Film is one of the most effective means of communication in the digital world. When executed well, it breathes life and energy into your messaging. It helps people see themselves as part of a larger idea, whether it's realizing they're part of a community or being inspired to solve a problem.
Patagonia wanted to throw a 35-year anniversary party for their beloved Baggies Shorts—a simple yet iconic product. But we also wanted to invite our customers to celebrate with us.
How could we create a campaign that shared our history, adventures and stories around Baggies while inviting our customers to share theirs, too?
After weeks of brainstorming, we came up with "What's in Your Baggies" as the campaign concept. The headline is engaging, with the classic, Patagonia tongue-in-cheek sense of humor to draw people in and create a fun vibe.
The "What's in your Baggies?" campaign not only invited people to submit photos of themselves wearing their Baggies, we put together a 1 1/2-minute film montage of customers, ambassadors and employees telling stories about where their Baggies have been.
The campaign ran in print and digital campaigns and got lots of eyeballs and story submissions through social (and plenty of Baggies sales).
Patagonia wanted to launch a campaign that educated audiences about the value of buying Fair Trade Certified clothing. But we didn't want to approach the creative in a way that depicted an imbalanced relationship between our company and the factories we worked with.
We wanted to show that the Fair Trade Certified initiative was a true partnership that included factory workers making decisions about how they spent the extra income that Fair Trade Certified products provided.
How could we highlight what was most important about this partnership and make it about shared values?
I pitched a concept that focused on the value creation Fair Trade provided to factory workers; a human approach that put everyone involved on equal ground—from Patagonia VPs to sewing experts.
The film crew visited three of the overseas factories we worked with and talked directly to workers directly impacted by our Fair Trade Certified program. Hearing their personal stories helped us form a connection between factory workers, employees and our customers, because some values—safety, education, caring for family, prioritizing children—transcend cultures and physical distances.
Complimentary messaging included interviews with Paul Rice, President of Fair Trade Certified and Helena Barbour, VP of Sportswear at Patagonia, which ran in a digital campaign and catalog.