The concept of Abercrombie & Fitch is to provide the target market, which are males and females between the ages of 14 and 20 years old, clothing that allows them to be comfortable and casual while still looking stylish and trendy and maintaining a sense of a luxurious lifestyle. By just purchasing the items the consumers are embodying the Abercrombie & Fitch motto of "casual luxury". Abercrombie & Fitch market their clothes and items by plastering black and white photos of very fit, attractive, and young models on signs and billboards. They also market their clothing by making statements that make their current customers more concrete.
The target market age starts at 14 because it is around that age that a teenager begins dressing themselves and shopping for themselves, so naturally they would want to dress like other kids in school, or their older siblings or relatives. They want to dress as trendy and "cool" as everyone else. That desire later turns into a real love for the brand which makes the back to school and holiday season the busiest for the company because that is when the target market demand is at its highest. .
Marketing can make all of the difference in the world when it comes to attracting customers to your establishment. In this day and age, marketers know that sex sells. Kate McCarthy claims that Abercrombie & Fitch is a company that is "notorious for using men as sexual objects in their advertising " (18, God in the Details). It is more acceptable in certain areas of business than others. For example, an ad in the men's magazine, GQ, might have an ad of hundreds of women running after a man on the beach, alluding to the fact that his scent (Axe deodorant) is so great, that they all want him. And if you want women all over you, then you should use this deodorant as well. .
Abercrombie and Fitch's controversial advertising campaign uses sex appeal, attractive employees and models wearing close to nothing in order to sell its clothing line.