Advertising
Advertising is so precious that companies pay millions of dollars to advertise in such high-profile venues as the Super Bowl. So why are teenagers and twentysomethings paying for the privilege of advertising some of America’s most successful companies? And why does this make them popular?
Fashion has always been an important part of human culture. Psychologically, people like to conform to the appearances of others, but only those in the same or a higher economic level. Abercrombie and Fitch provides today’s youth the ability to conform fashionably to each other, while setting themselves apart from those who cannot afford to pay $24.50 for a plain white T-shirt. More than just nice clothing, Abercrombie is about image.
Abercrombie clothes come in two varieties: rather nice, slightly generic clothing; and “cool” clothes that might be very plain, or downright ugly, but have “Abercrombie and Fitch” written on them. Those clothes in the first category satisfy the psychologists’ requirement that people want to dress alike. The clothing is simple, but perhaps this conformity, the feeling of belonging with everyone else wearing a similar chest stripe, adds to its popularity. But this popularity comes at a price. Abercrombie clothing is quite expensive, especially for the high school student on minimum wage or the college student on a budget. It’s fine if people find those shirts appealing, and indeed, many people look very attractive wearing those chest stripe sweaters. But the other category of Abercrombie clothing really concerns me: those shirts which might sell for a fourth of the price, except that they say “Abercrombie and Fitch” in huge letters across the front. I’ve seen white T-shirts with absolutely nothing distinguishing them from a Kmart shirt except for the brand name splashed in huge letters across the front. Indeed, this fits the psychologists’ profile: those who can afford Abercrombie clothing want to separate themselves from those who wear Kmart’s...
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