Abercrombie & Fitch, which under former CEO Michael Jeffries built its business with sexually suggestive advertising, has decided that its future messaging will rely on displaying the chain's fashions and not the bodies they cover.
"We have moved away from sexualized marketing," Mackenzie Bruce, a spokesperson for A&F, told Adweek. "Today, our marketing has undergone a significant evolution. We are using mostly color images and are focused on showcasing product and trends."
The changes being made at A&F are not just of the cosmetic variety. The company, which faced a number of suits under Mr. Jeffries for discriminatory hiring practices, has a new hiring policy in place.
The Associated Press reported on an internal letter sent last week to regional and district managers at the chain. "Abercrombie & Fitch will recruit and hire the best associates whose focus will be on offering our customers an excellent in-store experience. We will not tolerate discrimination based on body type or physical attractiveness and will not tolerate discrimination in hiring based on any category protected under the law."
A&F reported a sales decrease of 14 percent in its fourth quarter with comp sales in the U.S. down 10 percent for the period.
Source: abercrombie.com
- Abercrombie & Fitch Reports Fourth Quarter Results - Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
- Shirts on, Boys. - Adweek
- Abercrombie & Fitch tones down the sexy in stores, ads - The Associated Press/The Boston Globe (tiered sub.)
- Abercrombie & Fitch says it will stop hiring workers based on ‘body type or physical attractiveness' - The Washington Post (tiered sub.)
- Abercrombie & Fitch to Ditch Sleazy Hot Clerk Policy and Trademark Sexy Abs - Entrepreneur
- The Abercrombie & Fitch Makeover: A Review - The New York Times (tiered sub.)
- Supreme Court Looks At Abercrombie & Fitch's Hijab Discrimination Case - NPR