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Why Target’s ‘gay couple ad’ is in the spotlight

August 2, 2012 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

One of Target's banner ads promoting its wedding registry has gained significant attention this week. The ad, which has been running since April at the top of several wedding websites, features two men gazing into each other's eyes with the slogan: "Be yourself, together. Build a Target Wedding Gift Registry as unique as the two of you."

Although the ad is just one of several photos of couples in the campaign, (one couple features a black man and woman, another shows a young, white couple) bloggers and reporters are wondering if the same-sex couple ad is proof that the Minnesota-based retailer is in support of gay marriage. Others speculate that the ad is a way to combat the negative feedback Target received last year when it donated $150,000 to a political action group opposing gay marriage.

Still, others are wondering if the retailer is trying to "pull a Chick-fil-A," hoping to garner some of the attention the restaurant has received since its CEO made public the company's stance against gay marriage. It may fly in the face of everything we know about PR for a business to purposely put itself in the middle of a controversial issue, but the sales increases Chick-fil-A has enjoyed since its CEO made public the company's stance against gay marriage can't be denied. Wednesday's sales set a single-day sales record for the Atlanta-based chain. Maybe Target is looking for a little sales lift from the lesbian and gay community, however, it could be alienating its more conservative audience at the same time.

Does Target support gay marriage?

No, according to Target Spokeswoman Molly Snyder, who said Friday in a statementthat Minnesota-based Target would remain neutral on the state's proposed amendment that — if passed — would define marriage as between a man and a woman.

"The Target Wedding Registry advertising campaign is designed to reach all guests and represent the diversity of communities we serve," she wrote. "At the heart of our company are core values which include Target's long-standing commitment to create an environment where all of our team members and guests feel welcome, valued and respected. We believe our current marketing is consistent with this value."

What was Target's end game?

Target isn't the first retailer to feature gay-friendly ads —  J.C. Penney and Gap both have run similar campaigns — and they probably won't be the last, considering NYC Mayor Bloomberg's statement this week about how the state's passage of gay marriage last year has already generated $259 million for the city.

If you believe Snyder's statement, Target was trying to do nothing more than market to some of its diverse consumers, and the fact that the ad campaign also featured heterosexual couples backs that claim. Also, Target's ad began running in April, long before the July Chick-fil-A issue blew up, so it seems media members (us included) may have just recently noticed it and begun calling attention to it.

What do you think Target's goal was with the ad? Leave your comments below.

About Cherryh Cansler

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Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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