On Feb 19th Target Corporation lost a long running Federal civil suit in Oklahoma City and the jury awarded $500,000 to Timothy S Therrien Case No 06 CV 217 JHP-FHM. Documents can be found at: [targetfiling.blogspot.com]

Customer Therrien came to the assistance of a Target security guard who was attempting to apprehend a shoplifter and called out for anyone to come help him. Therrien was knifed by the thief and Target refused to pay for his medical care. Therrien eventually filed suit and after a long slog finally got a judgement.

How many people read blogs like Consumerist every day? Target is basically saying they don't give a crap about you. I'd say the feeling's mutual, but then I'd have to go shop at... *shudder*... Wal-Mart.

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier to respond that this ad is simply one of many winter fun ads - she is making snow angels, no sexual implications were intended?

No, Target simply doesn't care about the consumer or consumer groups - they are much too arrogant to give these people a respectful reply.

Hmmmm! :p

I work for a non-consumer magazine and I contacted them just to mention one of their products for a story I'm working on, and they said no! Basically said the same thing to me. Even though when I was previously working a large consumer magazine, they had no problem. Turning down free publicity is not smart. They were so haughty about it too.

So, should I stop visiting?

Too bad JC Penney's didn't think of this first ["It's all inside!"].

I gotta agree with Ogman. People see sex everywhere. Frankly, I think that the bad feminist types out there see offenses to women EVERYWHERE. I think they are just frustrated they can't score.

This was probably just Targets polite way of telling them not to ask stupid questions.

personally i don't see anything wrong with the ad......that's exactly how i see all women. okay, bad joke, but i couldn't resist.

@Dr.Ph0bius: Agreed. People have too much time on their hands if they are worried about this.

I thought she was making a snow Target-Angel... and I have a really really dirty mind. So... not offensive/offended.

With the rare exception of about .08% of bloggers, they AREN'T considered media, at all.

Bloggers aren't held to journalistic integrity standards. If I was a PR flack, I'd tell bloggers to sod off as well. It's hard enough keeping the news correspondents honest!

Essentially, divide the picture into 3 sections horizontally and vertically. Most of the subject (the woman) is contained inside the top left third.

I'm a blogger, and I'm not offended. They're just trying to be polite. What they mean, in this case, is "We don't talk to idiots in need of a hobby."

But the matter at hand with Target is REALLY annoying and insulting. I'm sad that we don't have any here because I could tell you right now that I would never go shop to Target ever again.

I'm convinced that the people who complain about this kind of thing have much dirtier minds than the people who produce it. I never would have seen anything suggestive in this ad.

Oh, and just because every kid and housewife with a blogger account thinks they are a journalist doesn't make it true.

So, the next time someone bitches about Target on Consumerist and it turns into a big deal, no P.R. flack is going to contact Consumerist to "set the record straight"?

Anyone believe that?

A company can spend millions on their image and all it takes is one person to make it a wasted effort.

Umbrellas... Toilet plungers... Italian salamis... Dysan vacuums... Labradors...

Boy, talk about missed co-marketing opportunities!

Sorry Id LQQK, didn't mean to steal your comments. You had just already typed near exactly what I was thinking (I would've said mole hill instead of mound) and I didn't read every post first.

Maybe it's because you're not reaching your "core guests".

Perhaps a reason some are thought of as "second class" is because they sensationalize stories that aren't worth the time it takes to type them.

Consumerist, I usually love you guys, but you wasted your time with the inquiry to target. It's a non-story, really.

When I have guests, I don't usually ask them to buy stuff, or check their bags as they leave. I usually ask them if they'd like a beer or something, too.

Perhaps I'm doing it wrong.

-Mike the cart pusher

too bad she's not naked

I thought the overall image looked more like a clock. Time to go to Target and stock up on some vaginas.

Haxxor teh plan3t!

@Onouris: one of those blogs up there linked to pictures of teh same ad, but with a man. My only comment was they needed to shoot photo #1 with a better camera, and in photo #2 (crotch grab aside...) his legs were blocking the store name. Figures I can't find them now :(

I think this was just Target's way of saying, "Fuck you, kthnxby." At least they were nice about it.

Besides, get rid of all of the feminine hygiene product advertisements that are always on TV, and then we can talk about not targeting vaginas.

Bloggs like the one attacking the ad (and blowing it way out of proportion)are the reason it may be considered "second class media." The blog looses its fire when you need some cheese to read it.
Stop making a mountain out of a mound...I had to...

... notes nothing wrong with the add.

Earth to Target: the definition of what's traditional media is going to be changing really fast in the next few years. It's already changed a lot in the last few.

Get with the freakin' program.

"Target does not participate with non-traditional media outlets..." that do not fall under the influence of our marketing dollars.

If someone's offended, should I feel dirty for trying to measure the distance from her vagina to the target's center?

What I see when looking at this picture is a person laying on a red & white target, legs and arms extended, dressed in white with red, laughing and having fun. There is no subliminal message. If you want to imagine this person's vagina; fine; keep it to yourself. Lighten up!! Enjoy the fun Target ad picture without microscopic examination.. Life is too short...

Circle of life joke

It's not as if she were wearing a bikini or wrapped in a towel. Just looks like a pretty girl having fun to me. If this offends you, you might want to take a look at your obsession with sex and female body parts more than the mindset of the advertiser.

I would bet that there are quite a few billboards in close proximity to this one that are more sexual and offensive.

Let's try an experiment involving calling their corporate offices, and saying we shop Target* AND read Consumerist and see if their view changes.

*Commentors who have previously vowed to "never shop Target again!" need not apply.

Recognizing blogs as press for press events is another matter. Give you some space on the floor, and that's it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go re-center.

Bullseye!

She should be wearing one of those skimpy skirts instead of those long pants. Then there'd be something to talk about.

Maybe all of us bloggers should BOYCOTT Target for 1 week and see what happens....

Every single reader of Gawker not goto Target, and then show them whats up..

@Hyland: Is that the case? Why is the placement of her crotch something I have to be comfortable talking to my parents and/or kids about? "I saw a girl walking down the street yesterday, and her vagina was in her pants." Is that necessary?

Maybe if their corporate logo wasn't a bullseye, I'd wonder why they chose to use a bullseye. And maybe if not for the eye's natural preference for symmetry, I would have questioned why they chose to position her in the middle of it.

Don't forget that this ad is winter themed. Her outspread arms imply that she's going through the motions of making a snow angel. To see her as spread eagled with her vagina in the middle of a bullseye suggests more of the viewer than it does of the ad.

OBVIOUS MAN ALERT: Media & marketing have an influence on children.

We now return you to the porno already in progress.

It does suck that weblogs are thought of as second class media, is it time for a a blog rights movement :P?

Also, anyone who thinks that ad is sexist/what ever... get a life.

It's a woman laying spread eagle over a bullseye. At the center of the bullseye is her vagina.

If you can't say those two sentences to your daughter and your mother, then it's offensive. And WTF. It's the marketing platform of a department store that is trying to cater to young women.

Oh well.

about the "no comments to bloggers" thing. We'll see how well that goes after the next few shitstorms over something silly target does.

@sled_dog: You know, I bet they were shooting with it perfectly centered, then someone at the shoot said, "You know what? Better move her off to the right a little bit - we don't want those feminist blogs to get in a huff about this."

*sigh*

jeez... nothing better to bitch about today I guess?

I would say that not talking to bloggers is a policy because they could very well be contacted by all of the millions of bloggers, a majority of whom have very limited readership, yet feel they are now part of the media.

Perhaps it would be wize to consider the source asking for the interview before giving a blanket "No" to bloggers, but looking at it from a corporate structure point of view, who do you pay to research who is and isnt "media?" Its probably easier to just stick to traditional news outlets.

Also... and this is a BIG probability... traditional news sources are probably not going to waste their time wanting a comment on a stupid ad that is only seen as perverted by people with that mindset.

The last thing I thought when I saw the ad was that the woman vagina was in the center of the target. But then again, I have better things to do than be a morality nazi. Not many better things... but at least a few.

well, not QUITE EXACTLY centered.....

her vagina isn't even in the middle- theyre actually emphasizing her left thigh. Feminists are so sensitive.

Also, it seems like blogs usually encourage people not to shop at target. Can't really blame them for not liking you. Plus, I'll bet they're scared you'll turn off their TV's :)

Oh puh-leez! I don't blame Target for not responding. Sure it's centered right on there, but there is nothing else that's suggestive about it in the least bit. It's their corporate logo, and they're making fun use of it. You have to realllly be looking in order to get upset over this.

I do think that their reason for not responding was just an excuse and a shut-the-hell-up. Have they ever given y'all this reasoning? (If you tried to contact them about anything in the past)?

Pretend you're Fox News.