reply to June Ong’s blog post

Urban Outfitters’ recently released a product, a  bloodstained sweater with a Kent State University logo on it..

In her blog post, my fellow classmate comments on how the product itself was merely a strong marketing strategy that gave the company the publicity they appeared to desire. I agree with her completely on this fact. The product and the company as a whole are gaining wide attention in the public; even if the company chooses to discontinue this product, the brand itself will likely not fade as they have now caught the public’s attention.  However should we be going to the extent that Urban Outfitters has in order to bring their product into the public view?

The issue around what is appropriate marketing appears to be around for years. The well known retailer brand Calvin Klein’s advertisements have been seen to have explicit sexual imagery and have stirred up controversies over the years. The target customers are from the younger age groups, as most of the models are young themselves; this factored into the great dislike for the ads that lead to their removal 24 hours later.  

Both these companies have the marketing/ product approaches that are morally questionable. Because these marketing tactics/ products are against convention and defy what we consider “right” or “appropriate”, they make ensure a place in the customer’s minds. But should this occur?  In my opinion it shouldn’t. Serious issues shouldn’t be used to increase sales and awareness of the brand. Whether Urban Outfitters did this intentionally or this actually was an accident, the impact it had however was not a good one, definitely not for those connected to Kent State shooting event. Companies like Urban Outfitters needs to consider how their marketing campaigns will impact the public, because as seen with many companies, bad publicity may not always be such a good thing.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/juneong/2014/09/15/no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity/

Works Cited

Charnock, Brendon. “Bad Ads: Explicit Sexual Imagery In Marketing.” MSN Business. Microsoft, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://businessnews.howzit.msn.com/bad-ads-explicit-sexual-imagery-in-marketing-4?page=3#image=4 >

Rupp, Lindsey. “Urban Outfitters’ Bloodstained ‘Vintage Kent State’ Shirt Sparks Outrage.” The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/urban-outfitters-bloodstained-vintage-kent-state-shirt-sparks-outrage/article20599281/>.