Target's Ironic Back to School Ad Campaign About Freedom

Well, you have to hand it to Target. They may have produced one of the more epic public relations fails of the entire year, as fallout from the company's $150,000 donation to an anti-gay candidate in Minnesota continues to build steam. But hey, at least they have a sense of irony. Or so it seems.

Witness their latest back to school ad campaign, which features three little girls dressed in drab wardrobes, only to be made over by the advertising magic and trendy designs of Target. What's the tune playing in the background? Why, it's the lovely 1970s anthem to originality and freedom, "Free To Be ... You and Me."

Ah, cue the irony. Because that song, originally performed by The New Seekers in 1972, was part of an album that benefited the Ms. Foundation for Women, to fuel a campaign that fought against stereotypes, particularly gender stereotypes. To call it a liberal anthem from the era is probably an understatement.

The irony nowadays is that Target is at the center of a political shit show, irking equal rights activists for dropping six figures down on a political candidate, Tom Emmer, who not only wants to ban gay marriage and take away money from HIV/AIDS organizations, but who also pals around with a religious ministry that believes it's righteous to commit violence toward LGBT people. Free to be ... you and me?  Not so much, at least when you look at Target's political work.

Andrew Leonard over at Salon.com does an amazing job of smacking Target upside the head for using this song, and his whole piece is worth the read (it's larger focus isn't on the Target controversy per se, but rather his annoyance at companies taking powerful anthems from the past, and using them to fuel a corporate culture that considers bottom line profits the end-all-be-all).

"Even though I had imagined that I'd long ago come to terms with how the contemporary advertising industry ruthlessly and brilliantly co-opts everything that anyone might hold near and dear, there is still something deeply annoying about Target's behavior," Leonard writes. "Let's not even get started on the disgusting juxtaposition of Target's advertising strategy with its corporate donation of $150,000 to support the gubernatorial campaign of Minnesota state Rep. Tom Emmer, a strict social conservative who, in addition to seeking an amendment to ban gay marriage, has previously argued in favor of steering state money away from AIDS prevention programs. Could anything be less in the spirit of 'Free to Be ... You and Me?'"

The answer? No. Nothing could be less in the spirit of a song that was meant to combat stereotypes, than its use by a company that would seek to elect candidates who would proudly keep stereotypes in place.

The video of Target's ad campaign is below. I'm warning you ... if you click on it, prepare to be singing the same tune for the next several hours. Catchy is putting it mildly.

But seriously, Target? Who you playing? Because if you really want your customers to take to heart the words "Free to Be ... You and Me," then maybe it's time to stop supporting candidates that want anything but freedom for America's LGBT population. And maybe it's time for some folks to leave that comment over on your YouTube page for this commercial.

by Michael A. Jones http://gayrights.change.org