Abercrombie & Fitch is targeted to a very specific brand of customer. Up until today, I would have assumed Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino landed somewhere smack dab in the middle of that client wheelhouse, but apparently, the company itself doesn't think so. The retailer issued a press release today informing the media its executives have offered The Situation and his Jersey Shore roommates substantial sums of money to stop wearing their clothing.
I will be the first to admit that who wears a certain brand of clothing does influence what new customers might want to purchase it. For example, I will never buy anEd Hardy shirt because I've seen way too many drunk, mastadon-looking morons trying to needlessly start shit while sporting one. These things do add up, but if Abercrombie & Fitch executives honestly think they're losing customers because of Jersey Shore, they have no handle on who's actually wearing their clothes. Back in the day, A&F might have been a luxury retailer, but now the company sells overpriced, sexualized t-shirts emblazoned with phrases like “Who needs brains when you have these?” Classy.
Nearly everyone I went to high school with who wore Abercrombie & Fitch on a regular basis loves Jersey Shore. I know this because they have Snooki-related status updates on Facebook. I guarantee not one of them has ever steered clear of the retailer because the Situation was wearing an A&F shirt. In fact, I would wager quite a few people have shopped at Abercrombie because of the MTV reality show. Besides, the brand itself has made money off of Jersey Shore in the past.
According to NY Magazine, the company sold “Fitchuation” t-shirts last year to great success. Something feels weird about this entire press release. It does not pass the smell test. Either Abercrombie & Fitch is woefully misinformed about its clients or this whole thing is a publicity stunt involving The Situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment