MARKETING IN DESIGN

ASSIGNMENT 2 DESIGN IN MARKETING

DYLAN CHNG RONG JIH 1202143B

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

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

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 specically 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.

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 specic 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 reects 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)

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.

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

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 o! 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 e!ect of creating enormous buzz about the brand. This was evidenced by the massive queue amassed at the store hours before its o"cial opening.

This was compounded by the mini-event of having the fty 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 denitely 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 rst is anticipation associated with gratication, 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 objectied manner is a method of guerrilla marketing. To explain this, rstly 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 objectication, 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 y 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

psychologically stimulating experiences, like when any or a number or indeed all of the ve senses are a!ected, 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 e!ecting primal or basic responses, or even by e!ecting 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 e!ect, 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.

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 gratication 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.

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 benets of straddling the line between controversy and innocent buzz may be outweighed by the harm.

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 in#advertising products. Because of the very self-defeating nature of this design element (ie. partial nudity and nudity signicantly disallows promotion of clothing) it could be said that in terms of promotional value of#products,#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 on#brand promotion#the 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 e!ect on audiences who deem

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.

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 benecial 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.

V. REFERENCE LIST Research:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/apr/28/abercrombie-fitch-savile-row http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-tch-hiring-process-2012-10

Report on A&F Singapore opening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7k6Do-9cFA
Opening of Singapore store:

http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GU8Ba80nujA&feature=fvwrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tDHql8gPHo

2010 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-arehere-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-isscandalously-fun-racy-and.html) 4.#Fantasy Studio#- read about it (http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.com/2010/09/fantasystudiowhere-movie-legends-are.html) http://anfnewsnow.blogspot.sg/p/a.html

Images: http://hedonism.les.wordpress.com/2007/04/afstoreldn.jpg?w=500 http://retaildesignblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Abercrombie-Fitch-agshipLondon.jpg