‘It’s forever work’: Patagonia on why it will never be ‘post-purpose’
Describing the idea of a ‘post-purpose age’ as “baffling”, EMEA marketing boss Tyler LaMotte insists the company is “all in” on its mission to save the planet.
Some within the marketing community claim we have entered a ‘post-purpose’ world. They point to the likes of Unilever, whose CEO Hein Schumacher announced in October 2023 the FMCG giant would stop “force fitting” purpose to all its brands.
The post-purpose concept was discussed at the Cannes Lions Festival in June by Marketing Week columnist and professor Mark Ritson, who argued that under a market-oriented lens brand purpose becomes “hilariously pointless”.
These sentiments hold no sway with Patagonia product and marketing director EMEA, Tyler LaMotte.
“To say we’re post-purpose is absolutely baffling to me,” he says, speaking to Marketing Week in Cannes.
LaMotte argues businesses are “burying their heads in the sand” and questions whether some are rowing back on their commitments after finding being purpose driven requires work.
