Response to June Ong’s post “No Such Thing as Bad Publicity”
In June’s blog, she looked into the controversy surrounding Urban Outfitters and the selling of a sweater that seemed to use the shooting that killed four students at Kent State University in 1970 as a fashion statement. The sweater (shown below) appears to have blood splattered across the college’s logo.
I agree with June when she says that Urban Outfitters is taking advantage of ‘bad publicity’ and using it as a marketing strategy. It is evident that the sale of this controversial sweater was not an accident; the company has sold numerous products that have been outright offensive. Time and time again, the company receives out-lash from the public on social media but the negative comments don’t stop the company, instead it seems to encourage the company to continue releasing controversial products. Unlike most companies, Urban Outfitters seems to be utilizing the bad publicity it is getting to brand its company.
I don’t agree with how the company is branding itself and I would assume that the majority of the public would feel the same as me. However, there must be some demographic out there that Urban Outfitters is targeting with these products because it would not be selling them unless they were increasing profits or benefiting some way. The company has received a lot of publicity for their demeaning clothing and as a result have increased their brand awareness. The reason why I believe that Urban Outfitters succeeding despite the all the controversy and backlash it receives is because it is in the fashion industry. In this industry, anything goes. For example, the popular trend of “skull” fashion has been around for several years now. Skulls are generally associated with death so it is very strange how popular this icon has become. This reflects the nature of fashion. It is constantly and rapidly changing and there is no ‘norm’ when it come to trends. Urban Outfitters is pushing the limits and may be strategically creating controversy to promote the brand’s association with cutting edge fashion.
Sources:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/urban-outfitters-bloodstained-vintage-kent-state-shirt-sparks-outrage/article20599281/
Image (Kent State University sweater): http://static.theglobeandmail.ca/fdb/life/fashion-and-beauty/article20599280.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/web-wo-kentstate15nw1.jpg
Image (Eat Less T-shirt): http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/221816/slide_221816_891893_free.jpg
Image (Depression shirt): http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG10558468/Urban-Outfitters-in-hot-water-over-Depression-T-shirt