a&f marketing design
DESCRIPTION
Report on elements of design employed in Abercrombie & Fitch marketing (2012)TRANSCRIPT
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MARKETING IN
DESIGN
ASSIGNMENT 2
DESIGN IN MARKETING
DYLAN CHNG RONG JIH 1202143B
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DYLAN CHNG RONG JIH
1202143B
DIPLOMA IN APPAREL DESIGN & MERCHANDISING
YEAR 1
SEMESTER 2
BLOCK 1
MARKETING IN DESIGN DPS 1021
ASSIGNMENT 2 DESIGN IN MARKETING
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CONTENTS:
I. INTRODUCTION
II. CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS
A. STORE DESIGN
B. SINGAPORE STORE LAUNCH
C. 2010 BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
III. PROBLEM ANALYSES
A. STORE DESIGN
B. SINGAPORE STORE LAUNCH
C. 2010 BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
V. REFERENCE LIST
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I. INTRODUCTION
In the previous report, we analysed in detail the marketing environment of Abercrombie &
Fitch Co. and discuss some of their marketing strategies and their strengths and
weaknesses.
In this report we will be looking at specifically the design elements present in some of their
campaigns.
The points we will be focusing on are 1) store design as a campaign, 2) the 2011 Singapore
store launch and 3) the 2010 back-to-school campaign in collaboration with Bruce Weber.
Following that, we will look at an analysis of the problems faced by Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
in the use of the design elements in these campaigns.
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II. CAMPAIGN ANALYSIS
Abercrombie & Fitch is a brand that maintains a very consistent image throughout all its
channels of marketing, throughout all its years of its current incarnation. The following
analyses will serve the highlight these similarities as well as point out some disparities, and
attempt to speculate at the rationalisation behind using certain specific elements or themes.
A. STORE DESIGN
Abercrombie & Fitch have a very distinct approach when it comes to store design. They
focus immensely on directional visual merchandising that reflects the character and ethos of
the brand. They have been cited as one of the best examples of a brand that is incredibly
focused and disciplined about its retail execution (Karl McKeever, brand director of retail
marketing consultancy, Visual Marketing)
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One outstanding aspect of their highly-designed store environment is the music. Loud
music reminiscent of that played at modern youthful night-clubs is blasted throughout the
store, with one track blending into the next, keeping the intensity constant and unending.
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With such an energetic and fast-paced mood set by the music, customers heart rates are
kept elevated, and their emotional state heightened, to the ends of translating alertness into
awareness of surroundings, participation in environment and consequently higher
probability of purchase.
A similar concept is applied to lighting. An Abercrombie & Fitch store consists of dim and
nearly non-existent ambient lighting, instead relying on glaring, bright spotlights, each
aimed directly at displays of products, illuminating them extravagantly and making them the
focus. By giving the customer a singular point of focus, this likewise could translate into
higher probability of purchase.
The products themselves are displayed lavishly and abundantly on tables and in glass
casings, giving an ideal and perfectionist Abercrombie & Fitch take on the world, and adding
visual value to the products, perhaps justifying their lofty costs.
Similarly, the use of mirrors covering almost every wall and column could serve to create a
labyrinthine atmosphere to the store and remove the idea of destination in the customers
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minds while plunging them into an almost surreal fantasy-like setting. This disconnect
between what is perceived and what is seen perhaps creates a desire to wander, and with
more time spent in the store also comes the increased likelihood of purchase.
The store is pumped full of Abercrombie & Fitch fragrances, and this method of marketing
is reemphasised by the placement of ceiling-height shelves beside the cashier counter
(which is buried deep in the labyrinthine store) laden to the brim with various fragrances,
some even gift-wrapped, as if to attempt to trigger impulse buys.
Finally, the Abercrombie & Fitch mood is incomplete without the models. These models,
who really are promoters and sales assistants and cashiers, are hired off the street, and with
most of them being aspiring actors, models and dancers, already mostly have the typical
Abercrombie & Fitch look typecast.
This whole package is marketed as a lifestyle and aspiration which is highly sellable to a
highly impressionable target market among younger audiences.
B. SINGAPORE STORE LAUNCH
The Abercrombie & Fitch store launch in Singapore was marked by three main points: the
enormous controversial billboard portraying a chiselled male torso with jeans slipped down
almost to indecency, a huge line up of topless male Abercrombie & Fitch models outside the
store and a risqu and suggestive video involving homoerotic wrestling called The Main
Event.
The billboard itself was a major talking point upon its unveiling in the Orchard shopping
district due to its extremely suggestive and euphemistic imagery. It became the subject of
many a headline for weeks on end, and even with all the negative reactions and the eventual
removal of it, it had already generated the desired effect of creating enormous buzz about
the brand. This was evidenced by the massive queue amassed at the store hours before its
official opening.
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This was compounded by the mini-event of having the fifty topless male models lined up,
and willing to pose for pictures, outside the store. This use of sex and sexuality to market a
brand or product is a common feature in many industries and definitely not uncommon to
Abercrombie & Fitchs brand of marketing. Studies have demonstrated that using physically
desirable people in marketing and advertising create two psychological reactions: the first is
anticipation associated with gratification, or the lust and attraction factor, and the other is
the association of oneself to that image, comparing ourselves as similar to what we see;
seeing a well-toned man outside A&F both (sic) attracts the ladies, but also makes men feel
that they too can look like that man (Singapore Business Review).
We may also speculate that the use of male models in the objectified manner is a method of
guerrilla marketing. To explain this, firstly one must understand the hypothesis that
Abercrombie & Fitch utilises their male models as sexual objects of fantasy: their use of
male models seems to dehumanise the subject and applies a degree of objectification,
which implies the possibility of possession. This would then translate to a desire to
purchase because of a reinforced association between model and product through brand.
Likewise, the memory of such thrill and exhilaration evoked by the event of having ones
photo taken with a desirable model is etched into Polaroid pictures given free to passers-by,
and would also serve as a perhaps more emotionally exploiting recall method and trigger a
desire to purchase.
C. 2010 BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
This particular campaign functioned through a Facebook challenge in which the winners
would get to fly to Los Angeles and meet Abercrombie & Fitch models, the re-release of the
A&F Quarterly and a series of Old Hollywood themed videos shot by Bruce Weber.
Primarily, the brand marketed itself through this campaign via the use of mood.
The mood of these videos is set through three main facets: the music, the video and the
subject matter. Mood is a psychological phenomenon in which an array of various
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psychologically stimulating experiences, like when any or a number or indeed all of the five
senses are affected, induce or suggest a particular feeling or state of mind.
This is not necessarily a straightforward and individual sensation, and more often than not
an amalgamation of various primary and secondary emotional responses. These can be
triggered by effecting primal or basic responses, or even by effecting imagery or acoustics
that stimulate the mind to recall conditioned responses (consequential of popular culture
and unnatural ingrained reactions.)
As a collective, the campaign evokes a mood of struggling towards fame in Hollywood while
in tandem with an air of luxury and elitism, although rather than creating this latter mood
out of the implications of wealth and monetary grandeur, it is done emotionally. By creating
scenes in which a group of highly fraternal, familiar and communal individuals are shown
expressing their closeness and comfort around each other, this allows for a feeling of
belonging and exclusivity in the A&F family. To compound this effect, the use of attractive
models sends across the implication that adornment with A&F clothing has the consequence
of becoming or at least belonging in an attractive group. The use of these emotional
triggers creates a degree of emotional investment in the brand.
With Old Hollywood in mind, the subject of most of the campaign involves an audition
process. It could be allegorical to both the adversities and obstacles facing the aspiring
starlets of Hollywood. This creates a fantasy situation that many a youth can relate to
regardless of sex or sexual orientation: the desire for fame and to be recognised. Because
A&Fs target market majorly focuses on youths, it is shrewd to pursue a theme of stardom
and fame, however large a degree, for what teenager does not to a certain extent want to be
known in the world and leave their mark?
The mood here is thus one of struggling to make a name for oneself and conversely one of
glamour and renown.
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Woven into this of course is a certain degree of nudity and sexuality which would be rather
amiss if not in videos for A&F. Therein lies the implication of pleasure and gratification that
likewise anyone can relate to, let alone a teenager. A mood of some sexual energy is thus
evoked here and is at home in an A&F video.
Because of the Old Hollywood and glamour imagery, a mood of wealth, recognition and
fame amongst
peers of equal stature is created. It is the perfect scenario for any teen, indeed, for any one,
who values their individuality and their own person. With such an air of aspiration and
ambition clamouring for fame, the videos do truly embody the American Dream.
It works in a way not dissimilar to how teens often aspire to belong to the popular groups
within their schools and communities by virtue of observation.
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III. PROBLEM ANALYSES
A. STORE DESIGN
The elements that make the store such a theoretical success could also prove to be its
downfall.
The most obvious fallacy is the lighting, which while both creating an atmosphere and a
focus on products can also be so dark that it actually inversely creates a sense of wariness
about customers. When they cannot see exactly what they are purchasing and assess for
themselves the quality and value for money, the possibility of their deciding against buying
may actually increase.
There is also the possibility that the dimness of lightingand by extension the entire
nightclub ambiencemay be associated with sleaziness, an image that many a wholesome
customer will not want to be related to.
The loudness of the music can also create a sense of discomfort and alarm in certain
customers, and when customers do not feel at ease in a store, they are likewise less likely to
purchase anything at all.
The perfume itself and its overwhelming musk poses another major problem, as while
fragrances may be attractive in small doses, an overhanging haze may merely serve to
disgust and overwhelm, similarly contributing to the vibe of discomfort and unease.
Therefore, it is very likely that Abercrombie & Fitchs lauded targeted and highly conceptual
visual merchandising could be its undoing.
B. SINGAPORE STORE LAUNCH
The main issue with the Singapore store launch and its design elements is that in a fairly
conservative social environment like Singapore, the benefits of straddling the line between
controversy and innocent buzz may be outweighed by the harm.
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While controversy may generate talk, when discussing the quality of this fame or infamy,
controversy is usually more malignant than benign. Simply put, creating controversy about
ones brand may only serve to create an undesirable association between negativity and the
brand that can see a drop in potential customers otherwise not experienced when using
more neutral or wholesome methods.
C. 2010 BACK-TO-SCHOOL CAMPAIGN
While the use of shrewd cinematography, photography and a classic Hollywood-esque
playlist may carry great appeal artistically, it can also detach the videos from the brand's
products, especially when examined in tandem with the subject matter and themes of the
videos. That is to say, Abercrombie & Fitch does not usually associate themselves with the
concept of Hollywood glamour, but rather with athletics and outdoor activity. This swap in
direction could cause confusion or worse still a dip in following due to speculations of
disloyalty to roots.
The presence of partially nude models frolicking is a possibly detrimental element
inadvertising products. Because of the very self-defeating nature of this design element (ie.
partial nudity and nudity significantly disallows promotion of clothing) it could be said that
in terms of promotional value ofproducts,the videos and indeed the Quarterly itself are a
weakness.
However this point is only valid in terms of discussing product-based promotion.
Naturally, if focusing onbrand promotionthe videos and catalogue are excellent and speak
very clearly of what A&F is about.
A more minor point drawing from the factor of people is that the use of exclusively athletic
and handsome models may be have an intimidating effect on audiences who deem
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themselves as less attractive than the people represented. This intimidation can result in
shying away from the brand altogether because of inferiority complexes, for example.
In terms of mood, it may simply be that the ambience evoked by the videos may not be
appealing to its audiences. For example, the use of orchestral instrumental music may be
unappealing to certain audiencesor indeed the staunch devotees to the A&F brand who
may feel that this strays from traditionwho do not relate to that scene. Likewise this more
personal touch to the videos by including quirky interview tapes and antics may come
across as faltering from brand integrity by others. Aside from that, the mood created by
scenes of young persons frolicking with one another in fraternity may be unappealing as
well perhaps to some conservative individuals or communities (as public exposure and acts
of intimacy, especially in nudity, is considered revolutionary and indeed taboo in some
areas).
Overall, the problems that we can spot in the case of Bruce Weber's A&F media is the fact
that its 'niche' imagery may simply be completely unappealing to some.
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IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Abercrombie & Fitch seems to be a brand more concerned with selling an image, a mood
and a fantasy more than individual product. It remains steadfast in its branding, whether out
of belief in an ultimately beneficial outcome in spite of set backs and controversy resultant,
or out of sheer unwillingness to change and stagnation.
Regardless, the brand remains strong in its visuals and brand power, and is an excellent
example of a company that utilises design as strategy, where the brand and the image is the
majority of what they are selling, if not everything, when they sell clothing.
In fact Abercrombie & Fitch could be said to rely on their branding as such.
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V. REFERENCE LIST
Research:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/apr/28/abercrombie-fitch-savile-row
http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-fitch-hiring-process-2012-10
Report on A&F Singapore opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7k6Do-9cFAOpening of Singapore store:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8Ba80nujA&feature=fvwrelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tDHql8gPHo2010 Campaign videos:
1.Screen Tests -watch it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mcS19J0iac)
2.Call Backs-read about it (http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.com/2010/08/call-backs-are-
here-for-screen-test.html)and watch it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqEhyYv3OYA)
3.Closed Set- read about it (http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.com/2010/09/closed-set-is-
scandalously-fun-racy-and.html)
4.Fantasy Studio- read about it (http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.com/2010/09/fantasy-
studiowhere-movie-legends-are.html)
http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.sg/p/a.html
Images:
http://hedonism.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/afstoreldn.jpg?w=500
http://retaildesignblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Abercrombie-Fitch-flagship-
London.jpg