Fist Pumping PR Genius?
This month our favorite hot mess self-proclaimed Guidos and Guidettes from The Jersey Shore have been hitting Florence, Italy by storm and stirring up their special pasta sauce of controversy. The guys and gals have blown up since the show hit MTV’s airwaves nearly two years ago and since then have become spokespeople for energy drinks, nuts, fat burners and more, but it seems there’s one brand out there who doesn’t want anything to do with the hit show or its stars. In a recent Speakeasy post, Abercrombie and Fitch announced that it is offering Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and the other Jersey Shore cast mates an exorbitant amount of money to NOT wear their clothing.
Apparently, the brand said in a statement, “We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.” This statement to me was pure hilarity considering Abercrombie’s “alleged” reputation for racism and sexism, which I’m sure no one aspires to be the target of... but I digress.
At any rate, some are saying that this move by Abercrombie is pure PR genius. So far the story has not only been the topic of The Wall Street Journal blog I saw it on, but has also appeared in media outlets from US Magazine and Adweek to WashingtonPost.com. Will the press Abercrombie receives from shunning the Situation have a positive effect on their revenue or will the Jersey Shore stars be the only ones continuing to laugh all the way to the bank? What say you? 