This story was in the Guardian on Wednesday 14th September here is the link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2011/sep/14/sexist-topman-tshirts-off-shelves?intcmp=239
I just wanted to say that i am completely shocked that somebody even thought of creating such a t-shirt.
Why did Top-man decide to stock these products in the first place?
Maybe to attract the attention of young men or women (preferably students) who would find this hilarious or can relate to it in some way as these may be the excuses they have said to somebody else. Maybe Top-man thought this coincides with the sense of humor of the young generation today and hoped that many young people would flock all of Top-man stores across the country to purchase one of these t-shirts, which was obviously incorrect.
Do I think the brand reputation will be tarnished?
Maybe so, in my opinion this will have some kind of affect on the reputation of the brand but i don't think it will have an adverse effect on the sales revenue. Some people make think the brand has sexist views and that they don't stand for equality amongst women, due to the negative press releases about this story. I reckon the press releases about the story may have influenced the sexist concept which don't surprise me at all. Would you say that the t-shirts could have been marketed to women as well? Maybe in the case of sleeping with a best friends boyfriend or not attending a important tutorial etc... maybe so, but either way its still a negative message to have on a t-shirt. I honestly think that the press definitely added fuel to the fire by staying it is blatantly against women. I reckon if the message would have been positive i.e "I love you because..." i think it would of been a success but hey that's my opinion. If i was the marketing manager i would carry out market research through questionnaires to evaluate the consumers' perception of the brand then make the appropriate strategy based on the results.
Well i hope you have enjoyed my first blog ever, please leave your comments, thanks
I just wanted to say that i am completely shocked that somebody even thought of creating such a t-shirt.
Why did Top-man decide to stock these products in the first place?
Maybe to attract the attention of young men or women (preferably students) who would find this hilarious or can relate to it in some way as these may be the excuses they have said to somebody else. Maybe Top-man thought this coincides with the sense of humor of the young generation today and hoped that many young people would flock all of Top-man stores across the country to purchase one of these t-shirts, which was obviously incorrect.
Do I think the brand reputation will be tarnished?
Maybe so, in my opinion this will have some kind of affect on the reputation of the brand but i don't think it will have an adverse effect on the sales revenue. Some people make think the brand has sexist views and that they don't stand for equality amongst women, due to the negative press releases about this story. I reckon the press releases about the story may have influenced the sexist concept which don't surprise me at all. Would you say that the t-shirts could have been marketed to women as well? Maybe in the case of sleeping with a best friends boyfriend or not attending a important tutorial etc... maybe so, but either way its still a negative message to have on a t-shirt. I honestly think that the press definitely added fuel to the fire by staying it is blatantly against women. I reckon if the message would have been positive i.e "I love you because..." i think it would of been a success but hey that's my opinion. If i was the marketing manager i would carry out market research through questionnaires to evaluate the consumers' perception of the brand then make the appropriate strategy based on the results.
Well i hope you have enjoyed my first blog ever, please leave your comments, thanks
I agree completely with what you are saying, but i also think that these t shirts were meant to be seen as light-hearted banter. The press definitely added fuel to the fire by saying it is aimed at women, because it is not necessarily about women, it could be about someone saying something they didn't mean or anything along them lines.
ReplyDeleteI myself wouldn't wear a t shirt like this and wouldn't encourage others to either, i think it would be good if Topman give all their profit that they made on these t shirts to an organisation that helps deal with women or men who have been through difficult times. To show how sorry they are about the 'confusion' that could of surrounded these t shirts.
Jane Coupe
janecoupe.blogspot.com
Really good blog, am I the only one that doesn't find these t-shirts shocking?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion there are loads of tshirts similar to this....I'm not sure they've even pushed boundaries just followed a trend initially set by FCUK and followed by many brands.
To be honest there are more inappropriate t-shirts then the Top-man t-shirts but i think all the media attention just gave the brand SOME publicity without the cost. Whenever it is negative or positive, they still got the attention of the consumer.
ReplyDeletethanks for the comments guys :)