Patagonia & Instagram

Patagonia is very unique in the way that it uses its Instagram platform not only to promote its products, but to also spread awareness about social and political issues. Patagonia is well known for their environmental conservation efforts. Following with this mindset, the company promotes a brand culture in which they would rather repair old Patagonia attire than sell a customer new products.

Having established itself as an environmental company, it is clear to see why they take such great stands against anti-conservation efforts, such as the Line 5 Pipeline and the Trans-Pecos Pipeline. In order to promote their agenda, they post pictures with bold, white letters across the image very clearly describing what their message is. It is in this clear, defined language that followers and viewers are able to fully understand what they are promoting. In the comment section of the image, they post additional information about the cause and tell the viewer that more information is found in Patagonia’s Instagram bio.

In addition to standing up for certain causes, Patagonia ensures that they are also active in promoting their political agenda. Numerous Instagram posts feature the same black-and-white images with bold, white letters across the image telling their followers to go vote. In one specific post, they tell California to “vote yes on the plastic bag ban.” When the presidential election results were finalized, they began to post more quotes with the same black-and-white background. These quotes emphasized the importance of preserving the environment for generations to come. There is no doubt that Patagonia was disappointed in America’s choice of a president, as it has become evident that Trump will decrease environmental regulation spending.

Not many companies openly confess their political affiliation. However, Patagonia’s follower-base does not seem to mind that it is such an opinionated company. Patagonia has over 2.2 million followers, and counting. The company does an exceptional job of balancing visually appealing lifestyle images with social and political content. Patagonia is one of the few companies that can pull off such a feat.