MoekoURAWA

This is a response to No Such Thing as Bad Publicity? (by June Ong)

“There’s only one thing worse than being hated- being ignored”

Urban Outfitter takes down the Kent State University “bloodstain” sweater after the image went viral on social media. Was this a genuine mistake or was it……

As a self-claimed fashion-lover and a loyal customer of Urban Outfitter, I was gutted to read about the release of the “bloodstained” sweater with a Kent State University logo. Since I was completely unaware of the tragic shooting of Kent State University, I was easily manipulated into believing the company’s apology in the beginning:

“It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such.”

The blog post by June opened my eyes to the sinister yet powerful intention of Urban Outfitter’s marketing strategy. As disturbing as it sounds, the management of the company discussed and agreed on this method of gaining publicity, deliberately designed and manufactured the item, and knowingly capitalised the controversy and apology to “stand out” from other companies in the industry. The many lies in the statement above is extremely saddening, as apparel retailers are now willing to exploit disasters for profit. More so, them denying this intent is almost as offensive as the shirt itself. After all, Friedman states the goal of every company is to maximize profit and will do whatever it requires to keep their business profitable. Indeed, bad publicity is better than no publicity for companies as they want to be at the top of consumers minds during the purchase cycle. This is mainly because “mistakes” like these are quickly forgotten and all that is remembered is the brand.

Outrage was the exact response they are after, hence, Urban Outfitter has in a sense accomplished their intention. In fact, it was us, customers that did the company a favour and spread the brand awareness. But it is hard to say that the hype generated is anything long-term. Urban Outfitters ought to evaluate whether the benefit gained from this outrage justifies the cost.

Work Cited
Rupp, Lindsey. “Urban Outfitters’ Bloodstained ‘Vintage Kent State’ Shirt Sparks Outrage.”Bloomberg News. The Globe and Mail Inc., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/urban-outfitters-bloodstained-vintage-kent-state-shirt-sparks-outrage/article20599281/>.