brand
evangelists that trust and
love your brand.
With a strong philosophy you
will be more attractive as an
employer as the future
workforce wants to make a mark
and identify with their employer
and what he stands for.
When choosing a relevant
and impactful cause for your
brand’s industry, you will
stay relevant for consumers
beyond fads or trends.
WHAT CAN BRANDS LEARN FROM PATAGONIALHBS // NEW ERA OF BRAND ACTIVISM
… TURNING YOUR BRAND INTO A CSR POWERHOUSE.

Discover
ABOUT.
Define Develop Deliver
LHBS is a marketing & innovation firm with offices in Berlin &
Copenhagen. We work with legacy organizations to adapt their
customer value proposition to meet emerging customer
expectations. Together with our clients we discover business
opportunities and deliver integrated customer offers for products,
services, experiences and communication.
http://www.lhbs.com
ABOUT
DISCOVER DEFINE DEVELOP DELIVER

LHBS Put the Title of the Report here
HUB.
This report has been created with the help of signmesh.
signmesh innovation hub is a tailored dashboard of curated insights and
business cases to keep your company ahead of the learning curve and
inspire ongoing innovation.
signmesh.com
SIGNMESH
73
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A DEMO.

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LHBS Consulting Berlin GmbH und unterliegen den geltenden Urhebergesetzen. Die unauthorisierte Nutzung,  
die ganze oder teilweise Vervielfältigung sowie jede Weitergabe an Dritte ist nicht gestattet.
LHBS Consulting Berlin GmbH
Köpenicker Straße 154
10997 Berlin Germany
IMPRINT
www.lhbs.com
THANK YOU
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