“Building a brand and reputation is no easy task, but protecting these assets can be even more difficult.” says Mia Person. From the article, “Abercrombie and Fitch creates a brand ‘situation’”, Abercrombie & Fitch implemented a decision to protect their brand image, which then backfired as their stocks decreased by 10%. This was the result of their decision to pay off Jersey Shore actor, Michael Sorrentino, not to sport their clothing in public.

Abercombie & Fitch is a market leader in the retail industry and therefore means it has brand positioning of a leader. According to Ries and Trout, the success of a brand is not it’s marketing acumens but by being first in the market. On the other hand, Abercrombie & Fitch’s effort to refrain Sorrentino from wearing their merchandise not only didn’t help its brand image and positioning and in fact, negatively impacted it. In the article, it mentions that the stock decreased because it “alienated its target demographic”, revealing that celebrity endorsement plays a portion of their sales.