Zara, based in Spain, is among the world’s largest ready-made clothing brands. The photographs used by the company in its advertising campaigns are generally unconventional: people sitting in the neighborhood, people taking selfies, poses that prevent us from seeing the full product… Zara’s latest advertisement also drew a big reaction while trying to take a similar approach.
Why did Zara’s campaign attract reaction?
Model Kristen McMenamy, who appeared in the images used for Zara’s campaign, was carrying a mannequin that looked like a shrouded corpse. In other visuals, ruins, a board that resembled a map of Palestine, rubble and rocks were also noteworthy. Many people thought these images were a reference to Palestine and called for a boycott against Zara.
Zara apologized for the campaign.
In a statement, the company said: “The image, which forms part of a series of images of unfinished sculptures found in an artist’s studio, has received negative feedback from some of our customers, so we have decided to remove this image. We apologize for any misunderstanding, as this was certainly not our intention.” he said.
In the statement, which stated that diversity is among the core values of the brand, it was stated that Zara is “a global brand with customers and employees who come from many geographies and cultures and have a wide range of social, cultural expressions or beliefs.” In the company’s statement, “Zara has deep respect for all of them. We apologize to everyone for these unintentional misunderstandings. We are determined to listen to all our stakeholders and constantly work to improve as a brand.” It was said.
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