Patagonia just spent $700,000 on it's first TV ad, and it’s targeting the Trump Administration.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is currently undergoing a review of 27 national monuments that could be scaled back in size. President Trump gave Zinke a review deadline of August 25th.
Patagonia is mobilizing its customers to encourage Zinke to protect public lands with a moving ad narrated by the company’s CEO, Yvon Chouinard.
The ad starts with Chouinard’s reflection on the lessons he’s learned from his time in wild places, “I’ve been a successful businessman because of the lessons I’ve learned in the outdoors. Our business was built on having wild places.”
Chouinard continues, “Behind the politicians are the energy companies and the big corporations that wanna use up those natural resources. It’s just greed.”
“This belongs to us. This belongs to all of the people in America. It’s our heritage.”
The ad transitions to a call for action. Chouinard asks the audience to hold Zinke to his promise that he will protect public lands.
This is not the first time Patagonia has veered into politics. In 2016, Patagonia donated their Black Friday profits ($10 million dollars) to environmental groups. They also closed their doors on Election Day this year to drive more traffic to the polls. As the Secretary of the Interior looks to unravel eight years of the Obama Administration public lands protection, this will likely not be the last time Patagonia gets political.
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is currently undergoing a review of 27 national monuments that could be scaled back in size. President Trump gave Zinke a review deadline of August 25th.
Patagonia is mobilizing its customers to encourage Zinke to protect public lands with a moving ad narrated by the company’s CEO, Yvon Chouinard.
“These wild places are the real soul of this country”
The ad cuts back and forth between a series of panning shots of stunning scenery and the CEO, sitting on a log and narrating the advertisement.The ad starts with Chouinard’s reflection on the lessons he’s learned from his time in wild places, “I’ve been a successful businessman because of the lessons I’ve learned in the outdoors. Our business was built on having wild places.”
Patagonia CEO Speaks Truth to Power
The ad takes a more serious tone, “Public lands have never been more threatened than right now because you have a few self-serving politicians who want to sell them off and make money.”Chouinard continues, “Behind the politicians are the energy companies and the big corporations that wanna use up those natural resources. It’s just greed.”
“This belongs to us. This belongs to all of the people in America. It’s our heritage.”
The ad transitions to a call for action. Chouinard asks the audience to hold Zinke to his promise that he will protect public lands.
This is not the first time Patagonia has veered into politics. In 2016, Patagonia donated their Black Friday profits ($10 million dollars) to environmental groups. They also closed their doors on Election Day this year to drive more traffic to the polls. As the Secretary of the Interior looks to unravel eight years of the Obama Administration public lands protection, this will likely not be the last time Patagonia gets political.