Made me:
Posted on 12/01/2007 4:07:38 AM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
Target Corp. is learning the hard way that life in the blogosphere can put you right in the bullseye. The Minneapolis-based discount retailer is being outed in online blogs and discussed in college ethics classes after students allied with the company were told to "keep it like a secret" while singing the company's praises on the social network site Facebook.com.
"Keep it a secret? That sounds unethical," said Rosie Siman, 21, a senior at the University of Georgia and a member of the Target Rounders. The group of mostly college students gets discounts, CDs and other prizes for marketing Target products to their friends and providing the company with feedback.
"You're essentially asking people to lie for you," Siman said. "People will be seeing all these posts saying, 'Target's awesome' and they don't realize they're coming from people who essentially are being paid to promote Target."
The hubbub began in early October after Siman received a Rounders newsletter as Target was launching a new Facebook page. Like many companies now setting up sites on Facebook and MySpace, Target hoped to get people talking about new products, get feedback and continue to find ways to promote its hip image.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
No Salvation Army, then no Target.
A company engaged in marketing and sales. Utterly evil!
When colleges publicly admit that a large portion of their faculty are Marxists, communists and fascists brainwashing young minds, then I’ll get upset about Target.
(Note: Target did not give me a free CD to write this.)
Wally World is better.
I have only been in a Target one time since they kick the Salvation Army away from their stores. They have the right to do so and I have a right to shop and support stores that support such worthwhile organizations. They contribute to many liberal causes but become “holy” when it comes to others.
*gets on sewing machine*
How do you make underwear? out of dog hair.
Reputations are easier to throw away then to earn...
If the UOG offers an "Advertising" class, I suggest Rosie take it!
Engaging in marketing and sales isn't what's evil. Deceptive marketing conducted by undisclosed, paid shills is.
The Salvation Army has been an integral part of Christmas for me for as long as I can remember. I don’t give my money to anyone who attempts to interfere with Christmas.
I actually stoppped shopping at Target before they booted the Salvation Army. When they went to their Super Target format with a grocery store, they gave up a lot of valuable space that allowed them to have a much larger variety of goods. Lots of stuff that I used to buy there, just went away.
First, there is no evidence that Target engaged in this behavior. Secondly, usually the ones who badmouth a company the worst are young lower level employees of the company. Sprouting idealism in young people can find fault with the finest of companies.
It’s called ADVERTISING!
First, this should not be called marketing. Yes, it is part of the marketing strategy, but what Target is doing is buying testimonials.
Testimonials are the Holy Grail of sales/marketing. If you can get a customer to recommend you to someone else, it means you have done a great job creating loyalty with that customer.
True testimonials are difficult to earn. People do not talk about great companies as much as they talk about lousy companies.
Target is trying to create testimonials while witholding the fact that they paid for those and were not volunteered by creating loyal customers.
It is deceptive. It is immoral.
It may be illegal.
From the FTC Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising:
§255.5 Disclosure of material connections.
When there exists a connection between the endorser and the seller of the advertised product which might materially affect the weight or credibility of the endorsement (i.e., the connection is not reasonably expected by the audience) such connection must be fully disclosed. An example of a connection that is ordinarily expected by viewers and need not be disclosed is the payment or promise of payment to an endorser who is an expert or well known personality, as long as the advertiser does not represent that the endorsement was given without compensation. However, when the endorser is neither represented in the advertisement as an expert nor is known to a significant portion of the viewing public, then the advertiser should clearly and conspicuously disclose either the payment or promise of compensation prior to and in exchange for the endorsement or the fact that the endorser knew or had reasons to know or to believe that if the endorsement favors the advertised product some benefit, such as an appearance on TV, would be extended to the endorser.
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/endorse.htm
Target has not had one cent of my business for 3 years now....not since they “targeted” the elimination of American Christmas traditions.
I don’t shop Target either, but I did give a couple of bucks to the Salvation Army guy as I came out of Walmart two days ago.
Wal Mart for snotty people.
LOTS of Targets, though. ;-)
Hah!!
I really don’t like Target.
Ooh — was I supposed to keep that a secret?
LOL! :-)
Yep, liberal, progessive, Democrat Senator Mark Dayton, MN,
http://www.slate.com/id/2124604/
The rich (at least in Manhattan) profess to visit Target because of its social progressivism. Target, they insist, is a more enlightened corporate behemoth.
Viewed through the Upper West Side prism in which “enlightened” equals “liberal,” there is some truth to this contention.
Sam Walton’s heirs donate to the GOP, while Target scion Mark Dayton serves as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate.
But because Target isn’t as large as Wal-Mart means certain bugaboos (a nonunion shop, part-time workers without benefits) are more easily overlooked.
I don’t give to the Salvation Army anymore. I have switched to the local Rescue Mission. The last time I was in a SA store, the prices for used goods were higher than I could buy brand new on sale down the street. Kind of defeats the purpose.
Our Rescue Mission’s clothes are given away free. The women’s crisis center is awesome as are the people in charge of the Rescue Mission.
Excellent info.
i went to the Salvation Army to volunteer with Katrina refugees as we got a few here in Denver. I walked out of the orientation, never more disgusted in my life. First we were told we could not talk about God with these people (because they were mad at God). THere went my prime reason for volunteering, it is the SALVATION ARMY, is it not?
Then we had an hour or so of the worst liberal crap I have ever heard about how oppressed blacks are. They compared being caught in the hurricane to being on a slave ship on the middle passage. Everything about Katrina was related back to slavery and black oppression. They even went to far as to tell us because of this some of the refugees were so upset they were loosing bowel function on the floor and we were expected to clean it up. It got worse but I think I gave you the general idea
I have NEVER given another penny to the SA. AS you said the local rescue missions are a great place to donate. /rant off
Oh, c'mon kids! How could anybody not see how anybody who posts anything so lame as "Target's awsome" absolutely must be a shill?
Good post. BTW, how much did Target pay you for that?....
just kidding.
Yep, those who still have a couple of teeth left.
We all need Christmas money...
That's the dirty little secret.
It's to the point where, if you actually do like a product or business, you have to state specifically that it's not a paid endorsement. I was surprised when I first leaned that a favorite blog was posting advertisements, but I learned it because she was very up-front about it.
It is. Any site that has “customer reviews” is full of paid shills and company employees writing good things about themselves and bad things about the comptetition.
The majority of the write ups are real of course but this is basically standard practice on the internet.
Ditto
KEEPING IT REAL
Hamfisted.
RE: Target did not give me a free CD to write this.
You should have held out for yours - it appears everyone else got one.
Future Naval Intelligence officer or CIA Analyst? You decide.
I know Target is awesome, and it had nothing to do with
gossip from college kids. Sheesh.
is that a trick question? Future journalist.
Leaving aside the use of the word “Christmas” in advertising, I recently received a snopes-confirmed email message that Sears goes beyond its mandated period for keeping employees called up for military duty on the payroll. That should be rewarded if you are looking for an alternative to Target. (and Sears isn’t giving me any freebies, either). Just FYI.
Thanks for educating me with your reply #25. I had no idea they were that liberal.
know anything about the Purple Heart charity organizaion?
Well said.
You have a great sense of humor! Made me really LOL
Made me:
FReepers are funny and witty! (quick and clever, too!)
I love starting my day out laughing!
So then Target's problem is in requesting secrecy on the part of its shills. Otherwise it seems to be more or less in public view how they offer benefits for testimonials, such policy being available through the web sites where shills may apply.
Spot on. Good post.
| "'Advertising?' But that's so--what's that word Mom used?-- that is so bourgeois!" |
ark Dayton is a jerk, but I believe the Dayton family sold the corporation many years ago.
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