A Breakdown of Pangaia’s Purpose-Driven Marketing Strategy
Who is Pangaia?
Since being founded in 2018, Pangaia rapidly became a leader in sustainable fashion, I mean, even the name literally means all-inclusive, Mother Earth!
In the last five years, they have championed their vertical as leaders of innovation and technology for the planet. Instead of focusing on creating another fashion brand, their drive was to develop new eco-friendly and bio-based materials to pioneer the future of sustainable fashion; for not only their brand but for all material brands to come.
What Led to Their Rapid Success?
For Pangaia, sustainability and innovation were always at the forefront of their mission, and it’s this dedication that springboarded their growth in 2020 to achieve over $75 million in revenue in just under two years from launch. That’s nuts!
Although they are widely known for their unique and colourful products as a fashion brand, their mission statement includes no mention of fashion itself, only accelerating the future of sustainable materials for a better environment.
“Our vision is to inspire and accelerate an Earth Positive Future. Our goal is to design an earth positive business model where our products are better for the planet than if they did not exist. Every product we create is born from science and purpose, each solving an environmental problem of the industry. We exist at the intersection of science, purpose and design. We are here to give back more than we take. We are PANGAIA”. — Pangia
Essentially, they’ve flipped the brand model on its head. Rather than the purpose being derived from the product, the product is being derived from the purpose! Instead of ploughing all of their budget into marketing campaigns and multiple celebrity partnerships, they focused on the science and innovation, which in turn accelerated their brand presence and growth.
Establishing The Pangaia Brand With Purpose
Sustainability and Innovation for the Environment
Pangaia has embraced innovative technologies to drive sustainability and differentiation, such as creating its own “FLWRDWN™”, a plant-based alternative to traditional down, which has become very popular. Having this level of purpose and innovation has strongly resonated with their TMA helping to build emotional and trustworthy connections, which not only scaled their following, presence and sales but would have led to establishing brand loyalty and increasing AOV and LTV.
As well as driving change through their products, the brand also actively supports and promotes various causes and initiatives related to sustainability and social responsibility. This has resonated with socially conscious consumers and gained attention from media outlets, leading to increased brand visibility and awareness.
Fact: “66% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from brands committed to positive social and environmental impact”. — Deloitte
Fact: “79% of consumers are more loyal to purpose-driven brands, and 73% would switch to a purpose-driven brand if given a comparable choice”. — Cone Communications
Through innovation and sustainability, Pangaia has developed organic brand awareness and continues to stand out in the crowded fashion industry.
The Importance of Brand Identity
Pangaia is an exceedingly cool brand, there’s no denying it! From their unique and inspiring product statements to their bold brand design, to their powerful content and laid-back tone of voice… Everyone knows Pangaia, and rightfully so. Their visual identity aligns with their values and creates a recognisable brand, representing them as a clear authority in their space.
Their purpose is their brand. For example, on Instagram, their icon is of the earth instead of their brand logo; purpose before product.
Combining the highest quality brand design with deep purpose results in a brand that connects to consumers at multiple levels.
Using authority and authenticity to drive deeper connections
Pangaia is an advocate of education and spreading awareness of their purpose. They do this in a few ways;
- Pangaia has created a community by engaging with its customers through social media, events, and educational initiatives. By encouraging dialogue, sharing knowledge, and listening to its community, Pangaia has created a loyal customer base and strong brand advocacy.
- Pangaia has carefully collaborated with similar organisations, artists and designers to amplify its brand message and expand its reach. By partnering specifically with chosen influential individuals and brands, Pangaia has tapped into new audiences and created engaging experiences that align with its values.
When your message is unique, it spreads easily. Using their brand purpose throughout their messaging has allowed them to connect with their audience on a deeper level.
Fact: “Consumers are four to six times more likely to purchase, protect and champion purpose-driven companies that share similar values with them”. — Forbes
Fact: Purpose-driven content often generates higher engagement on social media platforms. “65% of consumers feel more connected with brands that have a strong online presence, and purpose-driven content can contribute to that connection by resonating with their values”. — Sprout Social
Pangaia’s Successful Marketing Initiatives
Content marketing
Pangaia focuses on highly engaging and educational content related to sustainability, fashion, and environmental issues to excite and educate their audience through various channels, including their website, social media, and blog. This approach helps to position Pangaia as an authoritative voice in sustainable fashion and builds a loyal following of conscious consumers.
Pangaia focuses on authentic storytelling in its marketing efforts. Instead of relying solely on product-centric advertising, the brand shares compelling stories and narratives that resonate with its target audience. The split across their social media, detailed below, demonstrates the depth behind their content. For a fashion brand, only 20% of their content is actually targeted to showcase their products, with 80% focused on entertaining and educating their customers. This split demonstrates that your product will sell itself if your message pulls the right audience.
Activism and community
Another successful initiative is their cause marketing and activism. The brand actively supports and promotes various causes and initiatives related to sustainability and social responsibility. By aligning with important issues and taking a stand, Pangaia has resonated with socially conscious consumers and gained attention from media outlets, leading to increased brand visibility and awareness.
Creative collaborations
Pangaia has had huge successes in their creative collaboration model by not only developing unique products but also promoting their mission of sustainability, amongst others. It is exceedingly important that these collaborations are strategically allocated to optimise their brand’s message and output; for example, they have partnered with iconic artists such as Takashi Murakami, Ambush and Alexander Wang to create capsule collections available in short supplies.
Pangaia also targeted specific environmentally conscious and fashion icon celebrities such as Pharell Willaims, who is an advocate of sustainability and has since gone on to create his own sustainable skincare and fashion brand, HumanRace. Further collaborations include similar like-minded companies creating sustainable materials, such as The Woolmark Company and BLOOM Foam, allowing them to utilise materials made from algae biomass and Vegea, which is a grape leather made from wine industry waste. Cool right?!
By partnering with individuals and brands who share their values, Pangaia has effectively reached new demographics and gained exposure to new followers. Compared to traditional influencer marketing, this highly-targeted approach introduces Pangaia to the right audience and cuts through the decreasing impact of generic influencer marketing.
Fact: “61% of respondents claimed that they had lost trust in influencers due to undisclosed sponsorships or inauthentic endorsements”. — Insider Intelligience
Limited-Edition Drops
Creating limited-edition drops creates a sense of exclusivity and urgency, which leads to guaranteed sellouts. This marketing tactic has had huge successes for several reasons, including the FOMO effect which creates a sense of urgency and can significantly boost sales during the limited release period.
Customers who are loyal often eagerly anticipate these releases and become more engaged with the brand’s marketing campaigns. This strategy not only increases CR as customers are more keen to purchase over regular lines, but it also keeps the brand and its message fresh and relevant.
Fact: When YPulse asked 13–39 year olds what kind of items they would be willing to pay more for, limited edition was the top response, with 31% saying they would pay more for a limited edition product. — YPulse
Pop-Up Stores and Experiential Marketing
The brand is growing globally and increasing its own store presence as well as selling through department stores such as Selfridges, they also generate a lot of sales from their carbon-neutral pop-up spaces. These temporary physical locations allow customers to engage with the brand, touch and feel the products, and immerse themselves in the sustainable ethos of Pangaia. Such experiences create a deeper connection with the brand and increase the likelihood of conversions.
Project Manager at Shopify
Key Takeaways
- Innovate — Pangaias innovation is pretty amazing when you think about it. Who thought you could be so different in loungewear? Innovation catalyses brand awareness.
- Purpose — Building a brand with a deep purpose and a cause has differentiated Pangaia in a crowded vertical and aligned itself with a higher intent and loyal audience who are also more likely to spend more.
- Product — Pangaia’s attention to brand and product design is a strong driver of their success, it’s not all about purpose; fashion is fashion, after all.
- Content — Meaningful and engaging content builds and retains an audience committed to their brand. They sell their purpose, the product sells itself.
- Partner up — Carefully selected partnerships introduce Pangaia to new audiences that they know will be interested in their product and message.
- Need — Limited edition drops keeps their marketing fresh and livens up their customer base leading to increased frequency and LTV.
- Presence — An Omni-channel approach is the proven model of choice post-COVID, and Pangaia have developed theirs in an efficient way aligned with their brand to again reach new audiences and add further authenticity to the brand.
What Tou Should Do Now
Building a purpose-driven brand can be tough. There is a lot more to consider, and costs are almost always higher. This is, however, the direction the winds are blowing numerous studies indicate that consumers are increasingly seeking sustainable and responsible brands. According to a Nielsen survey, 73% of global consumers say they would change their consumption habits to reduce their environmental impact. By aligning with a purpose, brands can tap into this growing demand and attract a larger customer base who are more likely to convert!
The Edelman Earned Brand Study: This global study examined consumers’ attitudes toward brands and their expectations of corporate behaviour. It revealed that 64% of consumers around the world would choose, switch, or avoid brands based on their stance on societal issues. Purpose-driven brands that align with consumers’ values have the potential to attract and retain customers more effectively.
For 1-on-1 help evolving or establishing your eCommerce brand, click here. Konsidered is a purpose-driven consultancy formed to help brands scale in eCommerce by utilising their purpose and navigating this more complex marketing strategy.
