The article from last week`s post highlighted one of the many controversies that Urban Outfitters, a popular clothing distributor was involved in recently. An interesting point that the article brought to light was the use of controversy as a marketing strategy. Out of sheer curiosity, I searched up an article that compiled not one but SEVEN controversies that Urban Outfitters has been faced with, in regards to the clothing which they sell. Such controversies includes promotion of under-aged drinking, profanity, racism, so forth. In fact, if it can be named, UO has probably promoted some form of what you are thinking right now through their retail garments and accessories.
However, one might ask, why is it that UO is performing so damn well in a competitive market with other retailers offering similar styles and prices, amidst all the backlash that they`ve received from various social/ activist groups? The answer seems to lie in the controversy itself. The phrase “no publicity is bad publicity” may very well be applicable here. It seems that UO has harnessed the negative attention that they receive periodically as a point of difference against competitors in the same market. The targeted consumer base, aged 18-24 may just interpret UO`s various “offensive clothing” as a no bars realization of designers` imaginations. I mean, fashion is meant to be provocative, so in that sense, UO is doing a very good job in terms of staying a step ahead of its competition.