Comments on: Target Learns Exactly Why it Should Engage Bloggers

By: Interview: Marketing and PR Expert Don Simkovich | Merchant Account Blog - Straight Pass Through

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:19:49 +0000

[...] Target Learns Exactly Why it Should Engage Bloggers [via Zemanta] [...]

By: Your Seven Step Online Reputation Crisis Plan

Your Seven Step Online Reputation Crisis Plan — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:15:28 +0000

[...] attitude backfired for Target–with the blogosphere reacting so negatively that the New York Times ended-up writing about the incident. So much for deciding not to [...]

By: » The Target case shows the blogosphere that it’s overestimating itself - Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:43:43 +0000

[...] Target, which was then followed by an outpouring of outrage from the blogosphere shows me that many of us are overestimating our [...]

By: Nilesh Mishra

Nilesh Mishra — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:57:52 +0000

Bloggers are certain to be Powerful and significant as any other media outlet..At the end of the day, all we count as media is what reaches the audiences or so called consumers…and now when Blogs are reaching the masses ..for no dobut they are and would gain significance..and should be respected as any other media outlet.

By: steven wilson

steven wilson — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:08:52 +0000

Glad to see target put in their place on this one.
It does not surprise me that target took such a negative approach to this they are the ones that banned the salvation army from in front of their stores at christmas here in Indiana a few years back.Nice to see the media coverage on this.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 07:29:22 +0000

Gee,

not having a great couple of years are they?

First they get sued for not having an accessible site and now this.

Do you think they know they’re in the new millennium?

Do you think they really know what the internet is?

Talk about continually antagonising your customers

By: kathryn milette

kathryn milette — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 03:34:43 +0000

A friend just emailed the NYT article today…but I had already heard about the story last week via Twitter, then followed the link included to a blog discussing it. The blogging world, I have discovered, is close-knit and very verbal and word spreads FAST. I get the sense that many companies are still if flux over how to harness and/or communicate to the online social communication sphere.

By: Jonathan Trenn

Jonathan Trenn — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:46:11 +0000

Jayson

No offense, but no, no, no, no, no!

This is not the case of a blogger being as powerful as many media outlets. This is, at best, a sign that collectively, many bloggers (or “the blogosphere”) is as powerful as many media outlets.

OK, this made the NYTimes. That’s cool. But will Target review remove the ad in question? Will they review their ad strategy? Fire the marketing exec that gave the thumbs up for this ad campaign? Put their account under review?

Or have they just responded in a canned manner to the NYTimes article?

My guess is the latter.

I know Amy Jussel. She’s sharp as hell and media savvy. But it’s going to take more than one situation here for wholesale corporate change.

Remember, there are two controversies here.

One is the use of the particular ad in question, the woman spread eagle on the target logo with her crotch dead center.

The second is the response from Target toward Amy’s initial email. One that showed shocking ignorance and, as a result, disrespect.

But unless there’s enough outrage over the ad itself, this will be a 15 minute story offline, and a 72 hour one online.

Again, it’s my guess that Target simply changes their automated response and then does SOME examination of the blog and the blogger. A slight improvement at best.

By: Jayson

Jayson — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:44:00 +0000

I wasn’t following the Target situation – thanks for the details. It’s amazing how bloggers are now (have been for a few years) as powerful as many media outlets.

Welcome to the Internet Target…we’re glad you made it.

By: MMAPredictions | Blog

MMAPredictions | Blog — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:09:11 +0000

[...] January 28, 2008 10:59AM PST: This article regarding a company that sent the message that engaging online commentators was not important [...]

By: Jonathan Trenn

Jonathan Trenn — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:50:44 +0000

True.

They’ll also have to change their communications structure and add people that understand what we’re talking about here. They can’t treat them as kids or geeks.

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:35:07 +0000

@Jonathan – Nice observation. “Reviewing our policy” is a very old world cop-out. Basically, it’s an attempt to take the heat off, without actually committing to anything. If Target was smart, they’d go ahead and announce some kind of blogger initiative. They don’t need to give bloggers the same access they give the NYT or WSJ, but perhaps give them the same respect.

By: Jonathan Trenn

Jonathan Trenn — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:28:44 +0000

While I think it’s great that Target will be reviewing their policy, what does that really mean?

Does it mean that they will simply choose to not send out the email that they sent, the “we don’t deal with the likes of you?”

How does a company this large create a response system to every inquiry?

My point is that Target has shown that they don’t have the culture to respond, and they likely won’t have the capacity to respond effectively.

So they may just end up sending out politer form responses.

By: Target Learns Exactly Why it Should Engage Bloggers : Social Media World

Target Learns Exactly Why it Should Engage Bloggers : Social Media World — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 17:19:20 +0000

[...] now they’re “reviewing” the policy of only talking to traditional media outlets. read more | digg story Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can [...]