Abercrombie & Fitch claims it doesn't want a 'situation'. The clothing company is supposedly offering to pay Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino not to wear its branded merchandise. But rather than just do it, the company's making a handy little announcement to garner some attention. A&F says it wants to pay other Jersey Shore reality stars to avoid the brand too. Time for a new PR agency: One clothing company's PR stunt makes it look very stupid, not sexy.
The Abercrombie & Fitch ploy for publicity ranks among the absolute worst PR stunts over the past year -- and that truly takes some skill.
There have been some seriously bad public relations ploys over the past 12 months -- including the most recent in a series of PR hoaxes by 'Beautiful People', like when the website claimed to boot 30,000 ugly people.
Then there was the video hoax by "Carving Ice" in its fake news interview -- complete with lies about a smashed sculpture at the O.C. Fair.
It wasn't as artfully executed as other ridiculous public relations stunts -- but not to be outdone in absolute stupidity, a band made its own flailing attempt at publicity when it staged a Southern California performance that saw 'Imperial Stars' band members arrested after a dumb decision to 'perform' on top of a bus during rush hour on the 405 freeway.
Of course, if Abercrombie & Fitch really wanted Mike Sorentino to stop wearing its brand, the company could've just paid off the Jersey Shore star, quietly. But nothing says 'look at me' like screaming via a ridiculous-sounding press release -- creating 'newsworthiness' out of nothing. Or out of something that really isn't occurring. The clothing company's title: “A Win-Win Situation,” an Abercrombie & Fitch 'news release' that's complete with search-engine friendly keywords -- and which supposedly expresses"deep concern" over an association between Jersey Shore's Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and the A&F brand.
Abercrombie & Fitch is offering a “substantial payment” to Mike 'The Situation' -- in exchange for the Jersey Shore star's decision “to wear an alternate brand.” If it's Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino, the equivalent is Abercrombie 'BS' Fitch.
Claims A&F: "We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image." It's no less than an 'F' in 'Stupid Stunts 101'.
“We understand that the [Jersey Shore] show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans,” according to A&F's August 16 statement. Of course it could make sense -- if Abercrombie and Fitch had a different reputation. Or, say, had a proven, elitist crowd of followers or purchasers. A&F may have an 'aspirational nature' -- and the company better continue to aspire: Abercrombie & Fitch is far less popular than Jersey Shore. Even based on Facebook alone, the clothing company has a bit more than one-third of the popularity as Jersey Shore -- Abercrombie & Fitch with about 5.2 million fans while the Jersey Shore TV show's garnered nearly 13.5 million Facebook fans.
As to which of Abercrombie and Fitch 'fans' are possibly going to be distressed by Mike 'The Situation's' dress code remains unclear. Perhaps the clothing brand's huge gay following, a crowd which also appreciates the Sorrentino physique. Or is the brand concerned those young teenage girls are supposedly going to be offended by 'The Situation's' choice of apparel?
It does indeed seem to be a 'Win-Win Situation' -- with both Abercrombie & Fitch and Jersey Shore winning free publicity. A&F also seems to have won the bonus round -- riding on the coattails of Jersey Shore, as MTV's most popular show in its entire 30-year history.
According to Abercrombie and Fitch, the company is offering other celebrities the opportunity to avoid it's brand too: The A&F payment plan, for not wearing the clothing retailer's brand, has supposedly been extended to other Jersey Shore reality stars. Yeah, (roll of the eyes) the clothing company says it's “urgently waiting a response” from those celebs.
Perhaps that 'response' the company's awaiting has to do with some proceeds after publicity reminds people the brand still exists. FYI, A&F: The PR stunt's on the same flailing level as other aspects of the company.