During Wednesday’s class discussion on Advertising, Consumer Cultures and Desire, one example kept popping into my mind – an example which seemingly fit into nearly every category discussed. That example? Rugby, the subdivision clothing branch of Ralph Lauren, which caters predominantly to stick figure twenty somethings. To begin with, we discussed advertisements, which don’t use the media, such as Abercrombie. I feel that Rugby is literally the perfect example of this trend. Rather than advertising publicly, Rugby deems their associates who work in the stores as their “models.” These “models” are hired based on physical beauty, and treated to season shopping sprees, called “rigs” in order to market the clothes within the store.
Next, we discussed social appearances within our society. Brands attempt to advertise a multicultural aspect of their product, in an attempt to appeal to people regardless of race. Rugby makes a valiant effort with this, openly hiring a very multicultural and diverse employee roster.
Lastly, many advertisers attempt to sell “cool.” Their goal is to make the consumer believe that whatever their good may be, it will benefit them in some way and increase their “coolness.” Rugby works very hard at this. The book states that this is enforced through selling to “youth culture… with marketers striving to attach coolness to brand names.” While Rugby actively appeals towards the youth culture, they make the lifestyles of their “models” look appealing: when entering a Rugby store, one is met with an extremely good looking person, told to appear luxurious, and connects this experience with a “coolness.”
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