Recently Target responded to a blogger request with the following message...
"Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest."
Apparently Target doesn't consider bloggers to be worthy of their time and energy. While I understand that not every company has the resources to engage every blogger, I think companies that don't realize just how important bloggers have become are out of touch with reality and obviously don't search the web themselves to see where the search engines are sending their potential customers.
To think that in this day and age any company can control their messaging via a few large media outlets is a big mistake. This will certainly be a lesson that Target learns over time.
More at Chief Marketer.
See also NY Times vs. Blogs: A Surprise Winner
"Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets. This practice is in place to allow us to focus on publications that reach our core guest."
Apparently Target doesn't consider bloggers to be worthy of their time and energy. While I understand that not every company has the resources to engage every blogger, I think companies that don't realize just how important bloggers have become are out of touch with reality and obviously don't search the web themselves to see where the search engines are sending their potential customers.
To think that in this day and age any company can control their messaging via a few large media outlets is a big mistake. This will certainly be a lesson that Target learns over time.
More at Chief Marketer.
See also NY Times vs. Blogs: A Surprise Winner
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I'm surprised that Target (or at least the person responding to the blogger) characterizes the Internet as a "non-traditional" media outlet. Have they (s/he) been living in a closet for the past few years? And just who is their "core guest"? Last time I was in Target the apparent median age of shoppers was about 30 years old. Does this demographic not use the Internet or blog? Perhaps it's time for that reality check...one that's more on target for the 21st century (couldn't resist the pun). Let's hope for Target's sake that their marketing execs don't experience the same pounding that some other large retailers/businesses have when they ignored the blogosphere.
It seems they are in for it whether they like it or not. It is tough to undue the sort of damage done when you anger the blogging community needlessly.
The power of the blogosphere is to be ignored at a person's or company's peril.