Cotton On delivers another controversy, but SMEs urged to tread carefully with provocative products

Retailer Cotton On turns 21 this year, and has come a long way since that single store in Geelong.

With hundreds of stores across the globe and plans for thousands over the next few years, the company promotes itself as “focused on fast, accessible and affordable fashion for everyone.”

But the business, whose owner Nigel Austin has been valued at more than $200 million, has a special way of getting attention: risqué products that attract campaigns about them.

The latest Cotton On controversy is porn-theme products sold during its “back to school” sale, including an iPhone cover with a picture of a naked woman with the word “Dirty” emblazoned across it, and a travel mug with “Porn is my savior” written on it.

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition against the products.

Activist group Collective Shout says “mainstreaming porn on drink bottles and notebooks and iPhone covers is not only wrong because children are exposed to it, it sends the message that it is normal and acceptable to view girls and women as pieces of meat. This is repulsive.”

Marcus Phipps, lecturer in marketing at University of Melbourne, says some companies take the view that all publicity is good publicity, but it’s a high-risk strategy better suited to established brands rather than those starting out.

“Cotton On has a reputation for cheap, reasonably quality merchandise with a very specific target in mind,” Phipps says.

“But it’s a dangerous tactic. If you’re a small business, I’d advise against it, unless you want to be known only for that controversial approach.”

Phipps is unsure whether “shocking” campaigns are on the rise, or they reach our attention more quickly.

“People have always done it; we just hear about it faster.”

Brand expert Michel Hogan says sex has always been used to sell things, but only recently has it been used to sell to children.

“Clearly they’re [Cotton On] taking advantage of what they are seeing as a trend,” Hogan says.

“Children aren’t buying this themselves. Somebody’s buying it for them.”

“But then it comes back to the company’s values.”

Other Cotton On controversies have included selling:

• Christmas cards and wrapping paper with the message “Merry F—ing Christmas” and “Happy Christmas D—head”.
• Selling baby T-shirts with the slogans “They shake me”, “I’m a tits man” and “I’m living proof my mum is easy”.

The company has also been in trouble with regulators in the last few years.

Last year it was slammed for selling children’s nightdresses and pyjamas that the competition regulator said did not comply with the mandatory consumer product safety standard.

In 2010 it was forced by the Fair Work Ombudsman to apologise to and back pay more than 3,000 employees for training sessions.