Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) was recently in the news because they had offered to pay celebrity Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from the MTV reality television show Jersey Shoreto not wear their products.
Obviously this was a well thought out publicity stunt, that worked well for both A&F and Jersey Shore. Often a unique or unusual marketing campaign or stunt works as well, if not better than the more common ones. In this case, A&F saw an opportunity to generate some free publicity that was still directed at their target market, as well as lots of hype in the news and on various social networking sites.
Although developing a strong and well thought out marketing strategy is the most vital component to a successful marketing plan, the benefits of these ‘marketing freebies’ should not be taken lightly. Often the ‘outside of the box’ thinking can provide unforeseen opportunities for companies that can be just as important as the mainstream.
Which brings to mind an interesting concept, that although you can teach marketing, sometimes it is these ‘outside the box’ thinkers who can make the biggest impact. And that is a way of thinking that is very difficult to teach.
