Target remains traditional. Considering Policy Shift

In an Article in PRWeek titled "Target Mulls Media-Policy Shift," author Keith O'Brien discusses how the super-brand Target has restructured its communications department, increasing the number of spokespeople, and reconsidering a long-standing nontraditional media ban.

As of now, as mentioned in one of my previous blogs, Target's current policy is to dismiss media requests from nontraditional publications, including trade titles and blogs. It seldom makes exceptions, as the company did with PRWeek for this story.

Amy von Walter, senior manager of communications at Targer, said this policy had much to do with thier lack of resources, but affirms that they are rethinking its options after boosting its spokesperson force from few to 40!

The way they went about achieving this was by combining the media relations, IR, and internal communications departments-- which now allows all communications professionals in the company to act as spokespeople, rather than making outreach the sole activity of the media relations department.

As mentioned in my last blog about Target, "Sorry says Target, we don't mess with Nontraditional, "when they recieve criticism of the company, as they did with New York Times coverage which stemmed from a policy statement released to a youth marketing blog that called a recent ad featuring a young model 'sexualized. They release a statement back that reads: 'Thank you for contacting Target; 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.'

Von Walter said the statement was meant not to alienate or dismiss blogs completly, but to highlight and therefore stress Target's policy of not interacting with trade titles, therefore "focusing its resources on publications that frame stories specific to its customers."

When asked about this outrageous and even infuriiating policy, Von Walter said, "'Our policy (was) due to the limited number of resources we've had previously, we recognize that blogs are increasing in number and that our core guests' write and read blogs."

'We will be reviewing that blog policy going forward,' she added. 'We just don't want to make any decisions we can't follow up on.

With considering a ban on nontraditional media, target is risking an angry cyber-audience that will continue to use this agaisnt the brand, and disucss it online. To appeal to all kinds of markets, I perosnally think Target must reconsdier this ban, and realize that this might be the hugest mistake they ever make. I would say, accept nontraditional, and get with it!