Essentials of Marketing 7th Edition by Charles Lamb,Joe Hair,Carl McDaniel

Exercise 5

Abercrombie Fitch, a retail clothing chain based in New Albany, Ohio, launched a line of thong underwear for preteen girls. Words like "eye candy" and "wink wink" were printed on the front of the skimpy underwear that some argued would fit girls aged 5 to 10. Abercrombie is known for its provocative ads and sexually oriented catalogs. Supporters of the strategy claim that producing thong-style underwear for 10- to 16-year-olds is a good move; critics think that the line is tasteless and that marketing it to young girls is contemptuous.
Would Abercrombie have been in the spotlight had the sexy words been omitted from the product? Explain your answer.