ReportingJason DeRusha
Posted on 01/15/2008 7:32:59 AM PST by mn-bush-man
(WCCO)
A Target Corporation branding campaign is stirring up online controversy because of a billboard which shows a woman, lying spread-eagle, on top of the Target billboard logo.
"I was very offended by it," said Minneapolis mother of two, Lisa Ray.
Ray is also the founder of Parents for Ethical Marketing, and she wrote about the billboard on her Web site, asking, "Is this what you meant by targeting women?"
"It surprised me that something that would come out of Target would be so blatantly sexist," she added.
The ad is part of a winter campaign depicting men and women interacting with the Target logo. One image shows a man ice skating on the logo, another shows a family sledding on the side of the bullseye.
"It's never our intention to offend any of our guests or the public," said Target spokeswoman Amy VonWalter. According to VonWalter, the company has only received one complaint about the ad.
A picture of a New York City billboard was uploaded to the photo-sharing site Flickr on Jan. 6. That was picked up by a blog on marketing to children called "Shaping Youth." That got Ray's attention, and she wrote about it on her organization's Web site.
"I could not understand how anybody making an ad would put that together and not have one person in the room say, 'Wait a minute,'" said Ray.
"It's simply an advertisement with a woman making a snow angel, laying on our bullseye," according to VonWalter.
"There's no snow under her, I honestly didn't get the snow angel thing at first," countered Ray. "I personally am not shopping at Target anymore, I made that commitment, because of this ad."
Ray said her concern is the increasing number of sexualized advertising images in media campaigns. She said that because Target positions itself as a corporation that cares about the community, she holds Target to a "higher standard."
"One little ad by itself may not mean anything, but you have ad after ad after ad," said Ray.
VonWalter said that while she respects "everybody's opinion" in her view the ad is "absolutely not" offensive.
This lady got her panties in a wad over nothing...what a moron, I’m a guy and I don’t see anything sexy about the ad at all...get a clue.
I am sick to death of the sexualization of everything we see on television. When I look at this picture, however, all I see is a woman making a snow angel. She doesnt look oversexed, she isnt practically nude and she isnt writhing in ecstacy the target. It looks as clean and innocent as a kid in the snow.
I like her snow boots, wonder if they have those at Target? :)
ok this one is just plain silly.
Are snow angels sexual conduct too?
fully clothed, IN WINTER CLOTHING.
some people are just LOOKING for offenses.
Looks like she’s making a snow angel.
(sarcasm on)
I am going to march down to target and buy me a beautiful redhead wearing white snowboots to show support against “butinskis-with-no-life.”
(sarcasm off)
seriously, this is much ado about NOTHING.
all praise the red head snow angel!!
(another belly girl? [the one holding the shut up france sign])
Every over reaction which is called will get this picture.
When they asked Freud how it was that a cigar reminded him of something sexual, he imputedly replied, “everything does.” I think this is a sexy photo, but not a sexually offensive one, though it certainly did not call to mind making snow angels for me. Target knew what they were up to.
I am glad Target told her to f-off.
Get a life, Mrs. Ray.
How much you wanna bet she is back shopping at Target within two weeks. It would be funny as all get-out if Target tracked her purchases over the next month or two and then released the information, just for giggles.
Oh good grief, lady. Don’t you have a kid you need to helicopter over or something?
No bikini? That’s the problem. Er, I mean, What’s the problem?
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