Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, has launched an aggressive,
three-part campaign in advance of the presidential election this
November 2008.
"Vote The Environment" asks customers to (1) register to vote, (2)
educate themselves on the environmental records of candidates and (3)
place the environment at the top of their priority list in the voting
booth.
Due to its strong environmental slant, "Vote The Environment" places
Patagonia at risk of customer criticism. However, the company said it
is willing to shoulder the consequences for an issue it believes trumps
sales.
"Vote The Environment proves that businesses can act as environmental
advocates in the U.S. election process," notes Casey Sheahan, president
and CEO of Patagonia, "We’re using our story-telling and marketing
expertise to get this message out during a critical time in our
country’s history. We know that some customers may be put off by the
strong environmental message. Not all our customers are
environmentalists. But we are. And we believe deeply that the
environment is the foundation we all stand on. Every other major social
concern–from energy to foreign policy–hinges on the health of the
planet."
Patagonia will promote Vote The Environment through all three of
its selling channels–retail stores, wholesale accounts and the Web.
The campaign will also go on tour with singer Jack Johnson this
summer–and will be a presence at youth musical festivals, including
Austin City Limits.
In addition to Patagonia’s traditional customer base, the campaign will
target individuals aged 18-25, because Generation Y and X voters by
2015 will be one-third of the U.S. electorate. This block of voters has
the potential to make a huge impact in this and future elections,
Patagonia said.
Patagonia also has partnered with over twenty national magazines to
secure free or co-op ad space to communicate the Vote The Environment
message. The company will also sell Vote The Environment tees,
contributing $5.00 from the sale of each tee to the League of
Conservation Voters.
In a statement, the company said, "we’re not endorsing any
specific candidates on the executive, federal or local level." However,
the League of Conservation Voters gave Republican presidential hopeful
a score of 0% on his yearly environmental scorecard for missing all 15 votes dealing with the environment.
Democratic contender Barack Obama only missed 4 of the votes and
received a score of 67%. His lifetime average for voting in favor of
environmental legislation is 86%.
McCain’s lifetime score is 24%.
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