Brand activism represents a recent trend in which business enterprises blend profit-making activities with social corporate responsibility campaigns and initiatives. As such, business entities attempt to formulate appropriate messages aiming to raise issues about certain issues affecting a variety of stakeholders. Patagonia’s brand activism dubbed The President Stole Your Land represents a notable example of a campaign that sought to preserve protected national parks in the United States (Gelles). The brand activism initiative fronted by Patagonia Company was prompted by President Trump’s decree to reduce the size of national monuments in Utah. In the decree, the Bears Ears, an extensive rock canyon that accommodated important archeological sites would be reduced by 85 percent while Grand Staircase-Escalante reduced by 50 percent (Gelles). For that matter, President Trump’s decision threatened to open the protected land to drilling and mining.
Patagonia, an outdoor clothing manufacturing enterprise has repeatedly advocated for fair trade practices, considerable labor standards, and notably environmental protection. The above-mentioned brand activism was part of the company’s initiative to protect the Bears Ears Monument dating back to the year 2012 (Gelles). The activism campaign mobilized a broad spectrum of environmental activists and was effective in preserving protected national monuments and lands. The campaign was successful because there has never been any new development, drilling, or mining taking place in the protected lands (Gelles). There is no current development in the protected lands because of the brand activism fronted by Patagonia through a lawsuit. Going forward, there is no deadline for the determination of the case, and for the time being, proceedings in the case are still on hold (Gelles). Nevertheless, Patagonia’s managers have promised to pursue the brand activism agenda envisage in the lawsuit through to the end. In this way, the assurance is a demonstration of the company’s brand activism responsibility with regard to environmental protection.
Work Cited
Gelles, David. “Patagonia’s Deep-Rooted Activist Streak Fuels Suit against Trump”. Seattle Times, May 11, 2018. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/patagonias-deep-rooted-activist-streak-fuels-suit-against-trump/. Accessed October 7, 2020.