Target To Bloggers: You're Irrelevant

New York Times:

Target to the blogosphere: you're irrelevant.

That was the message the cheap-chic retailer seemed to convey in an abrupt e-mail message to ShapingYouth.org, a blog about the impact of marketing on children. Early this month, the blog's founder, Amy Jussel, 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.

"Targeting crotches with a bull's-eye is not the message we should be putting out there," she said in an e-mail interview.

Target offered an e-mail response:

"Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets," a public relations person wrote to ShapingYouth.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[zephyrus]

05:20 PM on 01/28/2008

The ad creator didn't think there'd be any kind of message created by placing an attractive woman's crotch at the center of their Target logo? Really? I have to say, I really have a good laugh at the mistakes advertisers make sometimes....

As far as being called "irrelevant"...that's a bit surprising for a retailer like Target that positions itself as the "younger" retailer that's supposedly a bit hipper that Wal-Mart.

[wm1066]

03:52 PM on 01/28/2008

Knowing Target, this was some outside PR firm,
Target outsources everything they can.
Guess they will be looking for a new PR firm!

[rh654]

01:54 PM on 01/28/2008

If this Target ad is causing ShapingYouth.org to freak out - dear lord - where do these people live???

Compare the Target ad with the ads in magazines, tv, videos, etc... and how they display women and even young girls.

If this Target ad is what they are worried about - I guess our society doesn't really have much left to do with respect to elevating women.

[way2muchsense]

01:19 PM on 01/28/2008

Complainer is the reason Target doesn't "work with" the "nontraditional media." It's a stupid complaint about nothing made by someone who has nothing better to do but look for stuff to complain about. Color me un-offended.

[michnovak]

11:38 AM on 01/28/2008

Mixed feelings here.

I think Ms. Jussel has overreacted to the sexuality of the Target ad and is thoroughly enjoying her ego-trip from all the attention she is getting.

The ad is not overly sexual (the model is clothed head to toe and has the sexuality of a 13-year old boy). In fact, I see a positive image in the ad as she looks active and having fun.

If I were to object to Target's policies, I would object to their "support" of design while at the same time funding Chinese-made knock-offs. I can't imagine how companies like ACME and BuiltNY aren't in court right now, suing for copyright infringement.

[realitytrumpsbull]

11:36 AM on 01/28/2008

I never shop at Target.

[calfacon]

11:35 AM on 01/28/2008

Guess Target's becoming Irrelevant. Gotta go - on my way to Costco.

[FreedomCorpse]

10:49 AM on 01/28/2008

Target sounds remarkably like politicians are to voters.

[drkazmd65]

10:43 AM on 01/28/2008

Methinks that the management at Target might be in for a surprise how 'irrelevant' bloggers are, at least to Target's potential younger shoppers.

Arrogant bastards,... but then again they are a big corporation,... so that goes with the territory.