Valentine’s Day remains a benchmark on the calendar for retailers
Valentine’s Day remains a big day on the retail calendar, but while some retailers are sensitive to current trends, others are missing the mark completely
Valentine’s Day is dismissed by many as a commercial day designed to rob consumers of their hard-earned cash, but millions of people still get caught up in the hype as retailers pull out all the stops to capitalise on what is one of the bigger earners on the retail calendar. Despite the revenue potential, it seems that some retailers this year have missed the mark. Social media platforms were buzzing recently with negative comments about Woolworths’ in-store Valentine’s campaign, which received such an online hammering that the retailer pulled it. Woolworths was accused of reverting to gender stereotyping and portraying only traditional heterosexual relationships, excluding LGBTQ relationships. Twitter comments ranged from “I hate this campaign” to “The campaign makes all men out to be idiots, but that’s OK because all women are suckers”. In contrast, Ackermans hit just the right note with its lingerie campaign, “I Am Me” (#iamme), which sends a strong message to SA women about self...
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