Kenneth Cole Apologizes But Is it Too Late?

Kenneth Cole rocked Twitterverse this morning with its spring collection tweet directed at the unrest in Cairo. The past 24 to 48 hours in Cairo have been filled with complete and utter chaos that continues to deteriorate quickly. The people are revolting and have turned to violence. The violence is not limited to the supporters and non supporters of the government as we saw with the and his crew. The violence has escalated to gunfire and loss of lives. This unrest is felt all around the world and has people fleeing the area as quickly as possible just to be safe. The severity of this conflict and how it is felt all around the world is what makes the Kenneth Cole tweet all the more concerning. Kenneth Cole sells clothes. They sell clothing through their advertising efforts, quality of clothing and established brand image.

Kenneth Cole Rocks Twitterverse

In advertising, the use of humor is a well known and very effective practice. The Kenneth Cole tweet to some is humorous. To others, it is extremely insensitive. The tactic of using something that is very hot in the media to garner the attention of the audience to then take the focus off the topic and shift it over to the brand is also one that is practiced. Kenneth Cole, it appears, was trying to grab our attention and hold it long it enough to have the focus be on their spring collection. We definitely paid attention but not to their spring collection. Their exploded with those threatening to boycott all Kenneth Cole merchandise, some threw items away, some supported them and some resorted to wishing harm upon Kenneth Cole and his family.

Kenneth Cole Apology and Brand Responsibility

We  hold brands to a higher standard. We expect them to manufacture clothing that meets and exceeds our standards, use the best materials, create and maintain a safe and manufacturing plant that is not is not a sweatshop and we also want the brand to be carried within a retail chain that also is responsible to our standards. Kenneth Cole through their attempts to create a buzz for their spring collection was irresponsible. Their apology came at least 2 hours or so later and only was after their was such an out pour of disgust from the online community.

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