Target’s “Pride Month” campaign has soured customers and cost them dearly, but CEO Brian Cornell doesn’t see the controversy in the same way.
In an effort to cater to a diversifying customer base, Target stocked children’s books that promote transgender ideology, and items of clothing that followed in the same vein. After facing backlash from their customer base, they removed some of the more controversial pieces, but Cornell isn’t going to back down.
“I think those are just good business decisions, and it’s the right thing for society, and it’s the great thing for our brand,” Cornell said.
The CEO claims that their strategy to embrace DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is improving their customer relations and boosting their sales, but it looks like, from the leaked internal memo, that the corporation isn’t done with its attempt to virtue signal.
Not only does the memo thank Cornell for “showing care to the LGBTQIA+ community,” but it also brings up the death of George Floyd, an incident that occurred three years ago, as if it’s still relevant.
These initiatives are completely self-defeating for Target’s success, as it’s alienating customers that just want to be left alone while they shop. Incidentally, the customers they’re targeting with transgender books and George Floyd-related messaging are the exact same people that they weren’t demanding this in the first place. It’s completely unnecessary and comes off looking desperate.
At the end of the day, most customers just want to buy stuff without having a corporation shoving divisive political topics down their throat. It’s unclear why Target would sink time and money into such a disaster while they’re already under constant fire from a customer base that’s fed up with the corporation’s customer relations. Instead of trying to appeal to the extreme minority, Target should take a cue from the customers by listening to what they have to say and donating to a charitable cause; that’s surely better for the brand than “Pride Month” and bringing up George Floyd.