Abercrombie update
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| A&F CEO Mike Jeffries |
The most interesting part of the article is the small portion about Jeffries. The offensive comments Jeffries made about the preferred weight of Abercrombie customers, which Greg Karber noted in his Fitch The Homeless video, were made in 2006 (you can find the original comments here.) Always remember that because we are now in 2013 and people still remember what Jeffries said. In an internet savvy world, you're actions will be recorded and easy to find whenever a customer wants to remind you what you did/said.
The next public relations lesson to be learned here is true in most situations, better late than never. It's been seven years since Jeffries made the damaging comments, but people still remember. And there have been recent waves of publicity (Fitch The Homeless is one example) that have drudged up the comments, bringing them back to light. This new plus size offering is clearly a face saving move because stock is down more than 25% this year. Abercrombie has recognized that they're doing something wrong and they need a new communications plan to turn it around.
The CNN story features a quote from the company's chief financial officier, Jonathan Ramsden, that demonstrates my point pretty well, "It is clear that we have to win back and reengage lapsed customers, particularly on the female side of the business."
So what do you think? Will this be enough to win back Abercrombie shoppers, or is the brand simply out of style?
I think it was a nice gesture, but was seven years to late. The fact that people still remember the comments and the video seems like it be more difficult for them to push this new line. I also think his comments and the pressure society puts on youth to be the "right size" will also make "plus-size" consumers self conscience about going to try on and buy these clothes.
ReplyDeleteI especially agree with your closing statement there Kaila. That was something the CNN article noted as well. Not only could this alienate the target audience (plus size customers,) but it could also alienate current customers. They're put themselves in a difficult position, especially with stock down.
DeleteI agree with Kaila. I think it's just a little too late! Reading your post, I was surprised that Jeffries' comments were made way back in 2006, because I've noticed a great deal of media coverage on this issue in the past year or so. You are right: because of the Internet, crisis situations like this one never really go away.I think Jeffries' harsh comments offended too many people for this new line to be well-received.
ReplyDeleteKaila and Katee have it right, Abercrombie is way too late on offering larger sizes. Why would customers that wear these sizes want to buy from the brand after the negative comments that Jeffries had made about them in the past? Other stores cater to making attractive clothing for larger customers and brands like Forever 21 and, on a smaller scale, Wet Seal that offer entire plus-size lines. Abercrombie is really just trying to be relevant again. Unfortunately, or fortunately for us consumers, I don't see that happening again anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who has already commented. Seven years is a very long time for an apology and image restoration, especially with technology! We all want immediate gratification because of technology so even a few days seems like a late response. I personally don't see a point of them calling a new line "plus size" because their original sizes seem to only fit small children! Their idea of plus sizes may match up with the average size clothing at other department stores.
ReplyDeleteIt is far too late to regain the loyalty of customers that the company has upset. The company not only upset loyal customers, but also customers who would go shopping for friends and families. I think it is nice that the company is trying to right their wrong, but I just don't know if its going to help them. There are other retailers that provide similar clothing in larger sizes already at better pricing and I wouldn't be surprised if the customers that Abercrombie upset are now loyal to these competing retailers.
ReplyDeleteMostly, this move just seemed insincere to me. It was pretty obvious that it was to win back customers and not out of some bigger principle, so I don't really give the company any credit for it. It seems to be a too-little, too-late reaction to a controversy they faced a while ago which, unlike this, had every indication of showing who they really were.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. It is way too late to apologize and try to redeem his brand. The sizes of that brand are off anyway. The sizes are smaller than they say they are. I feel that after he said what he said about plus size people, there is almost no point to putting out bigger sized clothes. He has already lost his brand loyalty from many customers.
ReplyDelete