This week, Abercrombie & Fitch's "Look Policy" was leaked on to BuzzFeed. This picture, along with other parts of the policy such as from the appearance section that states "Foundation, base or blush can only be worn if it is applied in such a way to look completely natural (i.e. to match natural skin tone)," has made many online people angry. A PR Daily article discussing the post and how it is part of the company's hiring process had many mixed responses:
While once being a clothing retail giant among mall brands, the beating that Abercrombie has taken in digital and traditional media has taken has hurt the brand as a whole. Online users have made trending hashtags on Twitter like "#FitchTheHomeless" while YouTube users have created videos of their responses to Abercrombie's many mistakes online. Not only has A&F's image been damaged, their stocks have fell and some former customers have refused to shop at the store.
The days where Abercrombie & Fitch is name dropped in songs have been long gone. The brand is shamed on social media, blogs and news more than it is praised. Instead of changing its image in May when the first bomb dropped on the company, it has continued to contribute to people's dislike of the brand by alienating more potential customers through discrimination of general appearance or religious beliefs.
Do you believe Abercrombie & Fitch needs to change how it handles itself in the public? What would you suggest that it does to change it's image?
Abercrombie & Fitch's problem seems to be that they have experienced a severe backfire of a poorly thought-out PR strategy. In trying to create an image for themselves (the clothing brand of the "cool kids"), they instead created quite a different image--that of shallow, intolerant snobs. They have, as you said, completely failed to actually reverse this image and do seem to keep making it worse in fact.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Noah's comment. Also, I would add my own outlook on the situation. They are no doubt losing millions of dollars each day. Though I don't know that for a fact, looking at the response the public has with their brand and counting in the fact that obesity rates are rising in the United States, I think it is a pretty fair assumption to make. Because of their standing with refusing to carry plus-sized clothing, many people probably do not want to wear Abercrombie & Fitch clothing because it now has the branding of anyone wearing it must share in those values. I understand being set in your ways as a business, but there comes a time when you have to set aside personal interests and do what is best for the company.
ReplyDeleteIt really blows my mind that abercrombie truly acts this way. Can you imagine being their PR person? Your CEO is going around telling people he only wants certain people wearing his clothes and the public is going insane. If they aren't careful, they will loose a huge portion of their market just because people want to know the companies they are buying from have a sense of decency. Why do they think that companies are going green? It's not cheaper and it definitely requires more work. It's because people buy from socially responsible companies. I am at a loss of words for Abercrombie. I just hope they figure out what they need to do from now on.
ReplyDeleteYes, they should change the way they handle themselves in public, but I don't think that it should stop there. Abercrombie & Fitch should change their entire marketing and PR strategy. The way they portray their target market is revolting. The fact that the company views their customers as stuck up, skinny, non-religious snobs is disgraceful. Yes, I do think they view their customers this way because this is the way they treat those who do not fit the typical "Abercrombie & Fitch appearance". If that is what they are selling and they haven't changed it, that is how they view the customers. Like I said, Abercrombie & Fitch corporate executives need to sit down and completely redesign their marketing and PR strategies if they hope to stay in business.
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