Zeena Al Taher's Blog

In response to Rohanne Taylor‘s blog post

After I heard about this disappointing statement by Abercrombie and Fitch’s CEO, I was astonished. I would like to add more to your post about this disrespectful and inconsiderate comment.

A&F should recognize that plus-sized is no longer a niche market; 67% of the customers fit under this category, and the number in still increasing. 

For too long, this sizable and growing segment has been ignored,” writes Margaret Bogenrief at ACM Partners. “Treated Shabbily, ostracized by the “pro skinny fashion world”. and seemingly discarded by designers, department stores, and retailers alike, plus-size fashion consumers, critics, and bloggers are taking back their spending and sartorial power and, in turn, changing both the e-commerce and retailing landscapes.”

Ignoring this could be very costly for businesses; more brands are featuring curvy, “real-sized,” models. Other companies such as Dove and H&M recognized this fact and have started campaigns that highlight women who aren’t as thin as traditional models.

“Abercrombie is only interested in people with washboard stomachs who look like they’re about to jump on a surfboard,” Lewis said.

The trend of today is to promote women’s self-esteem by emphasizing their inner and outer beauty.

Abercrombie needs to:

• Listen to its target customers.
• Act more on its target customers’ preferences than those of the CEO.
• Act on its promise to diversify more in its employee hiring and its advertising and catalog models.
• Revisit the brand attributes that it wants to put forth and ensure they are positive ones.

Information Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviatemin/2013/05/13/abercrombie-and-fitch-v-dove-or-how-a-ceo-can-wreck-a-brand-in-1-interview-7-years-ago/

http://elitedaily.com/news/world/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-explains-why-he-hates-fat-chicks/

In 2012, Alice Newstead, an employee of the cosmetics company Lush, took part in a rather unusual window display. Alice covered herself in body paint to resemble a shark, where a pair of meat hooks were then inserted into the skin of her back and was hung in Lush’s window shop. This was part of a campaign against shark finning, the practice whereby sharks are caught, their fins cut off and are then thrown back in the ocean to die.

Lush is one of a number of businesses to have taken corporate social responsibility one step further by setting itself up as an activist company. “We look at issues and we decide which ones are important to us and then we see how we can support them,” explains Andrew Butler, the company’s director of campaigns.

Another Campaign by Lush. The women in the picture is Jaqueline Traide, a volunteer who joined Lush’s campaign to protest again animal testing

By embracing CSR, Lush has differentiated its brand from other cosmetic’s stores for the values and concerns they clearly display to their customers. They were also able to incorporate those values company’s in to their business model.  Furthermore, Using CSR helped Lush engage with customers in new ways. Since the reflected message is about something “good,” it provides an easier way to talk and relate to customers.

Of all established companies that have succeeded to overcome the many obstacles time brings, one stands out: McDonald’s.  How does the company do it?

Firstly, with a franchise business model that allows its franchisee-members, management and shareholders to share the risks and rewards from the discovery and exploitation of new business opportunities. Secondly, by adaptation and innovation; coming up with new products and services to compliment the needs of a varied consumer market.

During the 1970s and the 1980s, McDonald’s adopted the globalization trend by transporting the American lifestyle to numerous countries around the world. Simultaneously, it adapted to each county by franchising to local entrepreneurs.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, McDonald’s made successful efforts to improve its corporate image by initiating the “Fast and Convenient” campaign that involved the essential modification of the company’s product portfolio to emerging food industry trend. McDonald’s restaurants aimed to achieve a more natural dining environment. The “fast” and “convenient” features of the McDonald’s notion were amplified by the “healthy” and “more natural”   element, by including salads, fruits, and carrot sticks to their menu. Furthermore, in recent years,                                                                                                                                    McDonald’s has continued to widen its product portfolio by offering high quality coffee and healthy drinks.                    

For many years, Nike has been accused of using sweatshops to produce footwear and apparel. Jim Keady is a student who investigated the issue by experiencing the Nike workers’ way of life. In the video link below, he describes the heartbreaking living conditions, and the unrealistic financial budget they had to endure. The video is quite unbelievable, even though it’s a bit long I urge you to watch it!

What I found most surprising is how the workers were mistreated and threatened by their employers. The video revealed a side of Nike that I never even imagined existed.

After watching the whole documentary, the only think I could think of is how immoral and unethical this company truly is. Other than the humanitarian aspect, I believe it has completely destroyed Nike’s brand image, at least it has for me. Judging by the way I personally felt I expect you all changed your view of this brand, if not completely maybe slightly. This reflects how critical it is for a company to act ethically and humanely. This hit on Nike’s reputation must have had an effect on sales and profits as well. Furthermore, it shows the impact of pressure groups on companies or organizations, and the extent to which they can affect the consumer’s perception of the brand and their loyalty to it; and thus, altering preferences and behaviour.

Here’s the link! “Behind the Swoosh” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eIgHx_4iJo

• Sweatshops: a shop or factory in which employees work for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions (Retrieved from:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweatshop)