Labor Day’s behind us, and retailers are promoting themselves with tie-ins to the fall holidays.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Halloween are all coming up soon. Seemingly everyone, from Costco to Trader Joe’s, is hustling to capture your attention (and your dollars) ASAP.
Strolling into Home Depot recently, I came across a display of plastic dead bodies at the front door. These skeletons were obviously meant as something humerus (pun intended), though I believe the marketing folks missed the mark.
Given the state of today’s world, this horrific scene comes off as poor taste.
I’m old enough to remember the 1975-79 systematic killing of 2 million Cambodian citizens by the Khmer Rouge. Leader Pol Pot’s wanton cruelty in the killing fields was in the news daily.
Did I mention these poseable LED skeletons were made in Cambodia?
Granted, this display was probably authorized by someone who wasn’t alive in 1979. Still, I’m stumped as to why anyone finds a pile of faux dead bodies funny.
Lest you think I have no sense of humor, I’ll also mention the skeleton “I Scream” vendor at Lowe’s that I thought was hilarious.
Admittedly, the target market for Halloween decorations is younger than me. However, I can’t help but be concerned about the larger message this display sends.
After all, for decades I’ve heard concerns about senseless violence in cartoons and video games numbing people. And yes, those are platforms and exposure one must actively seek out.
But as the largest US home improvement retailer, each Home Depot gets roughly 2000 visitors daily, and they have 2,359 stores.
As a good corporate citizen, don’t they have a responsibility? If each store has such a display, that’s an awful lot of violence desensitization.
And I find it hard to believe there are no other ways to creatively present this merchandise.
Now consider how much antisemitism is up in the US. Given that November 9 is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, will we next be seeing a gallows with half a dozen skeletons hanging, their arms tied behind their backs…all in the name of making a sale?
History matters in your marketing, folks, and a little sensitivity and awareness can go a long way toward improving revenues without upsetting your customers.
With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.
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