A.F. launches Gilly Hicks:Sydney with sexy splash

The first Gilly Hicks:Sydney just opened. Only time will tell if a sex soaked image will lead to success in this tepid economy. Since this article was written the first Gilly Hicks:Sydney retail outlet has opened, but I liked this article for it’s snarky attitude to Gilly Hicks:Sydney inaugural FLASH campaign. The same comments apply, IMHO to rest of Gilly Hicks:Sydney branding.

Gilly Hicks: Sydney – flashers
by Abram Sauer  |  March 24, 2008  |  www.brandchannel.com

Gilly Hicks: Sydney (GHS) is Abercrombie & Fitch’s (A&F) latest endeavor to market underwear and unmentionables to the youth market. Yes, that same demographic targeted by the parent company’s other offshoots—Abercrombie, Hollister, and RUEHL.

From Gilly Hicks’ use—or abuse—of both flesh and Flash, it’s no surprise that the company’s website is generating attention and controversy.

The Gilly Hicks: Sydney Internet marketing strategy is perfectly representative of what one would come to expect from the brand masters at A&F. The company’s decidedly non-Australian CEO, Mike Jeffries, recently described GHS as “the cheeky cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch.” However, there are two noteworthy observations to be made about Gilly Hicks: Sydney’s brand strategy. The first has to do with the brand’s website’s “sex sells” approach.

A&F perfected, if not pioneered, the time-tested, seemingly paradoxical strategy of selling nudity to sell clothing. And GHS continues this legacy of utilizing skin in spades. Sex sells. Sex sells? Whatever. The use of nipples to move knickers and buttocks to sell boxers has proven effective. Gilly Hicks: Sydney’s entry into this long-running debate about youth, marketing, and sexuality will neither silence nor validate either the supporters or critics of such advertising campaigns.

Gilly Hicks: Sydney – flashers Nevertheless, much has been made by journalists looking to give the brand free publicity by jumping on the “Gillyhicks.com is porn!” train Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 10, 2008. I would be inclined to agree (I did, after all, use a fake name to log in to the site out of fear of being included in a court-ordered list of folks addicted to porn) with them, except that porn is far easier to access—fewer age restriction questions—and once you’re there it rarely crashes your computer.

Sex might sell, but does using huge amounts of Flash? Heavy Flash is like the naked 20-year-old breast streamlining through its aquamarine surroundings: nice to look at, but maybe not worth all the trouble. It’s understandable that the current Flash film is there to create buzz, which it does. But could the same buzz have been created with something less ungainly? Is it worth the risk? Flash, like using sex to sell, is notorious for the reaction it elicits from its haters and advocates. Google lists nearly 18,000 results for both the individual searches of “I hate flash” and “flash sucks,” and about another 18,000 for “I love flash.” Gilly Hicks: Sydney has plans in the works for a fuller online retail experience, which hopefully will include a rollout of something more like A&F’s site. So, in the meantime, the single ungainly Flash video is probably okay for buzz. But GHS should look to at least update it fast.

The second obvious observation to be made about Gilly Hicks: Sydney’s brand strategy is about its fabricated background story.

In the age of the Internet, where your grandmother knows before you do about your online naked pictures, is it a wise move to have the marketing and communications department announce that the brand’s history is as authentic as a padded bra?

In other words, it would be prudent to come clean regarding the truth about GHS—that it’s not Australian at all—since the truth can be broadcast to most consumers long before they ever see a GHS store. It’s almost inexplicable as to why A&F wouldn’t to this. Perhaps they are afraid of revealing the true origins of the brand and are concerned that there might be some lash back from consumers who understand they are being sold a product that isn’t being upfront about what it is or where it comes from. Which leads us to another question.

What sort of brand association is A&F looking for by associating its apparel with the continent of Australia? Many kids can hardly find Sydney on a map and probably identify Australia first and foremost with those awesome accents they hear when Nicole Kidman or Russell Crowe are being interviewed on the red carpet. Perhaps Gilly Hicks is attempting to brand itself as the underwear from Down Under, but instead of capitalizing on the country’s reputation for its rugged outback, quirky heritage, or sophisticated wines and opera house, it seems to be lost in its own web, and website, of lies.