American Apparel Essay
Critically analyze the promotional strategies of American Apparel’s current advertising campaign by discussing: segmentation strategy, target market selection, and positioning strategy as well as brand image.
American Apparel was founded on passion, built on ethics, and advertised with sex. Montreal-born Dov Charney determined that there was an unfulfilled need in the apparel market for American-made tshirts and other cotton basics that could appeal to all types of people, thus founded the company in 2003 and became the largest garment manufacturer in America (Hill, 2010). The company segmented their market to young men and women in their 20s, and further targeted a niche audience of environmentally conscious consumers. The company catered to this artsy, bohemian audience who resided in hip neighborhoods of large, metropolitan cities that upheld a “hip, subversive, and degenerate” culture (Wolf, 2006).
Until 2008, the company used concentrated marketing by positioning themselves as a sweatshop-free manufacturer who pays their employees fair wages and provides them health care benefits. Positioning the brand by attributes and benefits led American Apparel to became known for their ethics and sustainability. As more and more retailers attempt to be “green,” American Apparel had a harder time standing …show more content…
The company’s philosophy on being sweat-shop free, Made in USA puts them at odd’s ends with their overly-sexed advertisements. Since people have layers, the brand can appeal to shoppers by helping them embrace their duality. Consumers want a brand that they can emotionally connect with, brands that reflect their passion and interests (Thau, 2014), which this emotional appeal would do. Furthermore, versatility appeals to the rational consumer looking for items with multiple uses, which translates into a good value for their
American Apparel was founded on passion, built on ethics, and advertised with sex. Montreal-born Dov Charney determined that there was an unfulfilled need in the apparel market for American-made tshirts and other cotton basics that could appeal to all types of people, thus founded the company in 2003 and became the largest garment manufacturer in America (Hill, 2010). The company segmented their market to young men and women in their 20s, and further targeted a niche audience of environmentally conscious consumers. The company catered to this artsy, bohemian audience who resided in hip neighborhoods of large, metropolitan cities that upheld a “hip, subversive, and degenerate” culture (Wolf, 2006).
Until 2008, the company used concentrated marketing by positioning themselves as a sweatshop-free manufacturer who pays their employees fair wages and provides them health care benefits. Positioning the brand by attributes and benefits led American Apparel to became known for their ethics and sustainability. As more and more retailers attempt to be “green,” American Apparel had a harder time standing …show more content…
The company’s philosophy on being sweat-shop free, Made in USA puts them at odd’s ends with their overly-sexed advertisements. Since people have layers, the brand can appeal to shoppers by helping them embrace their duality. Consumers want a brand that they can emotionally connect with, brands that reflect their passion and interests (Thau, 2014), which this emotional appeal would do. Furthermore, versatility appeals to the rational consumer looking for items with multiple uses, which translates into a good value for their