In August, outdoor apparel brand Patagonia released its first television advertisement. Rather than showcase a new line of outdoor clothing and gear, the minute-long spot features founder Yvon Chouinard outlining an ongoing threat to America’s public lands.
This year, 27 federally held national monuments, including Cascade-Siskiyou in Oregon and Bears Ears in Utah, underwent a review by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke—an act that could presage incursions by private companies or even sale.
“We thought people didn’t really understand what was at stake,” Patagonia president and CEO Rose Marcario says. “We don’t usually advertise in traditional ways. We try to help educate people about environmental harm.”
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