One of the first things journalists learn is to ignore people who say something’s a ‘first’ because it usually ends up being incorrect or true only in its narrowest construction. Bullshit, in a word.
But I’ve seen the phrase cautiously attached to the news that Patagonia is endorsing two conservation-minded Democrats running for the US Senate in next month’s midterms, and I’m tempted to believe it.
For all the brands (and it’s most of them, to be fair) wading into political and social issues to court woke customers, I can’t remember ever seeing one go so far as to hitch its wagon to a specific politician or a political party. Company leaders sometimes endorse political candidates (although even that can hurt a brand, just ask Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank) and brands will sometimes implicitly support a party ideology (this campaign from Chevrolet in Argentina, for instance). But marketers and executives have always stopped short of throwing their brand behind parties or politicians.
With good reason, too. It’s a needlessly risky strategy because it casts the net wider than the issue at stake and onto party membership. Why alienate employees and customers when you don’t have to? Also, politicians and parties are changeable things, and they will let you down far more often than a belief or a cause.
Of course, you could make a good argument that Patagonia's endorsements are just the natural evolution of purposeful marketing, which began as platitudes and is now approaching something close to corporate activism.
