Insight
Patagonia: Beginning with Nature, Ending with Nature | The Importance of Mission Vision to Brand Values
Mission and vision drive brand value
We are in business to save our home planet.
Patagonia, an outdoor sports brand, has been at the forefront of environmental issues for over 45 years. Founder Yvon Chouinard, an outdoor sportsman who climbs, surfs, rafts and skis, and a mountaineer himself, has elevated Patagonia's mission from ”Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to insure and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. business to insure and implement solutions to the environment crisis.” to 2018”s mission: ”We are in business to save our home We are in business to save our home planet." From this brand statement, which is more urgent to the environment, we can see the clear brand vision in the mind of the founder, who is over 80 years old.
(Image source: patagonia.com)
Mission is the clear understanding of a brand or enterprise of its role in society. The operation of a brand involves every aspect, from the initial product development, the selection of material supplier partners, to the down-to-earth communication strategy with consumers, all of which will be based on the fundamental question of “why we exist”, and will consistently carry out systematic and logical business operation activities.
(Image source: patagonia.com)
Mission and vision of the enterprise brand development direction of the core value of the realization of the corporate philosophy
Why do brands need a mission and vision? Just like a person's career planning, in addition to a short-term plan of action, there must be a medium- and long-term goal as a direction to strive for. A brand's mission and vision is also an integral part of the brand's business strategy.
From the perspective of the strategy pyramid, mission and vision are as important to a brand as the North Star is to a navigator, guiding the brand's ultimate business objectives and significance. In the face of competition from competitors and other industries, and in the face of changing consumer preferences, the diversified products and services developed by a brand should ultimately embody the mission and vision in order to maintain the brand's consistency in the long run.
The mission and vision are not static, but can be adapted and expanded according to the times, or with business mergers and upgrades. This is why a brand's journey, like a life story, has its own evolution and history.
(Image source: patagonia.com)
Patagonia is committed to realizing its mission and vision through product development.
How does Patagonia fulfill its mission in the business environment? They started with traceability. They commissioned an outside organization to analyze the environmental impact of the growing, transporting and production of various clothing fabrics. Since 1993, they have been developing fleece bristles for outdoor warmth using recycled plastics, an industry first. In 1994, at the expense of product profits, began to promote the production of organic cotton products. On the one hand, we are committed to cultivating organic cotton farmers, and on the other hand, we call on major brands to follow in order to facilitate the development of the industrial chain. With the same price as the incentive, until 1996, successfully led the market consumers to choose the full product line of organic cotton.
(Image source: patagonia.com)
The coolest company on the planet, with a mission and vision that leads to teamwork within the organization.
The mission vision extends to internal communications. In terms of employer branding, Patagonia's employees are true outdoor enthusiasts who develop products that address consumer pain points from the user's perspective. They also support the brand's core values from the bottom of their hearts, with employees taking an annual public service holiday and being required to commit to environmental work and overseas factory tours. The head office, located by the blue sea, uses reusable materials as much as possible, echoing Yvon Chouinard's book ”Let my people go surfing”, which embodies the idea of balancing commercial profitability with environmental protection. It is through a consistent brand attitude from the inside out that Patagonia was voted the "Coolest Company on Earth" by Fortune Magazine in 2017.
Mission and vision are the cornerstones of all brand development.
Like every business should have its own soul.
Begin with the end in mind, and keep your feet firmly on the ground.