Monday 20th May 2013
Thoughts and insights from the World of Initials
Abercrombie & Fitch: complete CSR fail
Posted on May 17, 2013 by INITIALS
Jamie Matthews, CEO at Initials Marketing, takes a look at the claims made by Abercrombie & Fitch, the recent #FitchTheHomeless campaign, and the results of its brand generosity survey.
“It is our mission to continue our efforts to support human rights, invest in our associates, give back to our communities, commit to environmental sustainability efforts, make responsible business decisions, stand for and achieve diversity and inclusion.” Unless, that is, you’re fat. Or old. Or ugly.
Yes, the quote above is from Abercrombie & Fitch’s CSR statement. But recent comments from its CEO Mike Jeffries and the subsequent viral backlash against his efforts to build an ‘aspirational ‘ brand show just how much our expectations of good corporate citizenship have changed.
Greg Karber’s YouTube video, showing him going out on the streets of LA, buying old A&F clothes for a fraction of a marketing executive’s daily salary, and handing them out to appreciative, unphotogenic homeless people, has had more than 400,000 hits to date. It’s touched a widespread nerve among the majority of us incensed at the fact that a big corporate should put its brand before the common good. And inevitably, its reputation among its target audience of 18-34 year olds has dived.
Result: complete CSR fail. As the dive in A&F’s reputation among its key demographic of 18-34 year olds shows, we now expect a great deal more from corporates.
Initials’ own Brand Generosity research, undertaken in conjunction with YouGov among 2000 people nationally, underlined a simple insight that savvy brands already know and are acting on: that the brands which survive are those that will make life better.
Gone are the days when CSR was just about philanthropic giveaways with one eye on looking good. The ‘new’ CSR is about maximising brand profit and being a force for social good, in nearly-equal measure. We are beginning to see a general consensus that not only can brands create a symbiotic relationship between the bottom line and doing the right thing, but in today’s climate, it’s an intrinsic part of doing business.
Our Brand Generosity research unequivocally found that while we are overwhelmingly supportive of companies who support the local community, if it has a bad reputation, we probably won’t buy from it.
So A&F’s current stance isn’t exclusionary or aspirational: it’s just arrogant and out of touch. It’s certainly not a fashion statement, it’s just fashion fascism. And in an age when the old order of “tell and sell” advertising is being replaced by meaningful and relevant dialogue between brands and customers, every nuance and tone in a brand’s voice matters.
Shopper expectation is changing, and with it, CSR. We might still be suspicious of companies trying to do good (again, a key finding of our Brand Generosity research), but there’s no question that we’re starting to expect more than a passing nod to excellent corporate citizenship. Jeffries should take heed.
Originally posted on The Drum on May 17th
Did you like this? Share it:
TweetTime To Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings… again!
Posted on by INITIALS
Every week Facebook, the largest global social media platform, seems to announce a new-fangled privacy feature. Earlier this month Facebook introduced yet another privacy update with the launch of (drum roll) ‘Trusted Contacts’. Picture the scene. You have locked yourself out of your beloved Facebook account, Facebook sends a unique code to the contacts you have identified to be ‘trusted’ (between three and five people). Once you enter all of the individual codes into Facebook you are granted access back into your account, just in time to see photos of what everyone has had for their dinner- hurrah!
I’m not sure how I feel about this and Mashable.com tends to agree with me, calling it ‘needlessly complicated’. If you have been as unfortunate as I have to come across this new feature perhaps you have had similar thoughts on this:
- Can we define a trusted contact? I don’t know about you but if I leave my Facebook logged in and unattended for more than 5mins and those nearby are peppering profanities across my status! Facebook is now putting this power into hands I don’t really trust.
- How many friends do you have on standby? While you are climbing the walls without access to your Facebook account, your friends could be strolling around town, or perhaps on an exotic holiday blissfully unaware that they possess the key to your happiness.
I wonder why they have created a new feature instead of encouraging users to utilise the existing two-factor authentication system, envied by Twitter users, and already place. Apparently ‘Trusted Contacts’ is supposed to be a safer way of regaining access to your account. Facebook actually taking an interest in our security, surely not?! Seems to me, Facebook is feeling a little bruised after their continuous criticism over security and are trying far too hard to redeem themselves (to our detriment).
Did you like this? Share it:
TweetPosted in Ellen Phillips, Facebook, Mashable, Social Media, Social Media Agency, Trusted Contacts, twitter
Does good taste matter?
Posted on May 7, 2013 by INITIALS
It’s a well-known fact that each generation strives to push back the social barriers they consider were repressive and unnecessarily restrictive in times gone by. Standing up when a teacher entered the classroom, offering a lady your seat on the train and not using offensive language in public have all but disappeared with the demise of deference. These are things which in a way defined the age in which they were an accepted form of behaviour, and their absence certainly does not signal the end of civilised society. But just how far do we want things to go? There is now something of a backlash against binge drinking and its effect on public behaviour, yet the use of the f word in TV, theatre, films and even in common parlance has become commonplace. Nudity, once only seen in certain Soho establishments, is now an everyday occurrence.
So when a car manufacturer uses the portrayal of a suicide attempt to promote a new model, does it really matter? Yes. We sometimes forget that what is deemed acceptable in the fashion conscious, style driven, media luvvie London world may well be extremely distasteful and distressing to other sections of the community. Everyone has their own idea of what is acceptable in our society. When French Connection first published their (then) notorious slogan FCUK in the seventies, it was deemed by some to be highly inappropriate. But on second glance, there was a justification given its direct relevance to the company name and it was undeniably a clever and relevant piece of copywriting.
The trouble is that what is acceptable to trend setters may be abhorrent to more traditional sectors. This is where good taste comes in. How do we judge what is good taste anyway? It’s a moving feast but I can’t help feeling that we’ve now reached such extremes of language, behaviour and visual imagery that for the sake of future generations we should at least pause for thought before publishing marketing messages that will clearly give offence to some if not all. Otherwise, it’ll just be an exponential free-for-all in which brands compete with consumers to see who can publish the most outrageous material and get away with it.
In the end, I guess it comes down to that indefinable quality, good taste. We do still have some in our society, don’t we?
Marcomms Man
Did you like this? Share it:
TweetPosted in Marcomms Man
Tropicana – Win £5 every minute of every morning
Posted on May 1, 2013 by INITIALS
With summer just around the corner INITIALS are pleased to be able to bring you a little bit more sunshine, with the launch of the new Tropicana on-pack promotion and online app. Tropicana are launching an extensive through-the-line campaign, incorporating TV, OOH, Social, Digital and On-pack elements bringing a little sunshine to your mornings.
INITIALS have designed and developed the on-pack creative and an application accessible online and via Facebook for desktops, smartphones and tablets. On purchasing a single-serve bottle of Tropicana, consumers are prompted to visit tropicana.co.uk/Fbwin5 and enter their unique code to see if they have won one of the £5 prizes available every minute of every morning.
The competition is open from 7am to 12noon every morning between 1st May and 18th June, followed by a wrap-up draw running until 16th August.
Did you like this? Share it:
TweetPosted in Mike Orme
The Mormons join the digital revolution
Posted on April 30, 2013 by INITIALS
The internet has provided a way for many brands and different groups to become relevant again. Over the past two weeks we’ve seen a traditional institute which was established over 150 years ago shout about their presence on the web: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the official church of the Mormons.
Lately the church has been in the public eye because of the critically acclaimed and controversial musical comedy The Book of Mormon – which just began its sold-out performances at the Prince of Wales Theatre in March 2013. This unusual piece of contemporary musical theatre has put the Mormon religion under the microscope. Instead of hiding from potentially damaging press, the establishment have responded with a series of print advertisements driving people to their website. Here you can ‘Meet a Mormon’, ask him/her questions and learn about their faith.
This campaign hopes to drive the curious and the critical alike to interact with the church. The Mormons are imploring people to engage with their religion, and with religious congregation numbers dwindling in the UK the internet could provide a resurgence of interest in religion. Whether or not it is a success we’ll wait and see. However it’s another example of a traditional group using the internet to gain a voice in modern day society. The church of Mormon joins the ranks of brands, politicians, police forces and academics who have modernised the way they interact with the public through their online presence.
Did you like this? Share it:
TweetPosted in Eliza Johnston, marketing, Meet a Mormon, The Book Of Mormon