Targeted message

The video above is an ad—indirect, but an ad nevertheless. I’m sharing it because I like the message and think it’s well-made—and also because the video’s driving the radical right round the bend. Again.

The ad is for Target and indirectly promotes their #takepride online store. It’s indirect because the video doesn’t provide a weblink or even the name of the sponsor, apart from including the modified Target logo at the end.

The indirect nature of the video makes it less crass, I think, than some ads targeting LGBT consumers and our straight friends and family. Nevertheless, I know that some people find all such marketing to be crass no matter what, and many of those same people complain about how “commercial” Pride Parades have become. I see things differently, but that's beside the point.

Yes, I’m sure Target hopes to make money from its marketing. But it’s also taking heat from the frothing extremists among the USA’s radical right “Christians”. When I visited, the comments on the YouTube video were dominated, as anyone could predict, by loud judgmental religious zealots preaching hatred (literally) as well as their fake version of “love” (in which they say they love us so much they have to call us all sorts of vile, despicable things in order to “save” us). I’m sure they’re lovely people, and fine Christians (in their minds only, of course…).

Many of the anti-gay folks promised to boycott Target, which makes me wonder: Is it possible to have levels of boycott? Because religious extremists have promised to boycott Target many times—like, for example, every year at this time. So, do they un-boycott so they can re-boycott every year? Or is it like karate, and there are degrees of boycottingness: Higher degrees the more you re-pledge to re-boycott something you’ve pledged to boycott many times already. We need to be clear about such things.

In all seriousness, the video is well-made and carries a good message. The fact that it drives our good friends among radical right “Christians” apoplectic is just a bonus, as is the opportunity to mock their arrogant, self-righteous boycotty prickishness. Clearly a win/win.