Case Study: Increasing Patagonia’s Repair Portal Requests with Snapchat and Reddit Ads

Managing the campaign across the two platforms, we increased awareness of Patagonia’s flagship repair service by 180%

More and more brands are hopping on the environmental train these days, but there are few that have doing it for as long as Patagonia. 

Patagonia are big believers in keeping gear going. Their ‘Worn Wear’ service has been about since 2012. And in 2023, the brand launched an online repair portal in the EU, making the repair system accessible to people who couldn’t visit a pop up repair station or store. 

Most of us understand that fixing our existing gear is better for the planet than buying it new, but it’s not a very commercially friendly concept. Most brands would shy away from a campaign that encourages people to repair their old clothes rather than buying new ones. Patagonia is not most brands.

For this campaign, Patagonia asked for our help to make people aware of the repair service and drive traffic to the portal. But beyond aiming for a boost in page traffic and repair requests, we saw this as a brand positioning opportunity. Having a repair service is cool, and we saw this as a chance to nurture real brand affinity for Patagonia customers.

Top of the Funnel Digital Marketing Strategy To Build Awareness

With over a decade of experience running paid media campaigns for Patagonia, as well as knowing ad platforms like the back of our hand, we’ve got a strong grasp of what works.

We recommended running ads on Snapchat, Pinterest, Display, and Reddit. The idea was to keep things simple, launching with a short, engaging animation and a few static banners to get the word out.

Strong Awareness Results: 180% Increase in Requests

Even though this was the first time we advertised a service on the Patagonia EU website, we’ve seen with other Worn Wear campaigns that people are receptive to the repair message. This campaign proved it again, and it had the numbers to back it up.

The results were strong, with a particularly low CPM. We found that Snapchat was the standout platform for the campaign, driving the majority of impressions, with the lowest CPM, and a strong CPC. Beyond the numbers though, we also recognised the value of Reddit audiences for this campaign, who seem particularly suited to Patagonia’s ethos and tend to engage well with storytelling and brand-led campaigns.

The success of the campaign showed in its impact on the actual service. The Repair Portal team reported a 180% increase in repair requests in July compared to the year before. You can’t argue with that – it’s a direct result of a campaign that was focused on long-standing brand values.

This campaign was about taking a genuine, useful service, backed by brand principles, and getting it in front of the right people, and it worked. 

Looking to raise awareness for your brand? Get in touch.

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