Sustainable
apparel marketing
and consumption
MASTER THESIS WITHIN: Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS: 15
PROGRAMME OF STUDY: International Marketing AUTHOR: Artem Syniuk
JÖNKÖPING May 2021
An analysis of Patagonia’s Worn Wear video marketing
campaign
Master Thesis in Business Administration
Title: Sustainable apparel marketing and consumption
Author: A.M. Syniuk
Tutor: Songming Feng
Date: 2021-05-24
Key terms: Sustainable marketing, fashion, apparel industry, semiotics, documentary, video,
Patagonia inc.
Abstract
Background: The modern world struggles with an environmental crisis and many industry
sectors could be considered as non-sustainable. The fashion industry is poorly performing both in ecological and social sustainability due to mass production and apparel waste caused by fast changing fashion. To reduce the negative impact on the ecological and social environment the United Nations developed the Sustainable Development Goals focussing on the economic, social, and ecological sustainability. The apparel industry influenced by the international organisations and the customers sustainability demands is forced to adjust its business strategy towards ecological and socially sustainable business and production.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how the brand Patagonia, a company in
the fashion industry, communicates its core values and meanings in its marketing campaign focussed on sustainable production and consumption. By analysing Patagonia`s video series of the Worn Wear marketing campaign, the underlying core values and meaning building the companies brand image on topic of sustainability could be interpreted.
Method: This thesis is conducted by applying interpretive thematic analysis and visual analysis
by applying the study of semiotics and documentary video analysis. The employed theories allow the researcher to discover meaning and values through conducting a visual analysis.
Conclusion: The results show that Patagonia Inc., communicates a total of four major and ten
secondary themes on topics of both ecological and social sustainability in the Worn Wear campaign. The themes are representing the importance of slow fashion by repairing the gear and sustainable consumption. The reciprocity between adventures and sustainable environment is being mentioned, and the social and ecological factors are expounded.
Acknowledgements
Writing of this thesis has been a long and challenging journey. I would like to express my honest gratefulness to everyone who participated and supported me during my tough journey. I would like to express special acknowledgments to my thesis tutor Songming Feng, for his continuous valuable support and expertise in the field of visual studies. Secondly, I would like to thank my friends and family for supporting and dragging me through the inconvenient and challenging times. Their presence, words and actions inspired and supported me to continue with my journey non regarding the obstacles. A special thanks to Iryna Batyreva, Annie Thörngren and Ioanna Coci for constant support throughout my journey.
Artem Syniuk
Table of content
... 1
1
Introduction ... 1
1.1 Background & problem statement ... 1
1.1.1 Patagonia Inc. and its sustainability centric marketing ... 3
1.1.2 Patagonia’s Worn Wear video campaigns ... 3
1.2 Purpose ... 4
1.3 Research question ... 4
2
Literature Review ... 5
2.1 Sustainable and social marketing ... 5
2.1.1 Sustainable marketing ... 5
2.1.2 Social Marketing ... 6
2.2 Sustainability in fashion industry ... 7
2.3 Theories for visual research ... 8
2.3.1 Semiotics ... 8
2.3.2 Semiotics according to Saussure ... 9
2.3.3 Semiotics according to Peirce ... 10
2.3.4 The difference between the theories of semiotics ... 11
2.4 Documentary theory in marketing ... 12
3
Research Methodology ... 15
3.1 Philosophy of research ... 15 3.2 Research design ... 16 3.3 Sampling method ... 16 3.4 The sample ... 17 3.5 Data collection ... 183.6 Patagonia Worn Wear ... 18
3.7 Data Analysis ... 19
3.7.1 Transcription of the audios of videos ... 19
3.7.2 Video materials and captures ... 19
3.7.3 Thematic Analysis ... 19
3.7.4 Semiotics ... 20
3.7.5 Analysis applying theories of documentary ... 20
3.8 Ethical considerations ... 20
3.9 Anonymity and confidentiality ... 21
3.10 Copyright of the still images captured from videos ... 21
4
Findings & Analysis ... 22
4.1 Repairing for sustainability ... 23
4.1.1 Firm-provided repair service ... 25
4.1.2 Consumer self-repair... 27
4.1.3 Repairing for longevity ... 30
4.1.4 Upcycling ... 33
4.2 Consuming quality for sustainability ... 36
4.2.1 Consuming quality clothes ... 38
4.2.2 Quality gear lasts longer ... 39
4.3 Reciprocity between adventures and sustainable environment ... 41
4.4 The social and ecological dimensions in sustainability ... 48
4.4.1 Care for future generations ... 50
4.4.2 Symbolic and emotional values of the gear ... 53
5
Conclusion & Discussion ... 56
5.1 Conclusion ... 56
5.2 Managerial implications ... 57
5.3 Limitations ... 58
5.4 Further research suggestions ... 58
6
Reference list ... 60
7
Appendix ... 66
Figures
Figure 1. Saussure’s semiotics (Fiske, 1990, p.44) ... 10Figure 2. Pierce`s triadic relation (Mick, 1986, p. 198) ... 11
Figure 3. Video number 5 “The Stories We Repair”, Screen capture at 0.23 min ... 23
Figure 4. Video number 10. “Worn Wear Stories Presented by Patagonia”, Screen …………capture at 0.27 min ... 24
Figure 5. Video number 3. “Mac This 3-Year-Old Rips”, Screen capture at 1.07 min .. 25
Figure 6. Video number 6. “Better Than New – Worn Wear Repair Truck & …………Facility”, Screen capture at 0.36 min. ... 27
Figure 7. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 0.36 min. ... 29
Figure 8. Video number 8. “The Stories We Wear Fred Casenave”, Screen capture at …………0.59 min. ... 30
Figure 9. Video number 7. Extended Play, Screen capture at 1.56 min ... 31
Figure 10. Video number 2. “The Stories We Wear”, Screen capture at 0.55 min. ... 33
Figure 11. Video number 2. “The Stories We Wear”, Screen capture at 0.55 min. ... 34
Figure 12. Video number 4. "ReCrafted, These Are Clothes Made From Other …………..Clothes, Screen capture at 0.36 min. ... 35
Figure 13. Video number 4. “These Are Clothes Made From Other Clothes”, Screen …………..capture at 0.43 min ... 36
Figure 14. Video number 3. “Mac This 3-Year-Old Rips”, Screen capture at 0.38 …………..min. ... 37
Figure 15. Video number 5. “The Stories we Repair”, Screen capture at 0.37 min. ... 38
Figure 16. Video number 5. “ReCrafted, These Are Clothes Made From Other …………..Clothes”, Screen capture at 1.02 min. ... 40
Figure 17. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 1.36 min. ... 41
Figure 18. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 1.25 min. ... 42
Figure 19. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 1.25 min. ... 44
Figure 21. Video number 2. “The Stories We Wear”, Screen capture at 0.29 min. ... 47
Figure 22. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 1.25 min. ... 48
Figure 23. Video number 4. “Recrafted”, Screen capture at 2.18 min. ... 49
Figure 24. Video number 4. “Recrafted”, Screen capture at 2.18 min. ... 50
Figure 25. Video number 1. “The Neighbourhood Jacket”, Screen capture at 0.15 …………..min. ... 51
Figure 26. Video number 1. The Neighborhood Jacket, Screen capture at 0.33 min. .... 52
Figure 27. Video number 1. The Neighborhood Jacket, Screen capture at 0.44 min. .... 54
Figure 28. Video number 6. Better Than New Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility, …………..Screen capture at 0.51 min. ... 55
Tables
Table 1. Documentary film-based research approach (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018, ………..p.109). ... 13Table 2. Modes of documentary film (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018, p.111). ... 14
Table 3. Overview of the videos. ... 17
Table 4. Overview of the themes and screen captures. ... 22
Appendix Appendix 1 ...Literature review and composition...66
1 Introduction
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This chapter first addresses the background of this thesis and explains the phenomenon under study. It also discusses the problem, research purpose, and research question.
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1.1 Background & problem statement
In the modern world, humanity faces an environmental crisis as many industry sectors are contributing to a non-sustainable future (Renner, 2012). As a result of these negative actions, in the year 2016, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were founded. The sustainable developments goals consisting of 17 criteria were initiated to achieve a more sustainable future regarding economic, social, and ecological factors (UnitedNations, 2020). The United Nations’ SDGs set for 2030, are aimed for encouraging the worldwide governments, companies, and society to take more conscious and concrete actions towards a sustainable future (Shu et al., 2020). One of the main goals covered by the SDGs is to include sustainability as a fundamental part of companies’ business strategies, focusing on the long-term sustainable results. Sustainability should be an essential base for all decision making and operation processes of companies. As a result, the SDGs s implies “Responsible Consumption and Production”, “Climate Action” and “Decent work”. These key indicators covered in the Agenda 2030 encourage companies to reform their supply chain management and production to achieve a sustainable future development (Olofsson & Mark-Herbert, 2020). One of the industries affected by the SDGs is the textile and apparel industry (Olofsson & Mark-Herbert, 2020; UnitedNations, 2020).
The production of apparel products is a major source of carbon dioxide emission according to Elstein (2018). The apparel industry is ranked to be the second worse industry after the oil sector, regarding pollution affecting the atmosphere (Olofsson & Mark-Herbert, 2020). Taking one of the world’s leading economies as an example, the average consumer in the United States of America throws away roughly 30 kilograms of clothing with a total of 1.7 billion kilograms of attire ending up in the waste dumps for the entire country every year (Hwang et al., 2016). According to the survey on the topic of international buying habits conducted by the Greenpeace (2016), the respondents admitted that they buy and own more clothes than they need, and this must be changed to achieve the set goals mentioned in Agenda 2030.
For many years, the topic of sustainability and social responsibility have become a hinder and an extra source of costs for the companies worldwide. The increasing importance of environmental awareness and governmental regulations are steadily forcing companies to act and meeting a compromise by reducing the polluting factors (Rattalino, 2018).
According to Grappi et al. (2017), there is a growing number of consumers taking environmental consequences into account in their purchases that are driven by moral, rational, and pro-environmental motivations. Consumers are taking actions on an individual level by ignoring the irresponsible companies concerning environmental factor and do pay more attention to environmentally responsible ones (Chatzidakis & Lee, 2013). The growing attention to the environmental consequences by the customers enforces the environmentally sustainable production and a need for retailing with environmental benefits, which become an essential part of companies’ business models on a global scale (Lee et al., 2012). Regarding Agenda 2030 and the growing consumer demands on topic of sustainability, it is important for companies to do sustainable business and marketing, to keep their competitive advantages on a long term.
The urge to do environmentally friendly business calls for research interests towards the brands that are already fighting against the existing environmental impact. The marketing of those brands and the stories they tell should not be neglected and should be an interesting area for investigation in scientific research. The term “social and sustainable marketing” concerns the fact of companies paying attention to moral and ethical values, which in long term would create a beneficial atmosphere for a person or a social group (Wood, 2012). Many studies have been conducted on the topic of social marketing and sustainable marketing with the growing concern on environmental preservation (Basil et al., 2019). Example studies covering the importance of sustainable and social marketing are reviewed by Dangelico & Vocalelli (2017), who explain the importance of sustainable marketing for the clients and the companies. The presence of sustainable companies and the sustainable actions they take is an inspiring topic for research. Specifically, it is interesting to study sustainability centric marketing campaigns of relevant companies. One of the global brands that follow the winds of environmental change and support sustainability with all possible actions is Patagonia Inc.
1.1.1 Patagonia Inc. and its sustainability centric marketing
As a brand operating in the field of clothing and textiles, Patagonia has been taking a leading position in the field of sustainability and environmental preservation (Hwang et al., 2016). It is known not only by its attention towards environmental practices, but also by its encouragement of the consumer to recycle, repair and consume fewer clothes in general (Hwang et al., 2016). Patagonia strongly participates in the sustainability centric marketing movement through the company's actions towards a more sustainable future (Michel et al., 2019). Besides its strong competitive advantages in the business world, Patagonia is recognized as one of the most socially and environmentally responsible companies on a global scale (Rattalino, 2018).
Patagonia`s action on the global market is not only recognized by actions taken in production processes and material research, but also by its creative and sometimes radical ways of marketing (Khamis, 2020). The brand is known for its charismatic commercials and anti-marketing towards its flagship products. Two inspiring commercial examples are the “Don’t buy this jacket” campaign focussing on the anti-marketing of its product and published in the world’s leading newspapers on the annually black Friday consumption day (Renner, 2012). The second inspiring campaign “Worn Wear” has its focus on avoiding overconsumption by wearing their old clothes of the brand Patagonia, and consume less in general (Hwang et al., 2016). Patagonia is adopting different approaches than those of many other apparel companies in terms of the way of marketing itself as being environmentally sustainable.
Patagonia focuses on the sustainability challenges to reduce the company’s footprint on the long run, and its actions are in line with the United Nations’ goal for Agenda 2030. Many companies in the apparel business, such as H&M and Levi’s are now striving to reach the goals of Agenda 2030, and Patagonia's sustainable marketing approach can solve this problem faced by many fashion companies (Shu et al., 2020).
1.1.2 Patagonia’s Worn Wear video campaigns
Patagonia is taking actions to reduce waste related to clothing by its Worn Wear video campaign (Khamis, 2020). In the campaign, Patagonia is taking action to reduce the fast-moving fashion and encourages its customers to maintain their apparel for a longer time. The Worn Wear campaign started in 2013 and the last video was published in 2020 with a total of 12 videos.
Although various studies had been conducted about Patagonia`s sustainable actions, little research has been conducted on the Worn Wear campaign.
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this research project is to understand how the brand Patagonia in the apparel industry communicates the core meanings and values in a marketing campaign about sustainable production and consumption. By analysing a series of videos in Patagonia’s Worn Wear marketing campaign, which is highly related to the topic of sustainable marketing (Michel et al., 2019), this research project aims to interpret and reveal the underlying meanings and core values in this sustainability centric marketing campaign building the company’s brand image.
The goal of this thesis is to discover the underlying meanings in the Worn Wear campaign videos communicated by Patagonia, and the resulting findings and analysis will reveal specific themes.
1.3 Research question
In line with the Research Purpose elaborated above, this thesis addresses this Research Question:
- What themes and meanings are represented and communicated in Patagonia ’s Worn
2 Literature Review
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This chapter is meant for introducing the reader to the relevant academic literature related to this research project. The key literature is reviewed and critically analysed to provide key concepts, terminologies, and gaps related to the research question. Topics like sustainable marketing, sustainability in fashion, documentary in commercial and semiotics.
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2.1 Sustainable and social marketing
2.1.1 Sustainable marketing
The research on topic of sustainable marketing developed various definitions describing the theory (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017). The definition formed by Henion and Kinnear (1976, as cited in Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017) states that sustainable marketing adapts the environmental and ecological sustainability matters into marketing. The terminology of sustainable marketing is covering various keywords including eco-marketing, green marketing, and ecological marketing. The terms of sustainable and green marketing are most common terms describing the field (Papadas et al., 2017).
The popularity and integration of sustainable marketing strategies is growing as more companies are adjusting to the increasing importance of sustainability for the society and consumers (Bray et al., 2011; Carrington et al., 2010; Maloney et al., 2014). Due to the growing importance of environmental sustainability for the customers, the companies are driven to adjust their marketing and production to the demands of sustainability (Dangelico & Vocalelli, 2017).
Sustainable marketing strategy involves a higher level of transparency, which is crucial for building a trust-based bond with the customers. Transparency and clear communication are the key drivers for the consumers to understand the value of sustainability and make sustainable choices (Rattalino, 2018). Green marketing usually includes terminology based on environmental allegations and adopts those to their products and brand identity according to Prakash (2002). According to Belz & Peattie (2009), the importance of the establishment and maintenance of sustainable relationship between the company and the customer by laying focus on both social and ecological sustainability.
The brand focus on sustainability as a tool to for pleasing customer`s needs has not always led to successful results (Furlow, 2010). Various sustainability claims in relations to products or brand identity had been seen as false claims or greenwashing (false claims about company’s sustainable actions). For example, a shirt containing 5 % organic cotton and the rest non-organic is marketed as “organic” (Bian & Moutinho, 2011). These actions followed by mistrust by consumers and possible scepticism towards sustainable marketing. Especially in the fashion industry the topic of greenwashing became an issue (Bray et al., 2011). Besides the false claims communicated by the fashion brands, the topic of sustainable marketing is being misunderstood by the consumers and mixed with greenwashing due to its complexity (Furlow, 2010). Besides the challenges the brands that are able to apply the complete approach involving both sustainability in their marketing and products are able to obtain trust and build a strong brand identity (Papadas et al., 2017).
2.1.2 Social Marketing
Alan Andreasen (1994), defines social marketing as the adaptation of commercial marketing technologies to influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and of the society which they are part of. Andreasen (1994) applied a new definition that has been a popular variant of sustainable marketing and its main value was in its focus on influencing the behaviour of customers on a voluntary basis, rather than other outcomes like attitude change or increased knowledge. Andreasen (1994), critiqued the classical definition of marketing by Kotler and Zaltman by pointing out the weak spots in not understanding and applying the social marketing, leading to misleading and false campaigns (Basil et al., 2019). According to Rothschild (1999), sustainable marketing is meant to motivate behaviour change by proper application of marketing tools. The latest definition and thought on the topic of sustainable marketing was formed in 2013 by the world’s leading marketing associations--International Social Marketing Association, European Social Marketing Association, and Australian Association of Social Marketing. The three organizations define sustainable marketing as followed. Sustainable marketing is a type of marketing that is strongly reliable and guided by ethical norms; the actions related to social marketing are aimed to develop and influence the better and more sustainable environment for the communities affected by it (Morgan, 2018).
2.2 Sustainability in fashion industry
The fashion industry, as one of the world's biggest sectors, has significant social and environmental consequences in our society (Guedes et al., 2020). The fashion market is a highly saturated and competitive market constantly chasing the customers’ demands for new trends (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). As a result, sustainable fashion became one of the trends and aims to minimize emissions while also improving working standards for employees in the industry (Guedes, et al., 2020). The system of sustainable fashion can be characterized through promoting ecological- and social ethics through products, operations, association and practises of use (Fletcher, 2013).
In recent years, the fashion industry was forced to pay more attention towards environmentally friendly production of clothes by including the materials friendly for the environment, and reducing the polluters related to the production of clothes (Heinze, 2020). The urge to do eco-friendly business reduces the popularity of fast fashion. If consumers do not have a positive outlook toward sustainable marketing, a company should strive to persuade them to do so (Yang et al., 2014). The term of fast fashion is described as delivering fashion product on the market in a quick as possible and serving the constantly changing needs of the fashion consumers (Kim et al., 2013).
Major fashion industries have understood the value of sustainability and have adopted the philosophy and sustainable approach in their campaigns. Producing environmentally friendly attires has become a powerful tool that is used in the fashion sector. Brands such as Marks & Spencer, Gap, and H&M are front figures focussed on sustainability, and launching organic lines therefore trying to minimize their impact on the environment (Sung & Lee, 2011). Since customers are more aware about the consequences of the fashion industry’s mass production, a new trend known as slow fashion appeared. Slow fashion is focusing on achieving better conditions for the complete life cycle of a garment, from the fibre production till the disposal (Kirsi, 2013). Contrast to fast fashion, handmade products in the slow fashion are gaining more popularity due to its transparently and sustainable objectives (Scaturro, 2008). Although the slow fashion movement brought a positive change, some brands used it as a tool to mislead the customer and create a false sustainable identity called greenwashing (Fletcher, 2013; Furlow, 2010).
The definition of sustainable fashion covers production of apparel by using high quality sustainable materials, proper working conditions and overall focus on sustainability of the company’s business model (Joergens, 2006). The sustainable fashion includes the mentioned before green marketing approach in its business strategy (Papadas et al., 2017). Sustainable fashion comprises the popularity of second-hand apparel and upcycling of apparel to maintain its lifetime (Papadas et al., 2017). The main goal of second hand and upcycling is to preserve the value of apparel for a longer period of time and reduce the waste and overproduction (Lewandowski, 2016; Nußholz, 2017). Adaptation of upcycling and second-hand sales is related to circular economy principle and form a closed loop in material use and production of apparel (Lewandowski, 2016; Nußholz, 2017).
Both upcycling (circular fashion) and second-hand fashion are examples of sustainability in the fashion industry. The perception of the two differs from the consumers perspective. According to Vehmas et al., (2018) the perception of upcycling is directly related to sustainability and circularity. On the other side the perception of second-hand apparel is more often related to rear pieces of apparel representing a specific style or representing a cheap shopping option (McNeill & Moore, 2015; Vehmas et al., 2018).
2.3 Theories for visual research
This chapter reviews the two visual theories called semiotics created by Charles Sanders Pierce (1839-1914), and Ferdinand de Saussure (1915). Semiotics will be applied in this study to analyse the essential still pictures of the key frames obtained from the marketing Worn Wear video campaign. The images will be metaphorically translated to text where the gained understanding of cultural meanings will be translated to codes as a code is gained through semiotics (Oswald, 2012).
2.3.1 Semiotics
Semiotics is the science related to signs, and it can help people understand and make sense of the hidden meanings of sign in a broad range of materials like, images, ads, products, etc. (Mick, 1986; Rose, 2016). Semiotics is commonly used in the social science disciplines and could be applied in marketing. The semiotics applied in social sciences refers to the analysis of the verbal, visual and spatial sign systems. It could also be applied to the analysis of visual advertising, retail setting or a brand (Feng, 2020). According to Oswald (2012), semiotics is
related to semiosis that could be seen as communication via use of signs and it can lead to the production of meaning.
Sign value could be considered as a fuel for the market (Murray, 2020). The meaning of the signs could be discovered and managed by merging marketing in the economical machine (Murray, 2020). According to Feng (2020), marketing as we know it is about the production and consumption of signs. The signs and their underlying values are fuelling the authenticity of the stories behind the object of attention, and thereby increasing or decreasing its meaning. The important question that relates to the study of semiotics is trying to understand what a sign is in its origin (Danesi & Danesi, 2017; Mick, 1986; Murray, 2020). A sign is a symbol, and a symbol stands for something, it represents something. A sign could be a representative for a narrative, culture, arts and more (Murray, 2020). A sign could occur in the story forming narrative images or film, with each part of the narrative representing a different story and holding a different meaning (Danesi & Danesi, 2017).
Semiotics is used in scientific studies as an analytical tool and a theory for translating visual materials like images, products, and brands into meanings. The theoretical value lies in its ability to translate decoded visual materials like marketing advertisements or other visual materials into deeper cultural meanings and codes (Arnold et al., 2001; Feng, 2020; Zhao & Belk, 2008).
We can understand the science of semiotic analysis through works of first of all Charles Sanders Pierce (1839-1914), de Saussure (1916), Ogden and Richards (1923), Morris (1938), Langer (1953), Baudrillard (1972), Eco (1976), and Barthes (1982) (Danesi & Danesi, 2017; Rose, 2016). In this study, two main perspectives of Saussurian and Peircean will be reviewed.
2.3.2 Semiotics according to Saussure
The theory shaped by Ferdinand de Saussure (1915) supports the understanding of signs and the functions of signs. The theory of Semiotics developed itself through Saussure’s study of structural linguistics, which in its place was applied in cultural studies and literary studies. Semiotics focusses on the cultural elements as if they are a language telling a story (Saussure, 1915). Saussure defined the sign as a phenomenon consisting of two elements, the physical form also called the signifier, and the perceptual part called the signified. The signifier that is also the physical form could be an image, sound, an object, or a word. The signified is a meaning
that could be derived of a physical signifier like an image (Danesi & Danesi, 2017; Mick, 1986; Murray, 2020; Rose, 2016). As an example, a number eight as a visual image refers to a number “signifier” but in some context it could refer to a never-ending loop or infinity “signified”. The combination of both signifier and signified forms a sign as mentioned by Saussure (Hall, 1997).
The Saussure’s theory is visualized in figure below and the figure explains what a sign is composed of. The figure shows a mechanical explanation of the theory not concerning a specific decomposed sign. Signification as mentioned in the model relates to the transformation of a physical signifier and signified the meaning into a new understanding of an object and its meaning (Fiske, 1990).
Figure 1. Saussure’s semiotics (Fiske, 1990, p.44)
2.3.3 Semiotics according to Peirce
According to Charles Saunders Peirce, the founder of pragmatism, the sign is constructed of three factors, the visual elements, something that we hear and the spatial object itself (Murray, 2020) This view on the sign consists of the tree elements: sign, object and interpretant. As illustrated in Figure 2, the sign, object and interpretant are interconnected and interacting to each other by forming a triangular semiosis (Mick, 1986, p198). As described in the Figure 2, the object is a physical and tangible part also called the referent, if the referent is a real object and stands for something the sign is related to the real object but could have a different meaning then the referent (Feng, 2020 as cited in Rose, 2016). The third part, the Interpretant refers to the created mental image formed by a person’s interpretation. (Feng, 2020 as cited in Christensen, L. T. Askegaard, 2001).
Figure 2. Pierce`s triadic relation (Mick, 1986, p. 198)
The interpretation of the object and its sign in Pierce’s study does not only include the simple interpretation of a cultural meaning but includes three sign categories. The sign according to Pierce consists of an iconic, indexical, and symbolic meanings. The iconic sign relates to an existing physical object, for example a jacket on a photograph represents the item itself. The indexical sign has an implicit association with an object where the sign and the object (referent) are connected in a causal way, for example a sound of falling water could indicate a waterfall nearby or a red circle sign with a white stripe indicates a stop signal in a traffic situation (Murray, 2020; Mick, 1986). The symbolic sign if often a matter of a specific cultural understanding and meaning given to an object. An example of a symbolic sign could be a Cross symbolizing Christian religion (Murray, 2020).
2.3.4 The difference between the theories of semiotics
According to Saussure, the meaning of a sign is a result of a dual relation where the meaning of a sign is a product of relation between the signifier (image, sound, or text) and signified (the concept) (Danesi & Danesi, 2017; Feng, 2020). Saussure`s theory focuses on the sign. In contrast, Pierce`s perspective focusses on a triadic relation that creates meaning. Pierce`s tradition also includes an object or referent (like Saussure`s signifier) and a sign (similar to Saussure`s signified) (Oswald, 2012). The third element interpretant is the meaning created by the interpreter and not necessarily related with the object or the signified. Due to the existence of interpretant, a sign on its own could be interpreted in various ways and have more than one meaning (Manning & Cullum-Swan, 1994)
2.4 Documentary theory in marketing
As this study analyses a sample of marketing videos that demonstrate documentary characteristics, this section reviews theories in documentary to support the analysis. The videos representing the Worn Wear campaign are formed as short documentary films and therefore the documentary theory is chosen to be reviewed in this chapter.
Since its inception, the film industry has evolved to new genres like drama, fiction, propaganda, advertising, documentary, experimental art film and amateur consumer-made film (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018). The video developed not only in its public outings but also became an interesting topic for the scientific study on the communicated languages and types of video genres involved on those. The modern studies about the videography cover three major themes, video ethnography, documentary film and experimental non-fiction film (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018; Russell, 1999).
According to Peterson (2019), the documentary genre in marketing is one of the most powerful and useful tools for storytelling and communicating brand's identity. The traditional marketing through regular TV commercials is losing its competitive advantage. Ad-free platforms with their growing audience are leading to the trend of documentary-like advertisements. The shift in the video commercial style makes the demand and the quality of the documentary like commercial grow (Panarese et al., 2018; Peterson, 2019)
Table one is representative for the documentary theory applied in the scientific research related to film. The theory of documentary is broadly applied in marketing and consumer research and has a strong influence on the videography practices related to those fields (De Valck et al., 2009). The documentary film-based research approach is reflecting the relation of a film to the reality. The relation to the reality is reflected through documentary modes as reflected in Table 2. A documentary video must be a source of knowledge and serve as a transparent tool reflecting the real world through one of the documentary modes. The pictures appearing in a documentary film are supportive for the rhetoric of a main message communicated in the film. Augmented facts reflecting and describing the actual situation are primary to the images. The role of researcher or filmmaker is often a background role, supporting the participants who are carrying the main message (De Valck et al., 2009).
Table 1. Documentary film-based research approach (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018, p.109).
Table two describes all modes used in the modern documentary films, applied both in the marketing and social sciences (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018). The modes of documentary have six modes as shown in Table 2. The Expository mode is the most prominent and broadly used mode in for example, television channels, historical and biographical documentaries. The expository mode, which is based on clearly realist beliefs, strives for an accurate portrayal of historical events. The historical events are put together in such a way that rhetoric (narration and voice-over) is becoming the primary message, followed by witnessing authentic' photographs or text by key characters or experts in the storyline (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018). The participatory mode includes the presence of a filmmaker in the film. The filmmaker directly interacts with the actors participating in the film. In the Observational mode the filmmaker is invisible for the public, the footage is filmed in the longer time periods and in a static way. The footage is authentic and not edited, and the narration is often absent. The Reflexive mode`s focus is on reflecting the construction of a film and discussing the concept of a documentary film genre. Performative mode is closely related to the Reflexive mode by mirroring the filmmaker’s journey of defining a specific truth on a specific topic. Poetic mode is also meant to reflect the real world but in a creative and artistic way. The Poetic mode is in comparison to the objective Expository mode a more creative and therefore subjective documentary type. The
Poetic Mode relies on creative associations, rhythms and the use of light to support a specific message of the film (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018).
Table 2. Modes of documentary film (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018, p.111).
Although the nature of the documentary film is to reflect the world as close as possible to the reality, the documentary film still involves a creative nature (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018). Therefore, brands are using the documentary style content production to reflect the reality and make the customer feel familiar to the product with ease (Panarese, et al., 2018) Documentaries, the same as research texts, attempt to explain us knowledge in a different, fresh light and to make undiscovered associations between objects and events (De Valck, et al., 2009). According to Peterson (2019), the documentary genre is becoming an important tool for the brands to establish a reality-based picture of the brand. This reality-based approach makes it possible to bound with the existing and potential customers.
According to the research conducted on topic of documentary film in marketing the theory seems to be a useful tool to create a catching and reality related image of a company or a product. The trend of the documentary seems to make difference in the current information and advertisement overdose. By involving the consumer in a story that could be related to the customers reality a brand indeed could make difference and win its competitive advantages on a long run.
3 Research Methodology
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This chapter describes the methods for gathering and analysing qualitative data in this thesis. It includes: the research philosophy, research design, sampling, data collection, data analysis, ethical considerations, anonymity and confidentiality, copyright.
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3.1 Philosophy of research
The philosophical grounding in relation to a research is important for the later decisions in the methodological research approach (Saunders et al., 2009).
The philosophies most applied in the business and managerial study field are positivism, interpretivism, critical realism, postmodernism, and pragmatism (Saunders et al., 2016). The current study is based on interpretivist approach with the major goal to discover the non-existent meanings, patterns, and theories included in the analysed data. The five research philosophies are followed by the three following assumptions: ontological, epistemological, and axiological (Saunders et al., 2016). When viewing the current study from the epistemic perspective, we see that the goal of the research lies in understanding the underlying context, signs, symbolic and cultural meanings. The fitting philosophical approach in relation to the current study is the philosophy of interpretivism (Saunders et al., 2016). Therefore, the understanding of context and meaning is the main goal of the researcher conducting the research by interpreting the meanings. According to Saunders et al. (2016), the interpretivist approach focusses on creating new interpretation and understanding of the researched fields of knowledge. Therefore, this thesis project’s main focus is to uncover the undiscovered cultural themes, signs and meanings from the marketing video materials of the brand Patagonia Worn Wear campaign. The value of understanding the meanings and signs in this study is created by analysing and interpreting a small amount of data in depth. The study carries out semiotic and interpretive analysis of 12 marketing videos in a series of the Worn Wear fragments campaign of the brand Patagonia published online in between 2014-2020.
The methodological approach to be chosen for this study is inductive. Inductive study is one of the three methodological approaches: deductive, inductive, and abductive, often used in scientific studies (Saunders et al., 2016). The deductive research approach is focused on applying the already existent theoretical frameworks to a new set of data. In the case of an
abductive study, the researcher applies some theoretical base and meanwhile discovers new insights according to the conducted research. The inductive approach means that research is formed of fresh and non-existent interpretive data. The main goal of an inductive study approach is discovering new meanings obtained through interpretive study and forming new theoretical frameworks (Saunders et al., 2016). The current study is of a qualitative interpretive nature and focuses on conducting analysis by relying on the existing data analysis (Saunders et al., 2016).
3.2 Research design
This paper is designed through conducting the explorative research approach, which is meant to explore and discover new insights about the researched phenomenon (Sekaran & Bougie, 2016)). According to Collis and Hussey (2013), exploratory studies allow more flexibility during the research, especially if the available data is limited.
This thesis explores the meanings and cultural themes communicated in the Worn Wear video marketing campaigns from Patagonia’s brand between 2014-2020. The meanings and themes communicated in the video materials are analysed by conducting an interpretive content analysis and semiotic analysis of the visual images in the video campaign. According to Saunders et al. (2016), the exploratory research is conducted through obtaining and analysing non-numeric data, which makes it possible to interpret meanings through the analysis of the embedded signs and meanings in the visual materials.
3.3 Sampling method
Data sampling helps a researcher to obtain or gain a higher accuracy by putting a specific focus and digging into a more narrowed-down phenomenon (Barnett, 2002).
According to Saunders et al. (2019), there are two types of sampling strategies: non-probability sampling and probability sampling. For the present thesis project, a convenience sampling which is a non-probability sampling approach was adopted, giving the author the space to select the sample in a subjective manner, rather than a random selection (Saunders et al., 2016). In this thesis the Worn Wear campaign consisting of 12 videos from the brand Paragonia was selected. The videos were selected in a convenient way by choosing one of the brands campaigns.
As there is a considerable growth of sustainable and ethical fashion brands on the market, another reason for including Patagonia Inc., Worn Wear Campaign 2014-2020, in the present thesis project is the company’s initiative for the environment, which outlines how sustainability has been ingrained in their DNA since the beginning.
3.4 The sample
According to the interpretive approach that shapes the nature of this project, the sample size could be defined concerning the purpose of the study (Saunders et al., 2009). The main goal of the current study is not to explore themes, meanings and signs communicated by many brands through a large-scale data set. The goal is to explore the underlying information by conducting interpretive analysis of a limited set of data of one brand. In the case of qualitative and interpretive analysis, a smaller sample size could be applied if the research goes deep into the existing materials. According to Saunders et al. (2009), a sample size for qualitative research is valid for the number of 12 qualitative interviews. In a similar vein, this study selected 12 videos from the Worn Wear campaign of the Patagonia brand. According to Daniel and Harland (2017), a sample size for qualitative research could be defined after a certain saturation and repeating patterns of the given answers. In the case of the current study, a total of 12 videos are selected and analysed to obtain the desired amount of information. The included videos were created as a series by the Patagonia brand in the Worn Wear marketing campaign. The duration of the videos in the sample ranges from 1 minute to 5 minutes. In total, they sum roughly 40 minutes of video contents.
Table 3. Overview of the videos.
Video no.
Title Theme Actors Time
duration Release date of the video 1 The Neighbourhood Jacket
Kids gear Navarro family 1:00 14-Oct-2020 2 The Stories We Wear Travelling gear Sean Villanueva O`Dri
scoll
4:27 31-Mar-2016 3 Mac This 3-Year-Old
Rips
Kids gear Mac`s father 1:30
26-Jan-2018 4 ReCrafted,
These Are Clothes Made From Other Clothes
Upcycling ReCrafted Empoyees 3:45 13-Nov-2019
23-Aug-6 Better Than New – Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility
Reparation of gear Employees of the Patagonia`s Reno Repair Department 4:09 01-Apr-2015 7 Extended Play Sports gear Ellie Atkins 2:08
26-Jan-2018 8 The Stories We Wear
Fred Casenave
Sports gear Fred Casenave 2:50 16-Jun-2017 9 If It’s Broke, Fix It!
Worn Wear College Tour Spring 2017
Reparation of gear
Patagonia 0:28
10-Feb-2017 10 Worn Wear Stories,
Presented by Patagonia
Sports gear Keira Henninger (runner)
Keith Malloy (surfer) Tommy Caldwell (Climber)
3:46 24-Nov-2014
11 Repair it. Outgrow it. Hand it down.
Kids gear Cally and Jesse McDougall
2:18 25-Sep-2018 12 The Stories We Wear
Trailer
Sports gear Patagonia 1:25
25-Nov-2014
3.5 Data collection
The current study relied on the collection of primary data, which Collis and Hussey (2014), defined as information obtained directly from a source, in this case 12 videos from Patagonia’s campaign, which have been published on the official website of Patagonia. The video materials were viewed, and the information was obtained between March-May, 2021.
An overview of the selected videos is provided in Table 1, which includes in total 12 videos related to the campaign. The actors, length of the video and publication date is depicted in Table 1. A number was assigned to each video, henceforth the videos will be referred to as the number illustrated in Table 1.
3.6 Patagonia Worn Wear
The data collected to conduct the research are the 12 videos of Patagonia`s marketing campaign that started in 2013 and is currently active, which focuses on social marketing and sustainability. The campaign aims to raise awareness about sustainability, as the videos encourage consumers to use their clothes/gears as long as possible by providing tips about different alternatives for the consumers to use their clothes/gears for a longer period of time and pass them to the next generations.
3.7 Data Analysis
The data analysis began during the data collection period when notes were taken on the videos and potential meanings that emerged. The data analysis consisted of three parts: 1) creating themes and sub-themes by studying video materials and transcribed texts of the audios, 2) taking two screen captures to illustrate each theme, and then analysing and interpreting the screen captures according to the semiotic theory.
3.7.1 Transcription of the audios of videos
The audio part of the videos related to the Worn Wear marketing campaign was first transcribed from auditory materials into texts. Each of the videos includes actors communicating messages representing the brand viewpoints of Patagonia. The messages delivered by the actors are of high importance for understanding the general themes and meanings communicated by the brand. The transcribed materials are therefore grouped into themes and subthemes.
3.7.2 Video materials and captures
Visual data it was collected from the marketing campaign called Worn Wear existing of 12 videos. Each of the twelve videos was reviewed and analysed to discover meanings in themes visually communicated. I captured some segments of the videos as still images, to be reviewed and analysed in-depth, aiming to support the main themes and sub-themes that have been identified. Each video includes various sets and camera angles, telling different aspects of a story. The still images were captured from critical moments in each video, which reveal the most critical contents for the thematic and cultural analysis. According to McCracken (1988), photographic images are a useful tool for analysing cultural issues due to a high number of meanings and details that could be involved in still images. Photography is a fitting tool for conducting sociological research from the epistemological view angle (McLuhan, 2003).
3.7.3 Thematic Analysis
The content of the videos in the sample was analysed using thematic analysis. According to Braun & Clarke (2013), thematic analysis is used to identify and interpret themes, which reflect key marketing intentions of the Patagonia Worn Wear campaign. According to Braun & Clarke (2013), a thematic analysis consists of six steps: data familiarization, initial coding, theme search, theme examination, theme classification and naming, and report production. Following the transcription of audios of the videos, main themes and sub-themes were identified and coded considering their relationship to one another. Quotes relating to the various topics were gathered
in a separate document with the initial names of the themes chosen. The themes and sub-themes were then renamed and redefined to represent their most prominent characteristics.
3.7.4 Semiotics
The semiotic analysis was the main tool to analyse video materials communicated in the Worn Wear campaigns of Patagonia Inc. Semiotics provides good tools for the analysis of visual materials by analysing a physical object and the meaning of the object as described in Saussure`s theory by explaining the object (signifier) and the meaning (signified). Besides the analysis of the object and its meaning as portrayed in the video materials, the relationships between the sign and the object were analysed by connecting the three types of relationships with the two - iconic, indexical, and symbolic (Mick et al., 2004). After the main themes and sub-themes have been created, two captures from each included video were taken and were interpreted using the semiotic framework.
3.7.5 Analysis applying theories of documentary
The analysis was conducted by analysing the documentary mode of each video by choosing the one of the six main modes as mentioned by Rokka & Hietanen (2018). Therefore, the relation of the documentary video to the reality were exposed and described. The representational themes and meanings were covered in main and sub themes and explained by conducting semiotic analysis as mentioned above.
3.8 Ethical considerations
Current research could not be fully accurate if we consider the credibility of the research. According to Saunders et al., (2016), the reliability of a study is defined by the consistency of the findings according to the techniques of data analysis. In case of the current research, the techniques of data collection are documented and reviewed to ensure a future reputability of the study. Although the research processes are documented, it is not possible to ensure a replicable approach of data interpretation by other researchers.
Data reliability could be threatened by the factors of observer error and observer bias if we consider the current interpretive study (Robson, 2011). This means that researcher who did the interpretation could be biased by misinterpretation of the still images or spoken text.
The gathered data were analyzed in an interpretive manner by forming clusters of meanings and cultural themes according to only one researcher’s insights and opinions. This could be
considered as a pitfall and a reason to conduct further research by multiple researchers to ensure the credibility of this qualitative analysis.
3.9 Anonymity and confidentiality
While extracting the data from the videos, nicknames were used for all the actors in the videos in order to preserve their anonymity (e.g., Participant 1 – see Table 1). According to Allen (2017), when gathering, reviewing, and reporting data, confidentiality is an ethical practice that should be taken into consideration as intention to protect the privacy of individual subjects.
3.10 Copyright of the still images captured from videos
Given this thesis's scholarly and non-commercial nature, as well as the requirement that the still images (as screen captures from videos) were used as illustrations in accordance with the interpretations in the text, there is no need of approval from the owners of the copyright, according to Jönköping University’s lawyer and to the Swedish law “Upphovsrättslagen”.
4 Findings & Analysis
___________________________________________________________________________ This chapter is meant to reveal all discovered themes and meanings communicated in Patagonia`s Worn Wear marketing campaign. The findings were distilled from the 12 videos and were grouped in 15 categories of themes and subthemes distilled from of the video data. Each of the themes and subthemes are further interpreted and elaborated by revealing their meanings with quotes from actors and captured still images as illustrations.
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The findings are organized by themes depicted in Table 2. All the themes are represented by relevant screen captures, taken from different videos of the campaign.
Table 4. Overview of the themes and screen captures.
Theme Figure Video no. Time duration (as minutes and seconds)
4.1 Repairing for sustainability 1
2
5 10
0.23 0.27 4.1.1 Firm-provided repair service 3
4 3 6 1.07 0.36 4.1.2 Consumer self-repair 5 6 7 9 1.41 0.59 4.1.3 Repairing for longevity 7
8 2 7 0.55 1.56 4.1.4 Upcycling 9 10 4 4 0.23 0.36
4.2 Consuming quality for sustainability 11 12 3 4 0.38 0.43
4.2.1Consuming quality clothes 13 5 0.37 4.2.2 Quality gear lasts longer 14
15
4 7
1.02 1.36
4.3 Reciprocity between adventures and sustainable environment 16 17 4 6 0.51 2.29
4.3.1 Travels and adventures considering the environment
4.3.2 Safety in extreme conditions 19 20 2 7 0.29 1.25
4.4 The social and ecological dimensions in sustainability 21 22 4 4 1.37 3.36 4.4.1 Care for future generations 23
24
1 1
0.15 0.33 4.4.2 Symbolic and emotional value of the gear 25
26 1 6 0.44 0.51
4.1 Repairing for sustainability
One of the main themes communicated by Patagonia Worn Wear campaigns is about repairing the gear if it is broken. The main idea communicated by the videos was that old, repaired gear is still good to wear. By repairing the gear, the customer acts in a sustainable way (Joergens, 2006). Many examples are given in the videos to show the importance and ease of fixing and continuing the use of the clothes or gear. Two critical moments were chosen to represent the theme.
Figure 3. Video number 5 “The Stories We Repair”, Screen capture at 0.23 min
Figure 3 illustrates a screen capture related to the theme 1 (repairing for sustainability). The object (also the signifier) is a sewing machine standing on an old wooden table. The
message written on it (If its broke fix it). A hand is holding the machine and is a part of the focus. In this part of the video the Poetic documentary mode is applied, the light is adjusted to give more focus on the object. The signified concept in this picture consists of three parts. The icon of a sewing machine that stands for creation of clothes. The hand holding the machine is an indexical sign representing the hands-on mentality and is directly related to the sewing machine and the craft of creating gear. The symbolic meaning in this picture refers to the old skill of reparation and creation of gear supported by the written text “If it`s broke fix it”. The analysed video number 5 “The Stories we Repair” is in its core related to reparation and craft of gear to make is sustain for a longer time. Anne Graham, one craftsman at Patagonia`s repair facility, was sharing her experience of crafting her own clothes and maintaining those for a long time by reparation. Figure 4. Video number 10. “Worn Wear Stories Presented by Patagonia”, Screen capture at 0.27 min
Figure 4 illustrates a flag on the blue background with a flag as the main object of focus also the signifier. The flag is illustrated on the blue background that could be considered as a clear blue sky. The video is made in a Poetic way by using saturated colours in an artistic manner (Rokka & Hietanen, 2018). The flag is made of fabric and has a written text on it saying, “If it`s broke, fix it”. The text on the flag has an indexical meaning by using a message created of fabric letters on a fabric flag. The whole message is related to reparation of the apparel that is also made of fabric. The blue sky on the background has a symbolical meaning related to pure nature and focussed on sustainable and safe future “a clear sky”.
4.1.1 Firm-provided repair service
The theme of Patagonia`s repair service was communicated by Patagonia in six of the twelve videos. The brand communicated its direct actions in reparation and sustainable production of the Patagonia gear. A message from the customer is a clear example of the theme shown in video number 7 “Better Than New – Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility”, “Yesterday I found
my jacket back in the mail, perfectly rebuilt, thanks for bringing it back to life. I can't tell you how much the quality of your work means to me especially in this throw away culture of ours, thanks John September 10th 2013”. According to the company’s plans to reduce its impact on
the environment the message of its own repair service has been communicated in various reality-based videos of the Worn Wear campaign.
Figure 5. Video number 3. “Mac This 3-Year-Old Rips”, Screen capture at 1.07 min
Figure 5 illustrates two people a father and a son, in a winter forest environment. The video is representing the everyday life of the actors in the environment familiar to them. The signifiers in this picture are the father and his son, but also the text is written at the bottom of the image. The text mentioned that the jacket has been sent to Patagonia and to repair the zipper and the company replaced it for free. The topic of firm-provided repairservice is covered in the video by replacing parts of the gear for free instead of trying to sell new gear instead. Besides the direct message communicated on the topic of sustainable production, the image includes symbolic meanings. The father and son are representing two generations growing up in a clean and natural environment. The forest, white snow and a blue sky are symbolic meanings for an
and son in a realistic way. Both the father and the son are wearing Patagonia gear according to the video. They are well protected and are protecting the surrounding environment by repairing their gear instead of consuming new items.
The companies reason as mentioned was their understanding of how the environmental impact could be prevented by prolonging the lifecycle of gear. Patagonia employs 45 full-time repair experts who are taking care of damaged gear sent in by their customers. The campaign video number 6 “Better Than New, Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility” emphasizes the necessity of this service for the company’s image by mentioning its repair facility as the largest in the United States. The company's action on the topic of sustainable production is repairing clothing and doing socially responsible business through environmentally friendly production. The workers of the repair facility emphasized the importance of reducing the impact on the environment by doing their jobs. According to the video “ReCrafted, These Are Clothes Made From Other Clothes” it is important to avoid the throw-away culture and by repairing the gear the impact on the planet could be reduced. The Worn Wear Truck & Facility mentioned in videos 6 and 9 was specially created to make their customers aware of the possibility to send in their Patagonia gear to be repaired and to be used afterwards.
This theme is being communicated throughout most of the videos in the Worn Wear campaign both directly by the company by explaining their service but also by the customers and their stories representing the company’s values.
Figure 6. Video number 6. “Better Than New – Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility”, Screen capture at 0.36 min.
Figure 6 illustrates a production and reparation facility of Patagonia. Throughout video 6 the various reparation facilities had been pictured, the reason for choosing the current image is its variety in signs and meanings. The signifier in this figure is a person who is working in the facility, and her workspace. The video is filmed to represent the actual environment of the repair service without directly interacting with the workers. The image illustrates a person who wears comfortable clothing and working in a home-like open space environment. The topic of sustainability is in this case related to both social and environmental sustainability. The icon of a plant in the foreground and various plants in the background are symbolising love for nature. The illustrated person owns plants at her workspace and is taking care of those. According to video number 6, the craftsmen of Patagonia are trying to reduce their impact on the environment. The open space environment and comfortable clothes show that the illustrated people share a passion for their job and its purpose of being a sustainable manufacturer. The led lamps hanging in the working space are energy-saving and have a direct meaning (indexical) of saving energy but giving enough light to the craftsmen working at the production facility.
4.1.2 Consumer self-repair
The repairing of personal gears is being strongly recommended by the brand. Patagonia gives examples of how their gears could be repaired and still be worn for a long time through telling the stories of their various customers in most of the videos related to the Worn Wear campaign. The videos related to self-repair are filmed in a realistic manner reflecting the exact
actions taken by the actors. The actors background voice is supporting the image by clarifying the actions.
Patagonia communicates how the customers could repair their gears through three scenarios enacted by three types of actors. The company employees like craftsmen who are working on the reparation of gear. The customers who are used to repair their clothes in daily life. The third actors are the users of the gear who are forced to repair their gear under difficult circumstances during the practice of extreme sports.
The main idea communicated by Patagonia`s employees is that repairing your gear is a state of mind and a life philosophy. They show in video 7 “Better Than New Worn Wear Repair Truck & Facility” how the gears are produced and repaired at the reparation facility and trying to inspire the customer to repair the damaged gear if possible “For the first time, our repair techs
are hitting the road, to fix gear and hear your stories”.
Anne Graham (a repair technician) communicates her way of maintaining and sewing her clothes in video 6 “The Stories we Repair”, “I was a kid and I started sewing for the reason
that I still right now because I just like to make my clothes”. Anne gave examples and told her
story in sewing and repairing clothes throughout her life since her childhood. The customers from video 12 “Repair it. Outgrow it. Hand it down.” who was raised by repairing and taking care of their clothing also gave examples of how the repairing could be done. “I want my kids
to know when something breaks the first thought is how do I fix it and not how do I get a new one”.
The customers who practice sports and especially extreme sports give their recommendation on the topic of how to repair the gear. Patagonia shows hereby examples of how it could be done through its customers' actions. The main heroes in the video fragments like Sean Villanueva O`Driscoll “an extreme sports practitioner”, Fred Casanave “a surfing enthusiast” and Ellie Atkins “a winter sports rescue team member” mention the number of self-made patches in their gear. The actors are giving examples of how personal gear could be repaired in realistic videos reflecting their actions.
great stuff. You just cut a piece and glue it on, and it never comes off again”. Sean`s reparation
technique was basic but very creative and long-lasting, just like the pieces of his gear hanging out with all the patches visible. The examples of repaired gear because of severe usage were presented by a free climber in video 11 “Worn Wear Stories” who showed at least 14 patches on his gear. All patches were sewed or taped to extend the gears lifetime, and each of the patching techniques was precisely filmed to give clear examples.
Figure 7. Video number 7. “Extended Play”, Screen capture at 0.36 min.
Figure 7 illustrates a ski patrol member Ellie Atkins in a ski patrol hut according to the video “Extended Play”. Ellie is the main object of this image so the Signifier. She stands in a dark room with the focus on her action and the outstanding white text message. The screen capture is precisely describing how to patch the gear in extreme conditions. The fragment is filmed without editing the picture and reflects the real emergency situation. The message gives an example of a manner to repair a piece of gear under extreme condition. The image illustrates Ellie Atkins who in urge is forced to repair her gear with a piece of armoured tape to continue with her duty. The picture is both explaining how to repair in a textual and visual manner.
Figure 8. Video number 8. “The Stories We Wear Fred Casenave”, Screen capture at 0.59 min.
Figure 8 illustrates Fred Casenave a surfing enthusiast from video 8. The picture illustrates a workshop with Fred working on a piece of gear. The camera is placed in a static way and reflecting Fred`s traditional action. The signifier in this picture is Fred, the workshop with tools and a written text message explaining the action. According to the message, Fred is explaining his tradition of repairing his gear and in the current scenario, he works on his boots. The textual message is supported by the symbolic meaning of craft by illustrating Fred in a small home workshop with limited lite and natural colours. The workshop is filmed without interrupting its natural atmosphere. Fred gives an example of his skill in patching his gear. The surrounding shows a variety of tools used for reparation purposes and emphasizes gear reparation as a life philosophy.
4.1.3 Repairing for longevity
The information communicated by the actors in the videos is often related to the tough journey of the used gear and the repairing as a key to maintain a longer life of the gear. The gears used by the actors in the videos were frequently repaired and the actors emphasized the specific number of patches and times that the gears have been repaired. Sean Villanueva O`Driscoll, an extreme sports practitioner from the video #2 “The Stories We Wear” gave an example of sustainability by repairing his gear with more than 10 patches per item. The actor mentioned repairing as the key for maintaining his gear to keep using it in the future. In the video # 3 “Mac
