We’re entering the era of Christmas commercials and we’ve got two solid months to go, so let’s settle in. The first concerted effort that I’ve seen in this arena comes from Kmart, and boy do I hate it. It’s not sexist*, it features no women in bikinis, no men-are-dumb stereotypes, and no icky racial garbage. I couldn’t find it online, so you’ll just have to sit in front of the Food Network for a couple of hours and wait.
So what’s not to like? The commercials feature Kmart’s holiday layaway policy, which reminds consumers that they can buy all the things they can’t afford. Each spot shows a different woman fantasizing about all the things she’d buy if only Kmart had layaway, before a patiently waiting employee interrupts her reverie to tell her that such a program exists! Hoorah!
I’m getting persnickety here, I’m well aware, but in the middle of Occupy Wall Street, huge unemployment numbers, and a debt crisis nationwide, it seems downright irresponsible to encourage consumers to spend beyond their means. Advertising has never been known for social responsibility, but in this belt-tightening window of time, it seems an odd and strategically dangerous choice.
On the other hand, AdWeek says it’s doing really well, so what do I know. I suppose I’m not the target audience, not ever having faced a Christmas worried about gift-buying. And I guess it would be pretty counterproductive for Kmart to tell its customers, “Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to make each other Christmas presents this year?”
*Unless you count the baseline assumption of all advertisers that women are the purchasers for the whole family as sexist. That assumption, though, is a Focus Group Truth, so take it up with American families and their division of labor, not KMart.
Related Post: I really don’t know how to shop anymore.
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