Long suffering teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has gone through some management changes as of late, and has just launched the ad campaign featuring model Neelam Gill that reflects its new direction. Viewed as having a poor tracked record when it comes to hiring people of color and including them in campaigns, clearly Abercrombie is doing its best to leave behind its less than stellar race-related reputation and become more in step with the current generation, which, for the most part, embraces a more inclusive outlook.
And it’s not just that Gill is is of Indian descent (a first for the company), the clothing has a more updated look and feel with the campaign showing high-waisted flare (!) denim, leather motorcycle jackets, styled with of-the-moment sneakers loved by teens. Also make note that the hyper-sexual feel of the ads is gone, too, a calculation the retailer announced back in April. Which, womp-womp, no more shirtless guys standing in the doorway (which, not our type necessarily, but a freakish fun display of excess nonetheless!)
While the campaign feels like a step in the right direction, in reality Abercrombie is facing bigger hurdles than its own image. Once a big player with little competition in the teen retail space, in its current attempt to reboots, its facing a daunting new world in which its customer has hundreds of options, many of which are a click away. As such, the customer may like what Abercrombie is selling but can’t be bothered to actually go to the mall and buy it.