Take Off Those Clothes!

From provocative catalogs to suggestive in-store graphics programs, A&F has pushed the limits over and over again. Criticize them? Write letters to the editor? Boycott them? It’s all okay with A&F, as long as you talk about them – and, as the old gag goes, spell their name right.

But apparently, even Abercrombie & Fitch has standards. When it discovered that its loyal followers included the cast of “Jersey Shore,” it had had enough. It announced it would pay one of the characters, known as the Situation, not to wear the company’s gear.

“This association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans,” said the company’s news release.

So Abercrombie has integrity, after all? Probably more a nose for good publicity. Jordan Yospe, an attorney who handles product-placement deals in movies and television shows, told The New York Times that if Abercrombie were really serious, it could have pursued legal options.

“They could try to prevent the series from airing their intellectual property without their permission,” said Yospe. Or, he said, they could have insisted that the show “blur” the A&F branding.

Drew Kerr, a public relations consultant, said this all reminded him of Larry Flynt offering famous people millions to pose for Hustler. “It’s offering something publicly that you know is never going to happen, but you do it because it’s just made for the press,” he said.

MTV, the “Jersey Shore” network, called it “a clever P.R. stunt.”

And so it seemed. During a meeting with securities analysts reporting on his company’s so-so quarterly earnings, ceo Mike Jeffries wailed, “Is no one going to ask about the Situation?” All the analysts seemed to want to know about, to Jeffries’ apparent disappointment, were Abercrombie’s financial prospects and strategies.

What smart and sophisticated branding. Even if it is a publicity stunt, it’s still so Abercrombie & Fitch – so self-knowing about the brand’s various triggers in the marketplace.

Look, everyone’s talking about this Abercrombie & Fitch stunt right now. They’re not talking about Aeropostale or Gap.

It’s a lousy economy and back-to-school is upon us. Besides, everybody’s seen the shirtless dudes and tasteless catalogs. Hey, Abercrombie, what else ya got for us?

Oh, “Jersey Shore?” Sure, we all know it’s trash – and nobody believes you’re truly embarrassed – but a story is a story. It’s August, a slow news month.