Target still a target

With last week's announcement by pop superstar Lady Gaga that she was ending her exclusive deal with Target to distribute her new album "Born This Way," the upscale discounter is learning the hard way the pitfalls of mixing business with politics in the retail environment. Target's plunge into reputational hot water began last year when the Minneapolis-based department store chain made a modest contribution to MN Forward, a pro-business political action committee that supported Republican Tom Emmer in his bid to become governor of Minnesota. The trouble for Target was that Emmer came with baggage - specifically, his opposition to gay rights. Although Emmer lost the election, Target has been paying the price ever since. Pro-LGBT-rights groups have criticized the company, an informal boycott has arisen among Target's LGBT customer base, and even Target Corporation's LGBT employee group has complained that the donation shows the company's vaunted reputation for LGBT friendliness is a sham. Lady Gaga was likewise disappointed. In February, she told Billboard, "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past." Last week, she told The Advocate that had not occurred. For its part, Target has donned sackcloth and ashes. It responded to Lady Gaga's announcement with a statement that read, "We were very surprised and disappointed by the statements made by Lady Gaga's organization related to her partnership with Target. Target remains committed to the LGBT community as demonstrated by our contributions to various LGBT organizations, our recently established Policy Committee to review our political giving and our respectful, inclusive workplace environment." Had Target management done some homework before making the contribution, it could have saved itself this massive PR headache. Most of the shopping public understands that businesses have a right to back candidates who promote business-friendly policies. If Target had issued a statement at the time it made its donation saying that it disagreed with Emmer's position on gay rights but felt that improving the business climate in Minnesota was more important in the election, some customers would still have been unhappy, but many would have understood. In the retail business, brand reputation is everything. It took Target decades to build its reputation for inclusiveness and acceptance, but only a minute to blow a huge hole in it. It will take them much longer to close the hole and win back lost business.

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By Sandy Smith Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for RetailGigs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Nexxt. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on RetailGigsBlog.com.