Practice Management

Do Not Make The Same Mistake As Target

By chucknewton

As reported by The New York Times, the cheap-chic Target stores do not want anything to do with bloggers.

The knowledge of this came up in an misunderstanding of an complaint as to their provocative advertising, but it is shocking nonetheless.  And,it demonstrates the problem that even good Second Wave providers face in understanding the changes before us.

Amy Jussel, the founder of ShapingYouth.Com called Target, complaining about a new advertising campaign that depicted a woman splayed across a big target pattern ? the retailer?s emblem ? with the bull?s-eye at her crotch.  She told them that this is not the message they should be putting out in the marketplace.  Target responding by email stating, ?Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets.  This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest,? as Target refers to its shoppers.

Word of the exchange quickly spread and the blogosphere did not appreciate the slight. ?Target doesn?t participate in new media channels?? asked the Web site for the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Target ?dismisses bloggers? commented the blog for Parents for Ethical Marketing. ?Ahem! So bloggers don?t count!? Ms. Jussel chimed in on ShapingYouth.

So what about the offending ad? Ms. von Walter said the ad ? part of a marketing campaign that appeared in sales circulars and a large billboard in Manhattan?s Times Square ? depicts a fully-clothed woman making a snow angel. Other ads featured a man skating over the bull?s-eye, she said.

Ms. Jussel, who described herself as a faithful Target shopper, was not impressed. ?Any customer deserves a response to a concern, so I found this to be a shortsighted, ill-conceived judgment call,? she said.

It is important to understand that the media landscape is changing and a big part of that change concerns blogging and bloggers.  Third Wave attorneys must understand this or they might feel the same scorn as Target.

Full post as published by Chuck Newton on January 28, 2008 (boomark / email).