The Gortexed: Valuegraphics for North Face vs. Patagonia

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 have 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 should not come as a surprise. It is very rare to see Balance and Compassion in a consumer product profile like this, so that is 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 the 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. Patagonia customers 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 of mind 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.

These Valuegraphics profiles are the OS for your target audience.

Every organization wants to convince a group of people to do something. And humans will only do anything if it agrees with what they care about, or what they value.

That's why we created the Valuegraphics Database: to show you the shared values of your target audience, for anything, anywhere on earth.

Because once you know what your target audience cares about, you have what you need to engage and influence their behaviours, decisions, and emotions. You can spend all your time and money giving them more of what they care about, and not waste another dollar or hour on things they don't care about at all.

This is innovative behavioural research that will change the way you look at your target audience and change the way you look at the world.

Research Piece: https://valuegraphics.com/news/the-gortexed-north-face-vs-patagonia

By DAVID ALLISON of The Valuegraphics Database