burberry pr

Exclusivity is a vital component of any luxury brand’s marketing message, so it should come as no surprise that some brands go to extreme ends to protect that exclusivity. But those efforts do not always sit well with the consumer public, and that can create some PR tension for the brand, especially if it mishandles the messaging related to the issue.

A recent example of this is the upscale British fashion brand, Burberry. It’s well known that Burberry is targeted at a certain, higher-income, market base. Sometimes, though, business realities can lead to overstocks, racks and racks of unsold items that have to go somewhere. From the perspective of the brand, they can’t be just “given away,” because that would dangerously dilute the power of the brand as well as one of its prime selling points.

However, when a headline hit announcing to the general public that Burberry destroyed about $37 million in overstocked clothes, accessories, and perfumes, last year alone, many consumers were outraged.

But what really set people off was the messaging Burberry used to attempt to soften the news. According to the company, the items were destroyed in an “environmentally friendly” way by “capturing the energy” generated by the burning items. Consumers were not assuaged.

And that’s a reaction that Burberry must have seen coming. After all, those who tend to be more environmentally conscious, overall, also tend to be more concerned with social inequities and what they may see as unfortunate aspects of “crass commercialism.” To these people, the wholesale destruction of perfectly good clothing is unthinkable.

Burberry continued trying to explain, saying a good portion of the destroyed products where because of a product deal with perfume firm Coty, which would be making a new line of perfume for Burberry, necessitating the destruction of the previous stock. The company said this was especially necessary in light of recent counterfeit Burberry perfumes flooding the market and devaluing the company’s products. They didn’t want actual Burberry products being “stolen” or acquired at a discount, thus diluting their brand profitability any further.

As reasonable as that might sound, it’s still not an easy “sell” for consumers to buy. They see a company that made too much product, and now is destroying it to keep it out of the hands of people who could not otherwise afford it. That may not be a fair reading of the situation, but it’s a popular one… and it’s a perspective that Burberry is faced with countering.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO of 5WPR.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.