Urban outfitters faced serious repercussions on September 14th, 2014 after releasing an offensive Kent State University sweatshirt online. The sweatshirt appeared to be spattered with fake blood stains and bullet holes. This controversial $129 sweatshirt sparked anger among Urban Outfitters customers and KSU students, faculty, and alumni.
Many students, faculty, alumni, and parents of students at Kent State University were offended by this sweatshirt for various reasons. Selling a sweatshirt that portrayed the Kent State University massacre is one of them.
On May 4th, unarmed college students were murdered by members of the Ohio National Guard. The massacre occurred during a enormous protest against the Vietnam War. Twenty-eight guardsmen estimated 67 rounds in 13 seconds, killing four students, wounding ten, and one student became permanently paralyzed.
Urban Outfitters claimed that the sweatshirt "had not been altered in any way". They also stated that the stains were "discoloration" and the holes were "natural wear and fray". The sweatshirt was also claimed to be "vintage".
Many KSU students don't believe they are telling the truth. The colors on the sweatshirt aren't even the colors of their university, so there is no need for the sweatshirt to be red. The school colors are navy blue and gold.
September 9th-14th, 2014- Urban Outfitters made the "vintage" sweatshirt available to purchase on its website. It is a one of a kind sweatshirt (only one available) that was originally bought with no labeling at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Calif.
September 14th-15th- The sweatshirt became a popular topic on Twitter, but not for good reasons. Many Twitter users addressed their concerns about Urban Outfitters selling an item that mocks the many people that died and were traumatized.
September 15th- At 2:15 a.m. ET: Urban Outfitters pulled the sweatshirt from its website, claiming it to be "sold out". The sweatshirt was one of a kind, so there was only one person who had purchased the $129 "vintage" sweatshirt.
September 15th- At 6:38 a.m. ET: An eBay user named "Kentstatesweater" claimed to have bought the sweatshirt and put it up for sale, even though Urban Outfitters said they "removed it immediately" from the site.
The owner said that they will be receiving the sweatshirt soon so that they can send it out to the new buyer. The owner also claimed that the sweatshirt was "perfect for Halloween or whatever your deal is".
The bidding was most recent at $550 and the option to "buy it now" was $2,500. The bidding was set to end on September 22nd. The owner of the sweatshirt claimed that 50% of profits made will be donated to The Southern Poverty Law Center.
September 15th- At 10:13 a.m. ET: Urban Outfitters made a public apology to say they were sorry for any offense the sweatshirt caused.
The company said the sweatshirt had not been "altered in any way." The sweatshirt was a one of a kind purchased through the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena, Calif. Urban Outfitters claimed that the red stains were due to "discoloration" and the holes are from "natural wear and fray."
September 15th- At 10:59 a.m. ET: Kent State University publicly responded on their website to the Urban Outfitters sweatshirt crisis. The statement below explains how the university and its students take "great offense" to the sweatshirt being made and sold online.
Many students, faculty, alumni, and parents of students at Kent State University were upset by this sweatshirt. In the video below, many students and faculty members discuss why this sweatshirt is considered distasteful and offensive. One student even commented that "unfortunately, in our society anything that gets your name in the news is a good PR move, but at what cost?
Alan Canfora, one of the nine people wounded at Kent State in 1970, said on September 15th, that Urban outfitters used a "crass attempt at free publicity and a very morbid offering to stir up controversy".
Solutions and Recommendations
There were many ways that Urban Outfitters could have resolved the crisis in a more effective manner. One of the solutions is to change the overall business model of Urban Outfitters. This isn't the first time UO has released offensive branded items. For example, there was shirt that said "eat less" and a flask with Navajo print on it.
UO needs to create a business model plan that will have the customer base information, how they capture value, not using cultures and deadly events for profit, and research more on mental health to avoid offending people (Coombs, 2018). Also work with new designers who will create non-offensive items.
UO should organize and analyze the crisis management performance data (Coombs, 2018). The company needs to figure out what they did well on and what they can improve on. In my opinion, they did well on response time, but they could have been more respectful with the apology. A solution could be to formally call or email each of the survivors and the families of those who had passed away during the Kent State massacre to apologize.
The last effective solution that could have been used would be to have the CEO or a representative go on a television show, such as Good Morning America or any news source to give their apology and explain themselves. The impact evaluation will measure how much damage affected the company (Coombs, 2018). Urban Outfitters should have also determined how victims are reacting to the crisis to assess the psychological well-being objective.
My Opinion
Overall, the company did not do the best job in fixing the crisis. Many people, including KSU students are upset by the initial release of the sweatshirt. Urban Outfitters needs to re-evaluate what their target demographic is in the fashion industry. Without evaluating who their customers are they could potentially lose valuable stakeholders and good publicity.
I can relate this crisis case study to my life in the fact that I have seen many people wear offensive or cultural appropriating gear without understanding the meaning behind it. My friend dressed up for Halloween as a Native American and wore the traditional headdress. also known as a war bonnet. She thought it was cool and trendy, but what she didn't know is that war bonnet could only be worn by specific tribal members for ceremonial occasions. They are not worn to beautify . Many tribes believed that the war bonnet has powers to protect the wearer. I educated her of this information and I believe that Urban Outfitters should be educated as well with what products they create and sell.
Resources:
Coombs, W. T. (2015). Ongoing crisis communication planning, managing, and responding. Thousand
Oaks: SAGE Publications.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mbvd/urban-outfitters-features-vintage-red-stained-kent-state-swe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/09/15/urban-outfitters-red-stained-vintage-kent-state-sweatshirt-is-not-a-smart-look-this-fall/?utm_term=.bc845fbb3eee
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/urban-outfitters-pretends-bloodied-kent-state-sweatshirt-was-just-vintage/380200/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bmkwSnwciU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73_kUJrhjkY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40sE3YTxHj4
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sagorq
https://www.kent.edu/news/kent-state-statement-regarding-urban-outfitters%25E2%2580%2599-sweatshirt
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