Keileen's+Proposal

Shirts or Skins? [] Proposal I have chosen to focus my project on Abercrombie and Fitch. This is an American retailer that sells casual wear. It is a company that has over three hundred locations and has spread internationally. I am interested in this clothing brand because I am a frequent customer and have made interesting observations about their marketing and advertising techniques. They use gender to appeal to their buyers by using male models to attract females and female models to attract males. There has been criticism about its racy marketing photography because the models are repeatedly half nude. The pictures on the shopping bags are also questionable because many times the models are barely wearing any Abercrombie clothing. Some portray shirtless men with muscular bodies who are only wearing jeans. What are they trying to sell, a body or the clothing? I would like to do more research on the image Abercrombie wants it's consumers to buy. The question I want to answer is, "What are Abercrombie and Fitch's intentions when advertising to consumers and how does this affect their image from a consumers point of view?" To find the answer to my question I will evaluate Abercrombie's catalogs, look at their website, interview employees, and visit the store. By looking at catalogs and their website, I will be able to see what their goal is through advertising. I can also interview employees who will know what their main vision is. I plan to interview a male and female to make gender comparisons. I will also compare it to another company called United Colors of Benetton which uses advertising techniques which are opposite of A&F.

Proposal Assignment