Just (Don't) Do It.

So here a new one for marketers and customers.

The faux-celebrity Michael Sorrentino (“The Situation”) prominently wears Abercrombie and Fitch fashions, in episodes of the MTV reality series, “Jersey Shore.” A&F, the young and teen clothiers, never asked him to endorse their product by wearing the fashions. We are led to believe he just does.

Then A&F develop a shirt in homage to him – “The Fitchuation”.

Now, so as to not sully their brand image, it is reported that they are willing to pay him NOT to wear their fashion ever again.

Huh?

Marketing pundits have come out swinging – suggesting that this is another astute ploy from A&F whose supposed high-class reputation image can get some buzz off one of the hottest (ie. largest viewing audience) cable shows around.  

But when was the last time you heard about a fashion house providing money so the famous personality wouldn’t wear the clothes? How much is that worth? How was that figure determined?

A&F is never far from controversy: from the 2002 recalled T-shirts depicting stereotypical images of Asian Americans to the 2003 catalog that had nudity and sexual imagery in its pages. If anything, Mike is a perfect spokesmodel for this firm – right down to his infamous abs.

But right in time for a new TV season (and a new back-to-school push) A&F played the anti-celebrity card. A&F may not want to be associated with those Jersey Shore types in public, but you can be sure that their target customers are still watching the show and still buying the clothes as much as they buy into the characters’ antics.  

Not a bad payday for Mike or A&F for that matter.