American Apparel uses sexually provocative advertising that has led to complaints and bans in some countries. While the company has strong social values like manufacturing in the US and fair labor practices, the CEO continues to defend the ads. The document suggests American Apparel should instead advertise its core social values and business practices to attract customers interested in supporting ethical companies. It proposes the brand create an informative website and social media presence to educate people on its mission and build a community around promoting social change. This could help American Apparel regain public trust and reputation lost due to controversial ads.

1. RETHINKING AMERICAN APPAREL ADVERTISING.
Let us take the time to direct our attention to the brand, American Apparel. Calling to mind the brand name, we should instantly have
a picture of that bold, Helvetica typeface that contributes to the brand’s identity. The font, just like the product being sold, is simple yet
universal, inviting almost anyone in. The simplicity of the typeface is also accommodating because it helps us to further focus on the context
of the text and its meaning. The title, American Apparel, is definitely direct in speaking for the brand’s core purpose in keeping a vertically
integrated corporation where everything is made in the United States and is therefore guaranteed “sweatshop free”. Such an attention to
social responsibility is attractive to the consumer and may be at the forefront of their brand name and mission but it is certainly lost in their
advertisements.
If a product is any good, it should not need sexism to make sales. American Apparel certainly does have attractive products as well
as respectable and progressive business ethics, but as their advertisements show, sex is being used as a foremost selling point. Only a
month ago the brand had advertisements banned in the United Kingdom by the Advertising Standards Authority with complaints that images
were “offensive…pornographic, exploitive of women and inappropriately sexualized young women”. This is similar to complaints American
Apparel has had in the past, but the CEO, Dov Charney, continues to respond and deal with these reoccurring issues in the same way feeding
into a negative reputation for the brand. Charney stands by the company’s advertisements and believes the images embody “everyday people”
that are not airbrushed. It is respectable that models’ appearances are not being altered, but the images still place these “everyday people” in
compromising positions that are demeaning. Charney has further expressed he believes the images match the consumer’s “casual attitude
about sex”. This lifestyle suggested may be characteristic of a number of American Apparel’s consumers, but it certainly does not tie
individuals to the company’s core purpose. The fact that Charney is also fighting sexual harassment charges proves detrimental when
standing up for his accused sexist advertisements. A brand’s purpose in advertising should be to match its core message, not scandal.
It is easy to see how controversy around American Apparel’s advertising would lead to a loss of both public trust and integrity for the
brand. The redeeming quality American Apparel has is a strong foundation that provides opportunity to gain back these losses and even reach
out to new customers. What needs to happen is that people need to be informed of or reminded of these core values. I can see how right
now only a small percent of the public is well informed of the brand's commitment to social responsibility and I think that if others were
informed, they would feel good about buying into the brand. People need to appreciate that American Apparel is unique because it places value
on business ethics that link to a bigger picture. I believe running a series of advertisements that share these ethics would further link people to
the brand and to each other.
I envision an advertisement campaign with provocative messages to replace provocative images where individuals are further informed
of how they can connect with American Apparel to commit to social change. If their dedication to the environment and human dignity is made
apparent in their advertisements, I would like to suggest that more individuals would go out of their way to buy from and invest in the brand.
Because American Apparel already has a strong presence on the web, I imagine advertisements that encourage people to visit the website
where there is more information. The website wiould be organized so educating people about the brand is the first and foremost goal before
even selling the product. The wider public should know that the brand was built with a general belief that workers and environments should not
be damaged in order to gain profit. Further people should be told about how the brand promotes a number of progressive policies including
immigrant rights and labor policies that are "sweatshop free". This information is on their website currently but people should not stumble upon
the information accidentally, they should be directed there. Right now people have a very narrow view of the brand and when asked about
American Apparel they will say they like the product and if they get beyond that they will have only a few words about how the clothes were
manufactured. The thought process is that even if the viewer does not buy into the product right away or ever, at least they can be educated
about the brand and speak intelligently about their values.
I imagine the website's introduction page being just as universal as the brand name's typeface inviting almost anyone to join the
movement towards social change. Choosing to buy American Apparel products should correlate to a chosen lifestyle that is striving towards a
common good. The thought behind this is that people will contribute to American Apparel's mission and not only feel active in working towards
a cause, but they will also be surrounded by a community also dedicated towards the same sort of action. American Apparel can build up a
positive reputation by selling a progressive lifestyle that will further encourage their product. Customers will want to buy primarily from
American Apparel because they will know where there clothes are coming from, the conditions they were manufactured in, and what there
money is contributing to. RIght away the viewer should be greeted by a message that is grateful for the viewer's interest and from there, easy
to navigate tabs along with tags and categories that inform and promote the lifestyle.
We live in a day and age where the web is so widely used and it is where consumers are spending most of their time. It would be
easy for American Apparel to promote their core message efficiently and effectively while also spreading the popularity of their brand. Imagine
Facebook pages, Twitter updates, and Pinterest uploads all being shared because the content is just that relevant and relatable to the public.
Also we should be aware of how knowledge of the brand and exposure to its core purpose can create passion within people to share such
values in everyday conversations. Overall, American Apparel does not need sexually charged images that distract from thier core purpose,
people will be attracted to the core purpose alone if they are given the right tools, space, and community to fuel that energy.
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