I've been thinking a lot about brand behavior lately. For whatever reason, it seems like we've been getting a lot of demonstrations of brand behavior at both ends of the spectrum lately. While there are a lot of ways to measure a Good Brand or Bad Brand, this is about seeing a business doing things that make me (and others) think, "in a choice for products or services, I would choose this one. They have earned my loyalty."
With that, I thought I would share a few observations and experiences.
Patagonia
I got my first Patagonia clothing item back in the mid-1980s, a set of Capilene thermal underwear. It was a gift purchase for me to help keep me warm riding my bicycle in the cold months. They've seen many miles and many adventures over the years. They are a bit threadbare now, so when I wear thermal underwear, I usually choose some newer Capilene layers.
It's just a layer of clothing, but even now as I think about them, it makes me smile. They are a dear old trusted friend, something I've counted on over and over again. Patagonia understood the product requirements and they made something great — and given a choice between a Patagonia product and something similar, I've often chosen Patagonia because of those thermals.
More recently, maybe 2016 or so, I got a Patagonia hoodie. It's nothing particularly remarkable, just a basic hoodie. I think I may have bought it at Nordstrom Rack or some other discounted retail location. I remember at the time thinking that it wasn't really my style, as it had a large Patagonia logo on the back — a little too much logo flash for me. However, before long it found it's way into regular rotation in my clothing choices, it was a little heavier and warmer than a couple of other hoodies, but it was still a basic hoodie that packed easily and made for a nice layer.
About a year and a half or so back, I noticed that my Patagonia hoodie was getting a little long in the tooth. The cuffs around the arms were fraying and holes were forming. The elbow area on one of the arms was also starting to get a hole. It was a sad day when I had to retire my now loved Patagonia hoodie from regular service. As I read about Patagonia's Worn Wear program, I wondered if it was something that they could repair.
Earlier this year, we finally made it over to the Patagonia outlet store in Santa Cruz with my hoodie. As it happened, we found our way to the store in the middle of a big winter sale, so the store was packed and crazy. Despite the madness, we were able to catch one of the Patagonia store team, talk to them about my hoodie, and get directed to the register where they logged my hoodie into their Worn Wear program. The speculated that they might be able to fix it, but asked if I wanted it back if they couldn't repair it.
Flash forward a month or two and I got my Patagonia hoodie back. They replaced the cuffs (a slight variation in the color) and sewed / reinforced the elbow area. It's my hoodie and they fixed it. They fixed it!
Patagonia didn't charge me for the repair. They didn't charge me for shipping. They just repaired my hoodie.
From a business numbers standpoint, it doesn't make sense. It's a loss for them. They did work, they didn't get money. They shipped stuff. They didn't get money. A stupid worn out, mostly cotton hoodie. And they fixed it.
Is Patagonia's clothing priced higher than fast fashion and other clothing options? Definitely. But at this point, if I'm looking for an article of clothing that Patagonia might make, I'm going to look at what options that they have and consider them. I find that there's a value in their products that goes far beyond the sticker price.
No comments:
Post a Comment