It was a faux pas by
any reasonable standard: director of company posts photo of bare bottom on
brand’s Instagram account with the tag – ‘it’s yours to try.’ The
explanation for said error was that it was meant to be sent as a private
message.
We are talking of course about Marc Jacobs, designer of his own namesake
label, owned by luxury group LVMH. Mr Jacobs was engaging in a private
conversation, but did not manage to privately send his buttocks’ photo.
While the image was swiftly deleted from the feed, the response to his
error has been lukewarm. Mostly it has been seen as something humorous, a
little mistake to be brushed off and forgotten. Nobody has significantly
made any fuss.
Would the world be as forgiving if it was Tim Cook?
But what if a comparable incident occurred outside of the fashion industry?
What if Tim Cook from Apple sent a nude selfie by error on the Mac
Instagram account? Or Bill Gates at Microsoft? Or worse, Marc Zuckerberg at
Facebook? Would the world shrug it off as a silly little mistake?
Just last month Lord Sewell resigned from the House of Lords after a photo
of him emerged snorting cocaine. When Kate Moss was caught on camera using
cocaine the fashion industry responded with t-shirts emblazoned ‘We Love
You Kate,’ and the following season her campaigns and earnings doubled. The
fashion industry appears to be exempt from drug and sexual exploitations.
Rather than marginalising his actions, Jacobs response was refreshingly
frank: “I was flirting with someone I met on Instagram. Meant to send it by
DM. Oops, my mistake. I apologise to anyone it offended. I’m a gay man. I
flirt and chat with guys online sometimes. BIG DEAL!”
And perhaps Jacobs is right? What is the big deal? Social media and the
digital realm is used as much as a business platform for companies and
brands as it is for personal connections. Who hasn’t engaged in a bit of
online flirtation? Why make a mountain out of a molehill?
Marc Jacobs is responsible for the content of his account, and can
therefore choose what to post and to whom. Should that come with
consequences for his label? If there are, these consequences appear to be a
marketing opportunity.
Jacobs has since uploaded another (non-nude) photo of himself in a t-shirt
emblazoned with the words “Themarcjacobs it’s yours to try!” under which
he’s written the caption “I mean the t-shirt! Now available (THE
T-SHIRT!!!) at a MARC JACOBS store near you.
A little faux pas doesn’t go a long way in this industry.
Images: Marc Jacobs Instagram, Alexander McQueen ‘We Love You Kate’
I mean the t-shirt!! @marcjacobs Now available (THE T SHIRT!!!!) at a MARC JACOBS store near you
Click Here: kenzo online españa