nol's pov

Where To?

Gearing up for autonomous cars, through brand loyalty strategy

As I transition into a career in strategy, I am often asked what industries interest me. While my passion for fashion luxury has overwhelmingly declined (it is all a saturation of recycled 90’s trends, streetwear, and designer roulette), I still hold an affinity for luxury. My attention however, has turned to industries that in my opinion are the new purveyors of luxury—health and fitness for example. But people are often perplexed by my interest in the automotive industry. This makes all the more sense, when you learn that I have driven a car only a handful of times and that I don’t have a driver’s license. But I do indeed love cars, they satisfy three of my passions: luxury, consumer experiences, and transportation.

I have always been interested in transportation. When I visited Paris for the first time when I was fourteen, all I wanted was to ride the TGV. When I was kid, I would take maps of the Bay Area and draw what I thought would be the perfect subway system. Maybe it was the strategist within me, but all I wanted was to make the city more efficient. It is no surprise that transportation policy was my favorite class while studying Urban Planning. Like Advertising, Urban Planning fed my need to problem solve and conjure up visions of what could be.

That is exactly why I am so enthralled by the automotive industry. Some may be daunted by advents such as Lyft and Uber, autonomous cars, scooters, or hyper-loop, and how they will turn the industry on its head. However, this only provides us with opportunities to problem solve and innovate. Opportunities that can lead to beautiful consumer experiences and the nurturing of loyal relationships between brands and their customers. At the end of the day this is a strategist’s truest value—to intimately understand how clients make money, and see opportunities. Like Foucault once said: “I'm no prophet. My job is making windows where there were once walls.”

The Autonomous Cars Are Coming

According to Henrik Christensen, head of UC San Diego's Contextual Robotics Institute, children born in 2017 may never experience driving. This is because all of the major car companies plan to have fully autonomous cars in 10 to 15 years. Leading the pack is Ford who plans to have an autonomous fleet on the road for ride-hailing by 2021.

However it is not as easy as “if you build it, he will come”, and auto companies that are betting on this strategy are in for a surprise. This is because it is not just the technology of cars that is changing. Consumer sentiment and behavior when it comes to transportation is shifting as well, meaning that driver and consumer experiences will also have to be overhauled. Automakers that plan to remain relevant come 10-15 years, must remain cognizant of these changes to meet the needs of their consumers.

The Transportation Paradigm Shift

The biggest shift within transportation policy comes from ride sharing. Since their inception, ride-share companies like Lyft and Uber have completely changed the way we move around cities. I moved to New York City three years ago, and still haven’t hailed my own cab. While not without their fair amount of controversy, these platforms are more efficient, economical, safer, and seamless. These benefits are only possible because of their mobile platforms, which are as indispensable as Instagram on your phone. However, have ride-sharing platforms also changed our perception of owning a car?

While this might be a stretch, consumer sentiment (especially that of Millennials and Gen-Z cohorts) towards car ownership has changed, with overall interest in owning a car decreasing. Two additional reasons to car sharing that are driving Millennials and Gen-Z to opt out of owning a car are: (1) The Fifth Migration and (2) an overall shift in how we spend money and share our status among our peers.

The term Fifth Migration was first coined in 2005 by Robert Fishman, Professor of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan, to describe people leaving suburbia to repopulate American cities. This phenomenon is largely driven by Millennials. According to a 2014 Nielsen report 62% of Millennials lived in urban centers where they have the access to amenities like shops, restaurants, and offices. Perhaps an even more important figure is that 40% of these individuals would like to remain in urban areas, often only choosing the suburbs because they are priced out of expensive city centers. “As a result, for the first time since the 1920s growth in U.S. cities outpaces growth outside of them.”

With such an influx of individuals into American Cities, Urban Planners and Traffic Engineers have had to completely rethink how to design cities. In an effort to maintain efficient, healthy, and safe communities; planners have opted for initiatives that give automobiles less priority, like road diets and protected bike lanes. New York City for example added more than 1000 miles of bike lanes (100% protected), between 2008 and 2018.

In addition to The Fifth Migration there has been a paradigm shift in consumerism, where consumers are opting to spend their money on experiences instead of tangibles. I explore this further in The Luxury Cultural Tension. While in the past owning a car was a status symbol and part of the American dream, Millennials and Gen-Z don’t care to own things. As Sheryl Connelly of Ford Motor Co. offers, members of the Gen-Z don’t see their car as a status symbol and are “much more likely to find value in experiences than they are to find value in things.”

This shift in how Millennials and Gen-Z spend money, and their sentiment towards ownership is something that Volvo has caught on to, recently creating the Care by Volvo program. In an attempt to make the brand relevant to a generation accustomed to subscription services such as Netflix, Spotify, and the iPhone Upgrade Program, Care by Volvo allows drivers to sign up for a 24-month subscription service that includes insurance, maintenance and concierge services for a flat $600 monthly fee.

From Goods to Services

Christensen is not alone, both Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Lyft co-founder John Zimmer, believe car ownership will cease to exist in 20 years. While some automotive companies may produce autonomous cars for those at the top of the income bracket, because “the technology would prove expensive for individual consumers” most will not own a car. In effect we will do away with car financing, as people “pay to use one of many “fleet” cars, provided by vendors such as Waymo, Uber, Ford etc.”

My vision is that the automotive industry will come to mirror the airline industry. Instead of paying for a product you are paying for a service, as most individuals can’t just go out and buy a plane. Thus, for most commuters the experience won’t be all that different from ordering a Lyft or an Uber—except that these cars will not have any wheels, pedals, or hand-operated gears. Passengers will get in, and the autonomous vehicle will transport them to a pre in-puted destination.

However, just how there are those who own private jets, or travelers who prefer to fly business or first class, some people will want something a little more special from their autonomous ride. Therein lies the opportunity to provide consumers with beautiful experiences. In addition to reports showing that autonomous cars will be safer; by not having to drive cars ourselves, autonomous cars are giving us the most amazing gift of all, time. What will we do with all this extra time inside these cabins of the future? Surely there has to be a difference between riding with BMW, Ford, Rolls Royce, or Volvo. From sleeping, relaxing, to making an espresso, or simply watching a movie; what automotive companies decide to do with their cabins will have a deep impact on the loyalty of their customers.

Volvo for example foresees two viable business spaces where its brand will operate. The first is B2B, where businesses will buy into Volvo’s autonomous service and offer it as a perk to its employees or clients. The autonomous service would be “door-to-door travel with a plethora of amenities." Another space where the brand plans to compete in, is that of short haul flights, where it provides a hassle free alternative to the 125 mile trip between Los Angeles and San Diego for example.

Rolls Royce on the other hand is hunkering down on ownership, believing that the answer to the future of transport is “simply staggering in the extremism of its opulence and swagger.” With the Rolls Royce 103EX, the automaker plans to stand apart by feeling a void in the commoditized market of transport: the void of beauty, space and form. Instead of the usual elements in car, like a steering wheel, Roll Royce has packed this “luxury cocoon” with details such Macassar wood for the interior, and a carpet of "hand-twisted silk." As it notes on its website, “the interior space is designed to be a retreat from the world – evoking a feeling of privacy, warmth and ultimate relaxation.”

Building Loyalty Today for The Cars of Tomorrow

While we can’t know for certain what cars will look like ten years from today, it is suffice to say we will not be driving them. And while some automotive companies have always been known to lead the luxury way (Rolls Royce for example), it is only a matter of time before they all have similar amenities. When you think about it, is there really a difference between flying American or United Airlines? Without implementing a brand loyalty strategy today, and ensuring that the brand remains within consumers’ evoke set, automotive companies are setting themselves for an uncertain business climate, like that of the airline industry.

Key in earning this loyalty, is car companies investing in their own proprietary car-hailing platforms. However unlike Lyft and Uber, which are available to everyone, these car-hailing services would only be available to customers of the brand. Take Volvo for example, the brand could add this service to their Care by Volvo program. Should you need a ride to the airport, or perhaps had one too many drinks at the bar, you can request Volvo to come and pick you up. If you own a Volvo and love it, why would you have to sacrifice the experience you have come to love by riding in an alternative? Volvo should be there throughout every transport experience.

Another way to build interest and loyalty for the brand today, is by extending your services into untrodden territories. Ford for example has created a bike share program in the Bay Area, for those who have no interest in buying a car. The purpose here is to remind the consumer of the brand at the nexus of their transportation journeys. I for one think an auto company should take over a subway car or station in New York, charge a premium, and retrofit it to offer an experience that includes designated seating, coffee/ breakfast, and most importantly a clean smelling space.

Encore

I am often perplexed at the dismay on people’s faces when they hear that today’s youth may never experience driving a car—as if something was being taken away. However this could not be further from the truth. For the majority of car owners, the driving experience is tied to commuting—86% according to a Census report. Furthermore as the Washington Post offers, not only are these commutes a waste of precious time, they are also associated with negative impacts on our health and quality of life such as: obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, back and neck pain, divorce, depression and death. Autonomous cars will change that, and make the commuting experience a healthier and more memorable one.

Moreover, as autonomous cars take over the mundane task of commuting, automotive companies can double down their innovation efforts of leisure and sport on manual cars. An example of this in practice comes from Land Rover, which through Land Rover Experiences, allows you to test their fleet of cars through different off-road terrains with the guidance of an instructor. Not only do these experiences allow consumers to push themselves, learn new skills, and explore, but in addition it strengthens their bond with the brand.

I envision that brand strategies of automotive companies will come to more and more resemble that of Land Rover; where consumers can experience their fleets to their full potential. Imagine Autobahn-like corridors where you can race Aston Martins or Lamborghinis. These experiences will finally make the sensation of freedom and exploration that is so fondly associated with cars a reality.

The truth is that autonomous cars aren’t taking anything away, to the contrary of critics, they are providing us with a world of opportunities. Now only one question remains: where to?

Reinventing The Retail Card

In a recent Business of Fashion article Luxury’s Generation Gap, Limei Hoang offers, “millennials will account for 45 percent of the luxury market by 2025, but their values and spending habits are at odds with the business models of many traditional brands.” Millennials are hard to impress and they will remain uninspired unless the brand experience is an immersive one. They worship brands that are transparent, authentic, and participate in the communities where they do business in. In other words, they are loyal to brands that show a high level of engagement. What is so perplexing is that there is not one luxury department store that is responding to this insight, and this remains the reason for their slow demise.

When we talk about customer engagement, we are talking about the same level of engagement you would expect from your best friends, given that, “like human relationships, customer engagement is the culmination of ongoing interactions and experiences with the brand." A brand needs to make sure that the interactions and experiences between the brand and millennials are meaningful enough to leave a lasting memory on their psyche. Research by SapientRazorfish outlines five key drivers to deepen customer engagement: empathy, personalization, accessibility, value, and consistency/cohesiveness. Blake Park explores these in depth in Know your Millennials. Really know them. Because conventional wisdom can mislead.

Among all luxury department stores, there is a product being offered that could ignite all the aforementioned drivers and that is being foolishly unexploited to its full potential. Enter the retail card, luxury stores’ biggest missed opportunity, and their last ray of hope, to improve the luxury experience for millennials.

Have you heard of our rewards program?

Call them loyalists, influencers, or segment them by levels, circles, or even precious stones or metals; every luxury store offers a credit card and they all want you to have one. Not only do they avoid the transaction fee; but they also reap the benefits of interest or potential late fees, and according to intra-industry reasoning—customers with retail cards spend more. But like many other financial instruments, none of them differ very much from each other.

Beyond this, as far as millennials are concerned, these cards are just another financial instrument unworthy of their trust. Having grown up in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the depression, millennials’ distrust for the financial industry is at an all time high. As Scratch’s Millennial Disruption Index offers, the banking industry runs the highest risk for disruption. This notion triggers down to retail cards, because none of them are different. And yet these cards hold the power to solve all of luxury’s problems. They have the potential of checking off all the mentioned benchmarks and like travel metal cards, they have the potential of becoming the latest status symbol.

What’s in your wallet?

What is it that is implied when a client drops their Centurion, Platinum, or Sapphire Reserve card? Perhaps that you have an exceptional credit score, that you spend enough to outweigh the annual fee, that you can afford the annual fee, that you have enough money to meet the signup bonus, and perhaps that you have the time and money to utilize the perks that come with the card. Perhaps, because of these cards, others perceive you as cultured, wealthy, or at least as someone who has been responsible with their money. These cards also say that one has access that others don’t, whether this be access to places, things, or knowledge.

Luxury retail cards need to achieve these perceptions while ensuring that they are enriching client engagement. They have to say “I have access to a plethora of exceptional luxury. My card can get me into ‘so and so’ luxury department store.”

Any place with the perception of exclusivity—from the Delta Sky Club to the Soho House—requires a membership. So luxury department stores must switch their ‘come one, come all’ mentality, and only allow entrance and access to all the perks the store offers to cardholders. To countervail any loss of clients who may not want to open a card or can't because they are a tourist, stores should offer a day pass. Should the client buy anything that day, the entrance fee can be applied to their purchase.

The Perks

Now let’s talk about the perks that these card should provide, and that will allow them to meet the engagement benchmarks for millennials.

Empathy: According to Blake Park brands need to be empathetic to millennials’ need for flexibility when it comes to earning and redeeming points. However, as I point out in Dethroning the Client, it is also imperative that brands demand a level of commitment from their clients. As such, a loyalty program should become more flexible the more the client spends. As previously noted, customer engagement works like human relationships. You wouldn’t forgive a stranger for being late to an appointment, however, you would be flexible for your best friend’s mishaps and perhaps reschedule with pleasure. A loyalty program should reward you more and more as you spend, and there should be multiple tiers that a client can strive toward. This allows a brand to target a large audience, while maintaining its image of luxury. As you spend more, not only should you earn more, but your perks should also accrue. These perks should be relevant and meaningful. For example, your shipping preference should be upgraded, your purchase protection such as alterations and repairs should change, and how soon you can start enjoying your rewards should also change.

This level of flexibility in earning and redeeming points is the reason why the Chase Sapphire Reserve card has seen major success, while “American Express cards in use declined by almost 18 percent, according to industry analysts.” The Chase Sapphire Reserve allows you to earn points under its travel and dining categories in various ways. Under its travel category, one can earn points by using the card for airfare, taxis, subway, and transportation companies like Lyft or Uber. One can also use the $300 travel credit on any travel expense. The American Express Platinum card, on the other hand, will only allow you to earn points on airfare, forces you to use its $200 Uber credit in $15 increments per month, and will only allow you to use your $200 travel credit for qualifying incidental purchases. Unlike the Amex Platinum card, the perfect luxury retail card must be empathetic to the needs of the consumer, while remaining in control of the luxury experience.

Personalization: There is nothing as upsetting as a rewards program that treats everyone the same. It makes you feel like the brand is not doing their due diligence and learning about your habits and what makes you tick. The reality, however, is that every loyalty program does just this. As offered in Dethroning the Client, when discussing how to properly stage breathtaking experiences and transformations, brands need to “transcend expectations, to go off in new (and unexpected) directions entirely.”

Instead of offering gift cards, notes, or in store cash to shop again, luxury department stores must use these funds to create remarkable experiences for their patrons. As Ajay Kelkar offers in How Banks are Missing the “millenials” Mark?, “research from Facebook IQ has shown that Millennials tend to show off not through the ownership of things, but through experiences.” These experiences can be meaningful no matter how much the client has spent—from a diner to their favorite restaurant or tickets to their favorite artist’s concert, to tailor-made travel journeys to exotic destinations. These experiences will keep clients coming for more; and as a brand you will benefit from invaluable exposure that is sure to arise through organic advertising.

Ensuring excellence from this strategy, however, requires a team that is dedicated to continuously touching base with sales people, gather insights on clients, and create fabulous experiences. It also requires a state of the art mobile app.

Accessibility: When in regards to the accessibility driver, Park is concerned with the ease with which a client can interact with the brand across various platforms—whether in digital or in store, and the transparency a brand exemplifies in terms of collecting and using client data. As noted, millennials hold high distrust for the financial industry; so as financial instruments, luxury retail cards should always put forward the highest regard for transparency. As for the ease in interacting with a brand, luxury department stores need to use the retail card as a client’s access pass to interacting with the brand in order to demonstrate and foster high levels of engagement.

Think about your best friends. You probably are friends on Facebook, you follow them on Instagram, and are connected on LinkedIn (even if you don’t work in the same industry). You like all of their posts, photos, and stories. However, what's most important is that if you wanted to reach them, you could do so on various platforms. Personally, I prefer to text or call my friends. How do we take this ease and accessibility and implement it to a rewards program? The ultimate luxury retail card must give you access to its mobile app, access that non-cardholders would have to pay for (because yes, it should be that good). What would this app do for the client?

There are a couple of apps that I rely on. Among them, Susan Miller’s Astrology Zone (if you don’t have it, get it, it’s the best) and the financial app MINT. However the most important app in my phone is the Equinox app. It may sometimes seem like I am working undercover for the brand because I write about it all the time, but in all reality I can’t live without it. Not only do they make my life easy, they’ve helped me transform myself. And this should be the ultimate goal for a luxury department store. The Equinox App allows me to search classes and export them to my calendar, and helps me track these classes and see my workout results. It also let’s me know what clubs are near me and what classes are coming up. It informs me about promotions that are available to me at The Spa, new merchandise available at The Shop, and it shares upcoming events. It also previews articles that are available on Equinox’s online magazine, Furthermore. Foremost however, is that the app allows me to ‘favorite’ classes, instructors, and clubs. So let’s say I had to leave work later than expected and because of this I missed a class; I can open the app and filter out my favorite classes, instructors, or clubs, or all together, and see what workouts are available to me.

A retail luxury card should offer an app that does just this, but goes even further. Imagine an app that works a little like Facebook, a client should be able to request and favorite a salesperson. This would allow them to see when their favorite salespeople are in the store, and set up an appointment with them, or just message them if they have a question. They would also have access to a salesperson’s shares from pictures of new merchandise, to their thoughts on the the latest runway shows or an article about the industry they found interesting, and the associate would be able to invite them to events or trunk shows. A client can share pictures of how they are wearing their latest pieces, or perhaps ask for recommendations should they be looking for something special.

From the salesperson’s point of view—if the client has favorited them—the salesperson would have access to merchandise they were looking at, and liked, and they could comment on it. They would have access to their purchase history, to know how to build their wardrobe, and know when the client is in the store. A sales person would also be able to add insights they are gathering through their interactions with the client, so that the ‘Rewards Team’ can strategize the next experience that will “wow” that client. As Park notes, “with greater insight into current and future needs, and the ability to meet those needs in the most relevant way, brands have the opportunity to build longer-lasting, ever-deeper relationships.”

Value: Park believes that there are two ways that will enhance the value exchange driver between brand and clients. The first is providing clients with incentive to share their benefits on social platforms such as Instagram. The other is fulfilling their desire to be heard by the company.

While these two practices are important to implement, they are given when it comes to a luxury retail card. To truly ignite this driver, luxury department stores need to go above and beyond, surprise and delight, and transform clients. In Dethroning the Client and The Untapped Power of Luxury I explore some of the sources of value exchange that would strike a chord with the behavior and values of millennials. These two sources of value are altruism and knowledge value.

Altruism is an emotional need that millennials so fervently seek to satisfy. Nothing reaffirms their shopping behavior more than feeling like they are serving a purpose and having a positive impact on society. A luxury retail card can achieve this by ensuring that a certain percentage of membership fees collected are allocated to supporting a cause. However, not just any cause will foster the authenticity that millennials expect, in establishing legitimacy for stronger client engagement. Any cause you take on has to be authentic and reinforce the brand’s promise. As Jasmine Bina offers in her Business of Fashion Op-Ed, What You Don’t Know About American Millennials, doing the right thing “means doing it before it’s expected of you. It also means doing it because it means something to you, not because you think someone is watching. If your initiative doesn’t tie into your brand story, you’re potentially opening yourself up to a world of scrutiny and backlash.”

An example of such a cause is the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, whose mission is “to cultivate the next generation of emerging [of] American design talent.” Another example could be to partner with Parsons School of Design and fund their end of the year fashion show, which showcases the best work of the entire graduating class. Not only is this a good cause, but it would provide a luxury retailer with leverage in picking up the next generation of designers to host in its store.

Knowledge Value is the economic offering resulting from accumulated wisdom. Having become of age during the information age, millennials have felt the impact this revolution has had on the paradigm of consumerism. It is no longer just enough that you look good in your clothes. Your clothes announce to the world that you are ‘in the know’ by having access to the best information and knowledge that money can buy. What millennials put on their back is “an extension of themselves or a conversation piece.” This conversation can be about how they learned about the designer, or about where they were when they picked up the piece.

Access to a place where they can gain this knowledge is exactly the value that millennials expect from a luxury retail card. Luxury department stores—if staffed with talented individuals with a true acumen for luxury—can ensure that millennials find value by offering them with various sources of knowledge to remain ‘in the know’. From an interaction with a salesperson, to workshops (of the like of the Apple Store), to a magalog, all of these are just a small sample of the perks that must accompany a luxury retail card to foster high client engagement.

Consistency and cohesiveness: Key in a luxury retail card delivering high engagement to millennials is ensuring that they are indeed loyal to the brand and not the loyalty program. This means that any additional perks that are available through the membership of a luxury retail card, must reinforce the brand’s essence. These will obviously vary brand to brand. A lucrative business opportunity for luxury department stores—especially those in high tourist cities—could be to partner with companies such as Delta Airlines or American Express to create in store lounges like The Centurion Lounge. Lounges could also be an opportunity for Chase, or the top echelon of fitness and wellness Equinox.

Other perks that would remain consistent with the brand promise could be:

-Membership to the Business of Fashion Professional,

-Access to the stores’ magalog,

-Priority access to ‘waitlist’ items, and

-Events where clients can meet and interact with the designers and store executives.

The values of millennials are indeed at odds with the “exclusivity” ideology of luxury powerhouses. This is not to say that millennials are not aspirational or that they don’t want beautiful things. That Instagram post from your trip to Mykonos shows us that snobbery is alive and well. However, it is no longer enough to just look good, and in the eyes of millennials, this is all a luxury department store has to offer. Millennials are looking for continuous self growth, and they will invest their money on brands that will support them in doing so, while also showing high engagement. Reinventing the retail card can help luxury department stores achieve just that.

The Eagle vS The Moose

My scorpio trait of loyalty has always been evident in my choosing of the brands that I follow (Apple and not Windows or Android, Starbucks and not Pete’s Coffee). In high school this sharp decisiveness led me to always buy Abercrombie & Fitch, not even daring to enter an American Eagle store. However while walking through various subway stations this holiday season, American Eagle’s “We All Can” campaign caught my attention.

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As The Business of Fashion offers, American Eagle has “always been a very positive brand, very inclusive, very friendly and nice, but didn’t have an ownable image.” There has always been something timid, safe, and truthfully boring about the brand, never trying to attract too much attention like its counterpart Abercrombie & Fitch. That worked for the teens who in the early 2000s just wanted to conform. However teen-shoppers have changed. They won’t let you tell them what to say or what to do.

AE has caught on to this insight and arrived at the realization that diversity is not just skin deep, and has provided teens with an outlet to tell us what they think. As the global brand president of American Eagle, Chad Kessler, offers: "#WeAllCan is a new brand platform that celebrates Young America's unique voice and individuality. #WeAllCan is an invitation for Young America to follow their passions and share what they can do, be, and create.”

While I think AE’s strategy was a good start, it failed to use this insight to its true potential. When I glance at one of the #WeAllCan ads, part of me wants to tell these kids to sit down, that they are silly and naive. Yet part of me wants to go back to my childhood, and be as brave as they are. Therein lies the most significant insight. As Refinary 29 editor notes, the campaign “celebrates how powerful, opinionated, and generally badass millennials are.” This requires a lot of bravery. Bravery is something that I find more and more challenging to find within me as I get older and morph into a full-fledged adult. It is something that is hard to come by, and it is something that we need more of specially as we embark on a Trump presidency.

I would have liked for AE to be a little more real. Of course ‘we all can’, but it requires a lot courage. AE should have used their platform to recognize this truth, and encourage both young and old to never give up their bravery.

Abercrombie & Fitch on the other hand has completely gone bonkers, and completely missed the mark with its latest spots. They seem to have little to no clue on who they are or who their target audience is, and it is safe to say that it has lost its soul. One spot claims “they think they’ve got us figured out” and “this is Abercrombie & Fitch,” but by the end of the spot you are still left wondering. The brand comes off as ashamed of its past, and wants to put forward a soft-sexy, timid, cutesy image; but all you are left with is an unauthentic taste in your mouth.

Another ad is completely cheesy. In the ad we are introduced to Ryder Evan Robinson, and illustrator who has collaborated with A&F to showcase his illustrations on t-shirts for the brand. While his life’s story is great, it has nothing to with the brand. Robinson notes that he knows what it is to“get back to their roots” but this guy has nothing to do with the brand’s roots. Furthermore, let us remember that A&F used to be an aspirational brand. Robinson doesn’t bring me confidence, nor does he make me want to wear A&F’s clothes. He doesn’t even seem to be wearing clothes befitting of the brands aesthetic. Once again the brand comes off as inauthentic, and beyond this, the heteronormative and patriarchal storyline is completely out of touch with the zeitgeist of our generation.

Abercrombie & Fitch was sexy, worry-less, ethereal, and controversial. It completely changed the way everyone wanted to dress. Furthermore, as Alex Frank writes in Why I’'m Somewhat Nostalgic For The Old Abercrombie & Fitch, “even if the old Abercrombie didn't always encourage the best impulses in my adolescent life, at least it incited something. To want to be somebody is at the very core of American capitalism. We shop to become the person we hope we are, dress for the job we want, and Abercrombie sparked those kinds of feelings in me, waking me up to the possibility of different ways to live and present myself.”

I think Abercrombie can still be all those things, with a positive brand image. Trust me, while the woods are cool, no young urban professional wants to look like the lumberjacks in A&F's latest spots. Abercrombie should embrace its sexy and controversial past in a way that is relevant to today’s consumer; and not in a way that will add to a negative brand image, as did the 2013 allegations that the brand didn’t want overweight people to wear its clothes. This only fueled the fire of negativity surrounding the brand, eventually leading its suicide. Had I been part of the Abercrombie & Fitch brand strategy team, I would have used the brand’s platform to discuss the real issue. Sure, not wanting overweight people to wear your brand might be a reason for not offering extended sizing, but so can not encouraging the lifestyle decisions that has led to the evident weight epidemic in our nation. I would have used this controversy to elevate the brand’s image, and propose initiatives that could help alleviate this epidemic. For example, the lack of fitness or healthy food in many communities in the U.S.. What if Abercrombie had used this opportunity to donate funds to build more parks for adolescents to partake in a more active lifestyle, or donate funds to schools in impoverished communities that lack the resources to provide healthy meals to students?

Consumers now more than ever are interested in fitness, health, and image. Just ask Equinox. Abercrombie’s sexy past can still be relevant to today’s consumer, in a way that its current amorphous identity is not.