I just read THIS article in The New York Times about a contact from Target‘s PR telling the blogosphere, in a nutshell, to buzz off. They simply do not feel that they owe explanations to bloggers or “nontraditional media outlets”. But I really think they were just missing the point of one parent consumer’s valid concern. The concern of our children and the way the media targets them in sometimes subtle, sometimes obviously sexual ways. I think they may end up walking away with their tail between their legs on this one.
Amy Jussel, Founder and Executive Director of Shaping Youth, a forum about media and marketing’s influence on kids, merely expressed her concern and displeasure, as a parent and consumer, to Target’s PR regarding a 20′x20′ billboard in Times Square of a woman spread-eagle with mainly her crotch in the center of Target’s red bull’s eye logo.
Now, I see a ton of billboards all of the time in the Chicago area. I wouldn’t have necessarily pinpointed Target’s spread-eagle woman billboard as a cause for concern, after all, she is fully clothed and quite fashionably I might add. I direct my concerns more toward a certain lingerie store in my local mall with their half-naked mannequins in all of their sexed-up glory and full color, life-size advertisements of “perfect” women in see-through undergarments hanging out in the storefront window. Also, the random gentleman’s club’s billboards all along the interstates in Chicago-land. Kudos goes to Amy for trying to raise awareness about said advertisements and getting others involved in the process.
The idea of this post or Amy at Shaping Youth’s valid concern was not to specifically attack Target. I personally have no beef with Target. It’s just unfortunate that they had such a ridiculous response to a parent consumer. I don’t care if she’s a blogger or not, that’s not the point. What if she (or we) weren’t “bloggers”, would we have received the same response or any response at all for that matter? She, as well as the rest of us, deserve to be heard (and given respectful attention) in one form or another, not just passed off as “some blogger” or even media for that matter.
So, to the advertising and PR firms, are you reading this? Then I guess maybe we (people, parents, consumers) do have a voice and deserve respect and attention. After all, we are your target market and the ones who have the power to drive customers your way or not. We’re sort of a big deal.
*One of my original Chicago Moms Blog posts
Yes, sadly that whole ‘Target-gate’ flare up was a time sink for our nonprofit org to handle the trolls and vitriol of folks who didn’t read the full context of the original piece I wrote, which was about objectification going MAINSTREAM via Target. (e.g. ‘Hooters Girl in Training’ toddler tees, and ongoing ambient ads selling sexualization at ever younger ages, despite the harm via the APA studies, etc. to young girls)
As I wrote in this piece, “Kids are a captive audience with ambient advertising” http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=335 we need to be aware of the singe factor emblazoned into kids’ psyches (whether it’s uber violent slasher flicks on bus transit, or this MUCH more provocative ‘legs wide open on either side of the freeway’ billboard in one of my first posts called, “Mommy, why are her legs spread like that?” http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=28
So yah…Target was simply adding to the cacophony of noise and pulled out of context. Alas, it taught me a fabulous positive lesson that I just shared in the new Age of Conversation 2 probono effort for Variety, the Children’s Charity, in the chapter ‘marketing tragedy and triumphs’—which is this…
In this age of social media, every voice DOES count. Whether it’s the ‘Twitter MotrinMoms,’ a consumer with a beef, or a blogger like me who has been crusading for industry accountability and responsibility and self-rein from the get go.
Thanks, Amy, for trying to convey the ‘bigger picture’ here…It’s not about a whine fest or a one-off gripe (which is how the Target brouhaha devolved into UGC trivialization of ‘what’s the big deal about this ad’) but instead, it’s about speaking out and standing up for free speech with good taste, whether you’re one consumer, one voice, one blogger, one mom, or one organization, ya know?
p.s. Love the visual. Sums it all… ;-)
http://www.ShapingYouth.org
Question…Any reason why this is printing in all caps? My caps lock isn’t on…and the last thing I want to do is ‘shout’…(I do enough of that with my writing style) ;-) Pls. edit if you can, ‘k Amy? –tx, —the other Amy J.
Amy – the “all caps” thing was a setting in my template. To be honest, I never even noticed it! I changed it…looks better when the comments aren’t all caps anyway. : )
Thanks!