The Case of Brandy Melville and the Ethics of Audience Capture (College Writing Prompt)

Some critics argue that Brandy Melville relies on predatory forms of audience capture—using exclusivity, body image ideals, and social media manipulation to attract and control its customers. Others claim that in today’s influencer-driven marketplace, Brandy Melville is simply deploying the same marketing strategies any brand must use to survive online.

Write a 1,700-word argumentative essay that takes a clear position: while you may have moral concerns about Brandy Melville’s business practices, its methods of audience capture may be necessary for competing in the modern attention economy. If this is true, what does it reveal about the culture that rewards such tactics?

In developing your argument, consider the following questions:

• How do companies exploit psychological vulnerabilities such as FOMO, Groupthink, and body dysmorphia to build loyalty and drive sales?
  
• What does this normalization of manipulation say about consumer identity in the influencer era?
  
• Is there an ethical way to succeed in digital marketing without resorting to emotional exploitation?
  

Support your claims with specific examples and credible sources—from documentaries, marketing analyses, or social-media research—to show how audience capture operates as both a marketing necessity and a moral hazard.