Who is Wrangler's new campaign targeting?

Wrangler is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.  In honor of the occasion they have launched a new campaign called "For The Ride of Life."  The video is styled by Heidi Bivens and narrated by Orville Peck. 

 

According to the company they are staying true to the brand's authentic western roots while celebrating a diverse array of real people following their passions.  (Gazdik, 2021)

 

You can view the video here...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_UbnG0W720

 

Do you think they have been successful in communicating the brand's western roots?  Do you know who Heidi Bevins and Orville Peck are?  Who do you think the target for this ad is?

 

According to an analysis done by the Wall Street Journal in 2019, from 2004 to 2018, Democrats wearing Levi's rose by 3%, while Republicans wearing Wrangler's rose by 13%.  Why?  According to

Richard Edelman from Edelman PR, people are supporting brands that align with their values. 

 

After an accidental shooting in a store, Levi's went all in on gun control.  They are also environmentally conscious.  Their labels read: Care for our planet, wash less, wash cold, line dry, donate or recycle.  Those who chose to move to Wrangler's did so because they did not support these values. (Kapner, 2019)

 

Do you think that people watching this commercial know that Wrangler is affiliating with Republicans?  Will they find out?  How will that affect their reaction to the campaign?

 

 

Gazdik, T. (2021, September 20)  Wrangler, Dickies Launch Upbeat Campaigns.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/367091/wrangler-dickies-launch-upbeat-campaigns.html?edition=123717

 

Kapner, S. (2019, November 19)  Are Your Jeans Red or Blue? Shopping America's Partisan Divide.  wsj.com.  Retrieved September 21, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-your-jeans-red-or-blue-shopping-americas-partisan-divide-11574185777

 

 

Making a racist joke won't help.

 

You probably haven't heard of Fleishers.  It was a small chain  of boutique butchers - two in NYC and two in Connecticut.  They specialized in very healthy, very expensive, grass fed beef.  The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and passionate, which made it fun to go there.  I remember one day they were all excited because the next day they were closing the store to go off to visit the farm. 

On July 22, 2021 a key investor demanded that the stores remove BLM and Gay Pride posters from the store windows where they had been posted for the past seven months. 

On July 23, employees at all four stores walked off the job. 

Apparently the majority shareholder was unaware that about half of the staff at the stores was Black/non-white or identified as queer/non-binary. (Karel, 2021)

How could he have failed to notice?  Probably because he didn't actually frequent his stores or bother to meet his staff.  As a rich real estate investor it's unlikely he cooks for himself, and these people were not part of his tribe so he wouldn't encounter them in social situations either.

His lack of understanding and empathy for his staff continued to play out when he frantically tried to replace the signs to get people to return to work.  There's nothing like an insincere apology to make things worse.  But apparently he is so out of touch that when he reached out to a manager personally he tried to connect with that manager by telling a racist joke.  (Karel, 2021)

How sad is that? 

If the shareholder had actually engaged his former employees in a meaningful discussion he would have learned that they face racism and bigotry on a daily basis, and that knowing that their employers supported them was what kept them going despite all that hate.

But like everyone else lately, he has little contact with anyone outside of his tribe, so he just doesn't get it.

The store on the UES now has a sign reading: "Fleishers Craft Butchery will be temporarily closed through the end of August."

But, I am unclear about where they go from here.  Will they only hire White Supremacists?  That's going to be fairly difficult in NYC where the under 25 population is majority non-white.  

Will they replace the signs?  What would it mean if they did?

Quite frankly I don't see them ever reopening and perhaps it's for the best.

Out of touch = out of business.  

 

Karel, D. (2021, August 4) Dozens of Fleishers Staffers Walk Out After Owner Insists on Removal of BLM, Pride signs.  bkmag.com.  Retrieved August 15, 2021, from https://www.bkmag.com/2021/08/04/dozens-of-fleishers-staffers-walk-out-after-owner-insists-on-removal-of-blm-pride-signs/