Chapter 4: The Marketing Environment

This chapter was all about the many factors that marketers must pay attention to and really play a big part in the business industry. The biggest factor that relates to Abercrombie & Fitch would have to be the economic factors. there once was a time when Abercrombie would sell their usual basic items at their usual price, such as $98 for jeans and $58-$68 for a sweater and people would easily buy these slightly overpriced items because they were buying the luxury and style that the Abercrombie brand has. but once the economy started to go south Abercrombie started to do things that were unheard of for the brand such as supply sale clothing. When i began working for the company in 2007 sale was a rare thing and it strictly contained items from seasons way passed that were at $19.90 price points and still not selling. Now with the drastic change of the economy resulting in an overall decrease of company profit Abercrombie have began new marketing tactics to help draw in consumers. They now offer from time to time promotions that offer up to 30% off an entire purchase, and additional 40% off all sale items with offer codes to be used online or in store. and even around the holidays they are now known to give a $25 gift card for every $100 spent. it's more than obvious that Abercrombie & Fitch realize the economic factor and are trying many things that aren't like the company to make sure to keep consumers happy and coming back.

Chapter 3: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Abercrombie & Fitch actually has a website devoted to all of their social and ethical contributions. First listed is their commitment to diversity, and after working in the company for over three years I have seen first hand that this is something that has become passionate about. They write on their site "At Abercrombie & Fitch, we are committed to promoting the diversity of our associates and management throughout our organization. We define diversity through what is "seen" and "unseen"." Personally I know this is actually be a lot different than they make it sound. yes they are passionate about being diverse, but only because in the past they haven't been and it has resulted in multiple lawsuits against them for discrimination. So does Abercrombie as a company strive to be diverse, yes. But is it because they want to or because by law they have to?

The next topic they discuss are human rights and how they work hard to ensure that no one's human rights are being violated. They say " Abercrombie & Fitch is proud of our commitment to international human and labor rights, and to ensuring that our products are only made in safe and responsible facilities. We partner with suppliers who respect local laws, and share our dedication to utilizing the best practices in human rights, labor rights, and workplace safety. Abercrombie & Fitch believes that business should only be conducted with honesty and respect for the dignity and rights of all people." thats another very ambiguous commitment that they've made. Yes of course it would be a lot easier to have their products made at a factory that provide cheap labor or even child labor, but if that ever got out in the open image how many consumers they would lose instantly. so it really makes you wonder if they are worried about protecting the human rights of everyone involved in anyway with their company or if they are just more concerned with protecting themselves and making sure that they continue to make money?

Under the topic of philanthropy they say "Abercrombie & Fitch is committed to giving back and making a positive impact on the communities where we do business. We show our commitment through monetary and product donations, as well as countless hours of volunteer work that our associates give to a host of great causes. Additionally, our Stores Organization hosts an annual fund raising event that benefits many different recipients, some of which have included store employees. Over the last several years the annual charity has raised over $100,000 for those in need." That statement really strikes me as odd because right away I think of the four total store Abercrombie & Fitch have in New York City alone (including two flagship Hollister stores) and I haven't really seen them do anything positive in this city, but as i read on further I did find out about the philanthropical things Abercrombie is doing, such as:
-Joining the Room to Read program, which has helped build over 765 school, 7040 libraries, donating over 2.5 million books, funding over 6500 scholarships all in developing countries

-Donating to multiple hospitals in the Columbus, ohio area (Nationwide Children’s Hospital & The Ohio State University Hospital/The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital of The Ohio State University


A lot of Abercrombie & Fitch's philantropical activity seems to take place near the company's headquarters in Ohio, but it is nice to know that a company I didn't even expect to be that socially responsible is at least making an effort as a lot of ways.

For information on how Abercrombie & Fitch gets involved and how you can help check out their site

Chapter 2: Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage

Over the years Abercrombie & Fitch has managed to reach the same target market, though each group has evolved much from the last. they've been able to do that by making sure they stay in tune with whats in trend and what people actually want to buy, while still making sure that they are staying true to the Abercrombie brand and providing their target market with what they know and love from the company. Abercrombie and Fitch started by creating a strategic business unit (SBU) by forming the brands, Hollister, Abercrombie Kids, Gilly Hicks and Ruehl all under the umbrella of the Abercrombie and Fitch organization. each reaching out to a different target market, but not all being so successful. Ruehl was forced to close all its stores by January 2010 due to low sales leaving the company to focus on their more flourishing brands, with emphasis on their main brand, Abercrombie & Fitch. Recently Abercrombie & Fitch began a product development strategy by releasing what they called "Redesigned 2012 Jeans".x Jeans that are designed to fit much better than the original while providing more stretch and better quality. A change as major as that to an Abercrombie staple like their jeans is sure to make all of their present consumers happy as well as bring in more consumers. Along with their new and improved jeans some of them are debuting on Abercrombie's website already on sale which i'm sure speaks loudly to many consumers, including myself.

Chapter 1: Brief History & Mission Statement

Abercrombie & Fitch was founded in New York City in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra H. Fitch. Originally a sporting goods store, Abercrombie and Fitch was known for their expensive hunting and camping equipment such as shot guns, fishing rods and tents as well as much more. By 1977 the company had gone bankrupt and filed chapter 11 forcing them to close their manhattan flagship store. From 1978-1979 the company went on to be owned by a Houston based sporting goods company, which opened up stores in Dallas, Beverley Hills and reopened a store in New York City, before selling the company to The Limited, a clothing brand based out of Ohio. Under The Limited, Abercrombie & Fitch became controlled by Michael Jeffries who evolved the brand from a sporting good and novelty store, to a clothing store selling an "experience" that fit the company's new casual luxury lifestyle. Under the reigns of Mike Jeffries as CEO the company has gone on to open many flagship and mall store around the country as well as internationally.

Abercrombie & Fitch list their mission statement as, "We are committed to providing comfortable and long lasting clothes that look good"