The Gortexed: Valuegraphics for North Face vs. Patagonia

The Gortexted Valuegraphics

It takes a lot to surprise me, but this chart did just that. After years of profiling target audiences for companies all over the world, you think you’ve seen it all and then you get a result like this.

For two companies that are in the same sector, competing with each other for the same share-of-mind, I would have expected to see some nuanced differences – a molehill of variance, not a mountain – between their target audiences. But this? This is the Mount Kilimanjaro of differences. Let’s break it down. 

The North Face customer is driven by Belonging and a sense of Community that outstrips the Patagonia customer by a mile. Anecdotally, I see North Face logos all over the people working on movie sets here where I live in Vancouver, often referred to as Hollywood North, and so the importance of Creativity and Self-Expression shouldn’t come as a surprise.  It’s very rare to see Balance and Compassion in a consumer product profile like this, so that’s worth noting. But before we end up convinced the North Face fan is some kind of misunderstood zen mountain poet, note how much importance they place on Financial Security and Possessions. They want to maintain their economically-enabled lifestyle, and really love having stuff. 

What should North Face do with this? Well, messages of technical craftsmanship and material suitability seem to be the norm in the sector, so assuming they have those covered, they might want to find ways to soften the edges of the brand a bit. 

A campaign featuring the unsung heroes of back-country creativity? The Banff School of the Arts hosts the Mountain Film Festival every year, where the world’s best films about the mountain lifestyle are screened and trophies are handed out. A heavy-duty sponsorship of that event seems like it would be a natural fit. Particularly if there was a way to directly involve North Face customers around the world to boost Belonging and Community. How about a North Face live streaming channel for all the movies screened at the festival, in real-time, and digital front row seats at the awards show too? Could the winning filmmakers have a Zoom meet-and-greet with North Face customers?  

Patagonia customers are an entirely different breed. They will gravitate to anything that can help them achieve more Personal Responsibility, a value we often see associated with environmentalism. They want to find ways to be the one who makes things happen. Add to that the importance they place on Loyalty, and these would be prime prospects for involvement in some sort of ongoing brand-sponsored activism that hinges on their own actions. Maybe there are micro-grants that Patagonia customers can apply for that could be used to help with small-scale change in a million neighborhoods around the planet, one initiative at a time? 

The other distinguishing valuegraphic cluster for Patagonia customers includes Security, Basic Needs, and Employment Security. Compared to North Face fans, these folks really want to feel wrapped up in a warm blanket of fiscal assurance. They think about how their actions will impact their jobs, their ability to pay the rent and put food on the table, and their safety in an increasingly volatile world. 

If either brand wants to go on the offensive and look to steal share while simultaneously solidifying their base, the North Star to guide that activity is provided by the Valuegraphic Profile too. The values shared by both target audiences, if amplified by either brand, would be the easiest way to have your freeze-dried-backcountry-camping-foil-pouch-of-cake, and eat it too.