Vintage Patagonia Ads

Selling a Lifestyle Not Products

We’ve officially entered sun sets at 3pm era, and its got me thinking about outerwear. One of my favorite brands for staying warm is the tried and true classic: Patagonia.

Personally, I’d never buy new Patagonia. I prefer to browse eBay for some ‘98 or ‘99 Retro X’s because they were crafted better and feature better colorways. They simply don’t make them like they used to.

Likewise, vintage Patagonia ads are far superior to the new ones, and show a valuable lesson on how to effectively market products. Let’s dive in.

Selling a Story

The key hallmark of these ads is that they explicitly are not product focused. It would be incredibly difficult to see any of these ads and walk away with a clear idea of which Patagonia product its advertising. They showcase incredible landscapes and defying acts of exploration, visually hooking the audience.

These ads are marketing the lifestyle, eloquently communicating that Patagonia is a brand for adventurers and explorers of nature. Each ad whether it be showing someone climbing a mountain the arctic, or diving underwater, is subconsciously telling the consumer that if you purchase Patagonia, you too travel to these scenic, remote locations, and live an adventurous lifestyle.

Consumers Don’t Care About Your Product, They Care About the Story

I think many brands have gotten carried away with showcasing their specific products. While its obviously important to show the product, for creative and art directors, its crucial to remember we are selling a lifestyle not a product.

Advertising is the art of storytelling, with commerce attached, and modern content marketing could take a page out of Patagonia’s old playbook.

The reality is that as production becomes easier and more accessible, brands’ products are becoming more homogenous. Consumers care more about what having a brand says about them than the technical details.

Use your creatives to visually communicate a story, a lifestyle that your consumer can achieve by purchasing your product and buying into your brands ethos.

About Jake Bell

Jake Bell is a content marketing strategist based in NYC. He specializes in branding, art direction, creative strategy, content creation, and making things cool.

To get in touch visit www.jb.studio

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