Brand exposure in and around a popular show like SNL is usually considered a big plus, but men’s apparel retailer Joseph Banks probably doesn’t feel so positive about its appearance this past weekend.
Even the video title, “Cleaning Product,” prompts worry, given the brand involved.
On the plus side, the company’s suits were compared favorably to another product. Unfortunately that product was paper towels, and the Joseph Banks suits on show were being used to mop up household mess.
The spoof specifically calls out Jos A. Bank’s “innovative ‘buy 1 get 3 free’ pricing,” which makes its suits “much cheaper than paper towels.” Ouch.
It’s not the first time that SNL has taken a shot at established products, of course, with DiGiorno heavily-referenced as ‘Almost Pizza‘ and NyQuil parodied as HiberNol (with comatose-inducing ‘qualities’). But the direct comparison and use of what should be a quality product as a disposable item is much more damaging to the brand in this case.
Pricing and image play important roles in certain products. Although affordable suits will always walk the line between low price and the quality image that a suit should stand for, deep discounts are a surefire way to go way beyond the wrong side of that line.
Anyone who sees SNL’s snarky take on the low quality of Joseph Banks is unlikely to shake that image of the suits disintegrating in front of them at the slightest touch, no matter how many they buy or how low the price.
