This is an interesting development, Figure 1and 2 are the previous campaigns of each company and the main attention here are the models; this clearly focuses on the desire of erotic seduction. Nonetheless the latest campaigns of Abercrombie & Fitch and American apparel have decided to take another angle of promoting their merchandise, the question is why and how successful has that impactful has it been for the company?
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch Co formally known as "Abercrombie Co.” was established in 1892 in New York and began with selling sporting goods. Two men owned the company by the name of David T and Ezra H. Fitch. In 1904 the company was renamed to Abercrombie & Fitch Co., as Ezra H. Fitch bought a majority of interest
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The net profit rose around the 40s -50s and this led to being able to add more stores across the United States. Nonetheless the company began experiencing lower profits and it resulted in them loosing $1 million in 1975. According to Krishnan et al. (2013) the company declared bankruptcy and closed its doors in 1977. Many believed that the reason why the company had to experience this was due by mismanagement and in capable of transitioning the trends of the 1970s (Krishnan et al. …show more content…
The brand now concentrated more on modern sporting goods and it grew. In 1988 the brand was sold, therefore the headquarters moved to Columbus, Ohio. The president at that time postponed the brand as a casual apparel retailer with mid-priced merchandise that was labelled with the Abercrombie &Fitch Logo (Krishnan et al. 2013). Michael Jeffries, current president of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. saw the potential in the American teen retail and focused on getting the companies products on fashionable preppy clothing at a high- street price point. They also began a magazine called A&F Quarterly, which acted as a catalogue and supported their merchandise. Articles in the magazine targeted the teen demographic (Krishnan et al. 2013).
As of today's current situation, Abercrombie & Fitch is a clothing retailer that targets young people, from children to young adults. The fashion company operates in three-apparel lifestyle Brands: Abercrombie &Fitch, Abercrombie kids and Hollister. They further differentiate themselves through its ecommerce platform but their merchandise is sold in all retail stores. This gives customers opportunity in buying merchandise through both distribution channels.
Advertising
The company then began to broad their inventory, making it more suitable for adolescents to also shop in their retail by adding more classic styles and occasion dresses.
23 years and the Company operated its women's fashion specialty retail stores in 33 states as of
...h the stores are located in the south, the business is expanding its chain and opening stores in North Carolina in 2014.
Federated Department Stores was founded in 1929, the same year the stock market crash signified the commencement of the Great Depression, with the merger of Abraham & Straus of Brooklyn, Filene’s of Boston, F&R Lazarus & Co. of Columbus, Ohio and Bloomingdale’s of New York. Recognizing economic sensitivity to the Great Depression and WWII, Federated initially focused its efforts on ground-breaking retail tactics such as accommodating credit policies. In the mid to late 1900’s, Federated shifted its endeavors to growth and development, having increased its stores by 400 percent between 1964 and 1979. Although the company filed for bankruptcy in 1988 because of a failed takeover by Robert Campeau, a Canadian real-estate developer, Federated persevered through the tough times by taking risks and embracing change. While originally being composed of four family-owned department stores in 1929, Federated is now comprised of over 450 stores and is known as one of the leading department store operators in the industry.
Abercrombie and Fitch is an American retailer who has been facing many outstanding issues and is at risk of disappearing. For the past two decades, the company has been facing severe controversy. Abercrombie and Fitch has been long criticized for lack diversity and inclusion. The company excludes minorities and plus-sized customers from its stores. This controversy has brought many financial problems to Abercrombie and Fitch.
Facts of the Case: In 2008, Samantha Elauf applied for a job at Abercrombie & Fitch, Inc., who as part of their “Look Policy” prohibit the use of caps. Elauf, as part of her religious practice, wore a headscarf to the interview. She was interviewed by assistant manager Heather Cooke, who gave her a score that qualified her to be hired. Cooke, however, was worried that Elauf’s headscarf was against the store’s policy and called her district manager Randall Johnson. She informed Johnson of her belief that Elauf wore her headscarf because of her religion, and Johnson replied that headwear whether it was religious or not violated the “Look Policy” of the store. Elauf with the help of the EEOC sued Abercrombie on the grounds of religious discrimination. The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an agency established by the government of the United States that imposes federal laws that make it
In the 1997 article Listening to Khakis, published in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell effectively paints a vivid picture of the thought and science that goes into advertising campaigns. Gladwell begins his paper by focusing on the Dockers’ advertising campaign for their line of adult male khaki pants, which he labels as extremely successful. This campaign was the first line of successful fashion advertisements aimed directly toward adult males (Gladwell, 1997). This campaign was cunningly simple and showed only males wearing the pants being advertised with the background noise filled with men having a casual conversation (Gladwell, 1997). This tactic was used because studies showed that Dockers’ target market felt an absence in adult male friendships. (Gladwell, 1997). The simplicity of the advertisements was accentuated as to not to deter possible customers by creating a fashion based ad because, based on Gladwell’s multiple interviews of advertising experts, males shy away from being viewed as fashion forward or “trying to hard” (Gladwell, 1997).
A&F Quarterly was a magazine-catalog hybrid periodical sold by Abercrombie and Fitch from fall 1997 to December 2003. Circulation for the Quarterly averaged one million to 1.2 million during the late 1990s. The publication, released four times a year, featured articles about college life, photo essays by Bruce Weber, and advertisements for the company's clothing. In addition to this, the company's 280-page book included nude young adult models in highly suggestive poses, as well as articles on sex -- elements apparently intended to boost the clothing retailer's brand among college-age customers.
We see the ways that the popular media uses gender tensions everywhere. The truth is that sex sells, we know that. The challenge that advertisers face is: How to use it best. Some advertisers do this better than others and the ones that truly have an understanding of gender tensions will, in the end, sell the most. In my last paper, I explored how the company Abercrombie and Fitch uses gender tensions to sell their clothes. They have become among the masters in advertising and the business in booming. They cater to young adults and young adults only for one powerful reason: It is at this age in which the sexual tensions between male and female are greatest. Abercrombie and Fitch has found their niche.
In “The man behind Abercrombie and Fitch.” An interview conducted by Benoit Denizet-Lewis displays a glimpse into the life of Mike Jeffries and his views of his company only hiring “good-looking” people and targeting “good-looking” people to wear his clothes. This has been done in order to force his audience to recognize that the issue of acceptance one’s peers and exclusion of a community mentioned by Mike Jeffries, is a result of cultural perceptions and individual self-image. Denizet-Lewis skillfully shows that while Jeffries remarks of not wanting the “not-so-popular” kids to shop in his stores, it poses a question to consumers asking what change in our attitudes will come or if there will be any change at all. Thus comes the issue of how consumers today have a shift in the reasoning behind why one buys clothing and the motivating factors that influence one to buy certain clothing. Denizet-Lewis also demonstrates the different messages that controversial advertisements and statements affect different groups of people and how what they project is really what people desire, though deemed by many people as unacceptable or inappropriate. The author also examines how in the news media, the image has become more important than the message and how images have taken precedent over actual issues and character. As a result of this, various communities have formed by the construct of selling to “beautiful people” and how popular appeal has become an extension of a person.
Let’s be honest, no one wants to be associated with a company that has a bad reputation, so people are no longer buying their clothing, shares of their stock, or putting in resumes to work for Abercrombie and Fitch. Sales have been down for the company since 2008, and the company is struggling to regain its appeal to teens and young adults, but are continuing to lose this battle. Their stock prices have plummeted in the last ten years, stock that once sold for $84.23 a share in October 2007 is now selling for just $28.51 a share, that a loss of almost 67% in less than nine years. Finding employees has been difficult since the company has been hit with numerous lawsuits over the years involving hiring discrimination practices within the company. The lack of qualified candidates means the company will have to hire people that are less qualified for jobs just to fill vacant
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