A&F Quarterly - 2010 Comeback

2010 Comeback

The A&F Quarterly was resurrected as a promotional element for the Back-to-School 2010 marketing campaign titled "Screen Test."

Abercrombie & Fitch had remained tight-lipped over its plans to reintroduce A&F Quarterly throughout the whole process (2009–2010). The company introduced the "A&F Book" feature on its online store for Christmas 2009 as a collection of seasonal photography themed "FIERCE". The feature was updated for Spring 2010 in February. It was titled "Spring Fever" and remained up until April when it was removed. On regarding its "Back-to-School" 2010 campaign, in January 2010, on its iPhone app, A&F had only commented, "Brr...!!! February will be the next photo shoot for the Back-to-School/Christmas 2010 campaign. We've got our fingers crossed that we'll be going somewhere sunny, warm, and sandy..."

On 17 June 2010, Abercrombie & Fitch officially announced on its Facebook page that it is relaunching A&F Quarterly: "It's Back. Mom found it under the bed. Bought another one. Bro stole every copy. Bought more. ...Girlfriend... She just shook her head, and then 'borrowed it.' Bought back stock. The Quarterly. It's BACK! Pre-order your copy today...it's got all the things A&F does best...Abs, hot bodies and a whole lot more..." Within the following days, the announcement made headlines through various reputable news sources and fashion blogs.

An A&F spokesperson told Stylelist, " part of a larger marketing campaign that ties in with in-store happenings in July. sexy, playful, and provocative -- it's everything we love about Abercrombie & Fitch." Stylelist also became the first source to be provided a preview to the Quarterly. Soon after, Fashionista.com offered never-before-seen photography from the upcoming Quarterly.

"From where movie legends are made, A&F Studios reigns as the golden dream machine. Stories of a new generation of rising stars with a gleam of hope and an open eye towards their own chance at the coveted A&F Screen Test, the flint to spark a trip to the stars." - A&F Quarterly theme, abercrombie.com, 2010

The A&F Quarterly will be part of the "Back-to-School" 2010 marketing campaign and its theme being an A&F "Hollywood screen test": A lead story will be offered mimicking American Idol: "The staff of A&F Studios opens up to editorial to explain the steps the division takes to find new, young, hot boys. The cattle-call approach to herd young talent ends with the best of the beefcake earning a screen test that 'could be the flint to spark the trip to the star'." Returning to the publication is Bruce Weber, who remains exlcusive photographer for the A&F company and shot the images in February 2010. Behind-the-scenes shots will also provide a look behind Weber's A&F coveted photo shoots. Fashionista praised Weber's work as "sultry, voyeuristic, black and white...classic Weber."

Sources consider the move to reintroduce the publication as a drastic attempt to boost sales in the American market. Revenue has been minimally declining since the late-2000s recession began, and the Quarterly is noticeably credited for A&F's continued success in the early 2000s in a "pre-social media" environment. Analysts noticed the increase in revenue from the 2008 Quarterly relaunch in London, and will pay attention to the results of the 2010 American relaunch. There is a majority of optimism towards the relaunch, since A&F sales have been improving recently and the Quarterly is expected to lure in shoppers. RBC Capital Markets analyst Howard Tubin mentioned that the catalog probably won't make a material difference on earnings, but added that any media exposure related to the catalog will be a positive for the New Albany, Ohio-based company." TheConsumerist.com, however, commented the timing is inopportune: "For any company, let alone an apparel retailer, to be starting a magazine in this economy really bucks the trends," said Columbus retail consultant Chris Boring of Boulevard Strategies. "I just don't see the market out there for a $10 magazine, especially with teenagers so into technology. I would think the money would be better spent on some new mobile app."

Harkening back to the original American version, the new Quarterly was designed not as exclusive as was the 2008 release. With that said, the issue was made available for pre-order online abercrombie.com on June 17 for $10 USD at 176 pages. Due to suggestive content, the publication was may only available for pick-up instore with identification. The plastic wrapping contained a warning notice in three languages (English, Italian, and Japanese) while the back cover read the pricing in six different currencies (USD $10, JPY ¥1600, EUR €12, CAD $14, GBP ₤10, DKK 100).