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Abercrombie & Fitch Takes 'Thou Shalt Not Buy Our Clothes' to the Next Level
Abercrombie & Fitch's effort to get people to stop buying its clothes has branched out beyond its ban on Kim Navarra. Back in my day (Friday of last week), A&F used to just ban people like Navarra from buying its clothes if it believed their clothing orders had "characteristics" of someone who was re-selling its clothing. But now A&F is going a step further and is actually offering to make "substantial payments" to people if they will not wear its clothes.
In a press release that I have scrutinized like the Shroud of Turin to make sure it is not a fake, A&F stated late last week that it has "offered compensation to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino, a character in MTV's TV show "The Jersey Shore" to cease wearing A&F products." An A&F spokesperson added that
We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino and the producers of MTV'sThe Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response.
"Urgently" awaiting a response? Seriously, is this The Onion? Am I being "Punk'd"? Is it April 1st? I really don't think so, as you can see the link to this press release ("Abercrombie & Fitch Proposes Win-Win Situation") from the main A&F Investor Relations page. Public companies do not usually issue spoof corporate press releases, but maybe there is a first time for everything.
Posted by Bruce Carton on August 17, 2011 at 01:46 PM | Permalink
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