Urban Outfitters has been known for having risky and controversial clothing, and products. Since there beginning they have had that 'too cool' attitude and not really caring about going 'too far'. Some sayings on their products, are thought provoking, but offends different types of people. Is being controversial a good thing?
According to the week.com controversy has never left this franchise. In April 2012 they released a t-shirt with stars of David throughout with the word f*ck crudely displayed across the front. This outraged the Jewish community, and other communities alike. Then in summer of 2010 The UO franchise released a shirt that blatantly said 'Eat Less'. This shirt was displayed on a vascular model on their website. Quickly UO got a massive load of complaints and pulled the shirt from online, but these are just a few example. With all this controversy over the history of the store, they still have become more known and created more revenue. In the last year they have been taking even more risky business choices, to provoke emotions, so more people know who they are as a franchise. Maybe being infamous is positive. According to the dividendchannel.com, the franchise from Oct. 26 2011- Oct. 26 2012 market has grown at a steady rate and sales have been going upward.
Is being infamous and controversial positive to a business' exposure?
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http://www.dividendchannel.com/history/?a=chart&period=1yp&ticker=URBN&title=1+Year+Growth+Comparison
I agree with the point you made about how UO's controversial products can benefit it's business because that's what UO's target age group wants to see in their stores just like older shoppers want to see modest clothes at stores like Macy's and Lord and Taylor's.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely check out the books Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins...they have concrete, research supported and easy to understand ideas on what makes businesses successful.
ReplyDeleteBoth books were considered among the most important books read by businesses in the last decade or so.
I think it's really interesting how creating controversial products make this company more popular. I was wondering: why did UO decide to target the Jewish community with the one shirt with the F word?
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