My roommate and I were enjoying a food court dinner, a few nights ago. Adorning our table was this advertisement announcing the arrival of a new store.
If you've been in a mall during the past five years you've probably seen an Aerie store and know that it's an American Eagle niche store selling undies and bras to the 12-18 set.
The catch phrase on this ad did what it was supposed to do and caught my attention.
"Turn some heads..." it demands of Jr. - Sr. High girls everywhere. Turn some heads? Plural? More than one individual is going to be seeing them prancing around in their underwear? Where do they think their target market is going to be, a brothel?
The opposite side of the advertisement relies on a girl in a bra to make up for their vague assertion they Aerie is "more than just sexy..."
Oh yes? There's more? Like what, pedophilia?
I can envision how it went down. The design firm saying, "That doesn't actually make sense" and "That's a little weird for your target market, what if we said..."
Sadly they were cut off by the owner who said, "No! That's our catch phrase, that's our idenity! We need people to think of that when they think of Aerie!"
Never fear Mr. Aerie CEO. In my mind, Aerie is now forever linked with child prostution. Never fear.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Your market is who now?
Posted by Melody at 23.4.08
Labels: the exchange, trauma
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3 comments:
Right. Because there aren't enough pregnant teens. They need to be just a wee bit sluttier, and make sure the whole world sees.
But now that clothing is becoming more and more revealing, teens need really good looking under-items to accessorize with. Quite sad indeed.
For everyone's information, AE/Aerie demographic is 17 to 25. Not 12 to 18, though there is an overlap for ANY marketing area. The only reason that the 12 to 17 yo. shops at Aerie is because THEY HAVE BOOBS, TOO! They need bras. But why only attack Aerie? Why not mention P NK? No, that is not a typo, the "I" got lost in a 16 yo girl's butt crack. Victoria Secret didn't have to come up with any "catch phrases" to suggest pedophilia. They just used a highly strategic logo location: teenage ass cheeks. I think we can all agree that it's worn by a lot of high-schoolers.
"Turn some heads..." may be a silly line when applied to comment on Aerie bras & undies. But what about their dorm-wear? Do high-schoolers live in "dorms"? What about their Aerie F.I.T. line? Are "sluts" the only ones that work out? Does it make sense now? Turn some heads... going to class... jogging in the park... etc. "More than just sexy..." is a direct blow to Victoria Secret. Ever hear of the Very Sexy Bra? Aerie is "more" than that. It is "above" that. It's not what you say, it's how you say.
Ultimately, it's the parents' fault of these so-implied "teenage sluts." The companies are not to blame. These 12 yo. girls wouldn't be dressing like sluts if their parents didn't buy them slutty outfits. And if the parents don't buy, the companies won't make. Parents also need to regulated how their daughters are dressing with the clothes they already have. It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it. How many times should a waistband be rolled? Most importantly, parents need to educate their kids on morals, integrity, and what is appropriate in life. WeRD2yaMUtHA!
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