September 7, 2011

This week we saw the power of a collective focus at work, once again. Here’s how the story goes:

As reported on CBS news online, “…it took only hours for an online petition drive to prompt JCPenney to stop selling a T-shirt targeted to young girls that had a message some feminist activists and others found objectionable.”

The T-shirt, in pretty script, said, “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” The Moms objecting called it “sexist,” among other things.

I’m not here to deny or defend free speech or to support the feminist movement that caused JCPenney to pull the offending shirt (although I agree with the Moms who started the petition and used their ‘voice’ online to get the shirt off the shelves). I’m here to ask a question: Why? Why would a major brand commit such a stupendous error? Weren’t they paying attention when the Motrin Moms forced Motrin to pull a TV commercial that, to them, seemed to indicate that carrying babies in front packs would cause backaches? Even if, as some reports say, Johnson & Johnson (makers of Motrin) reacted too quickly and didn’t need to pull the ad, the reality is that a small group of vocal women created change by bonding together and making their wishes known.

These two cases have a lot in common. First, they involve a small group of women who aren’t afraid to speak up. Second, they involve the use of tools that extend a conversation far beyond the backyard fence. Third, they prove that brands are still clueless about their customers. We’re not talking hundreds of women clamoring for the brand’s demise—we’re talking a dozen, or so. The key is in realizing that these women have networks in the hundreds of thousands collectively and they love telling the story of why a product just doesn’t work. That is the new reality facing brands today. A reality that they seem to be ignorant of—as if the ‘social’ part of social media remains shrouded in mystery, to them.

JCPenney says it’s evaluating the situation. In other words, heads will roll, but whose heads? The fault lies with more than the marketing department. To pull this off, there had to be a good number of professionals involved; from marketing, to sales, to printing (which was likely outsourced), to IT—as the T-shirt was only offered online. At each of those ‘stops,’ someone must have seen the absurdity of this message. At each of those stops, there was a Mom who must have recoiled at the tone of this message. At each of those stops, there had to be a number of Dads who pushed the project ahead, knowing in their gut that it was doomed to failure. Or, hoping it was.

Why did none of these people speak up?

They didn’t speak up because they weren’t part of the beginning of the story of the T-shirt. To them, stuck in the middle of the story, it was how quickly or effectively they could produce the product that mattered. And so, it went out—on schedule.

The recognition that people buy emotionally rather than logically is not new. Author Martin Lindstrom wrote about it in his book Buyology: Truth and Lie About Why We Buy in 2008. He discusses the concept of storytelling, but I submit that the story has to be one the customer helps write—not one that the marketing team fashions at a late night meeting, over cold coffee.

It has to include more than demographics such as: she’s this age, lives in this town, makes this much money, has 2.5 kids, etc. Today, your story must involve knowing that she’s also a knitter; she blogs (or Facebooks); she loves tea not coffee; she would rather hike than go to a spa; and she lets her dog sleep on the bed. You cannot write the story of your product without that information. The story that embraces customer personality never surfaced in this case, or in the Motrin case.

Why did this T-shirt make it to market? No one knew what the story was. The beginning was simply, “Let’s create this neat fun shirt for girls.” And it stopped there. Until…now. Now, the end of the story says, Moms: 1 - JCPenney: 0.

What will your customers think about your next new product? The story it’s telling you, while you create it, better be the same story your customers hear when they go to buy it—or else you could be the next titillating bit of “Can you believe this?” chatter on everyone’s Facebook and Twitter page.

Image credit: daysofthundr46

Related Topics

• Marketing

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Yvonne DiVita, Article, communication, advertising, customer relations, customer service, motrin, JCPenney, Johnson & Johnson, CBS, Martin Lindstrom

Join the conversation ( 7 )

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  • Yvonne DiVita 8 months ago

    

    Why label the Moms? Because they're the ones who are likely to be buying the T-shirt. IF the child has money and buys it - that, again, is the parent's issue for not teaching her better. On the other hand, kids might buy it cause it's funny (their sense of humor is not ours, after all) and then grow tired of it quickly enough. Still, why did JC Penney find it funny - that's my question.

• Evy Todd 8 months ago

  

  Your piece was interesting, as was my own reaction to the word "feminist" within it. I don't think these mothers were "feminists" per se, but simply sensible parents, wantig the best for their daughters (and sons) reactig to a message which was shallow, self-belittling, and genuinely not funny or ironic. Why label the moms? They know their kids, and know that at that age, kids often take things at face value. The reality of U.S. girls losing interest in math and science in early-middle school has been well-documented. This is due to a variety of reasons, and is tied-in with such things as peer pressure, and the perceptions of looks, popularity and body image. This t-shirt didn't help, but the fact that J.C. Penny was selling it - to some a symbol of middle America - made it worse. Humor, or a lack thereof, had nothing to do with it. It was all about perception...and stupidity. The author makes a very interesting point with which I agree: In that corporate culture, no one up or down the chain at J.C. Penny felt empowered to question this product or its message. This is something which Pennys, if smart, should be reviewing internally, as it indicates a far larger corporate problem.

• Drew Williams 8 months ago

  

  Humor is a funny thing, no pun intended. My jokes could make you cringe, and vice-versa. Sorry Mr. Milan, but humor is simply not universal and as marketers who rely every bit as much on goodwill as product quality for the next sale, we cannot simply blame the offended. Ever try and tell someone you've unintentionally insulted to "just relax?" If so, you made a mistake.

• Patrick Milan 8 months ago

  

  I think a lot of the "incensed" individuals have no sense of humor. No girl would wear the shirt as a statement of truth. It's a joke. Too bad everyone is so busy looking for something to *** rather than a punchline. The point of the shirt is that it is absurd -- that's why it was funny, until everyone decided to take everything as a literal statement.

  • Yvonne DiVita 8 months ago

    

    Yes, Patrick, the shirt could be interpreted as funny. The point here is WHY make that declaration on a T-shirt aimed at young girls? If we assume it was all a joke, the result is that the customers aren't laughing. Obviously, JC Penney failed to understand or take into account how their customers would respond to this. Bad marketing, IMBO. (in my brazen opinion)

  • Becky Adams 8 months ago

    

    Well, see, that's the problem. As moms we may have a great sense of humor, but also a great sense that young girls are easily influenced by the opinions of others, and prone to body issues based on the media, and believe quite easily that math and science are too hard for them and all they need to do is be pretty to get by in life. I want more for my kids - male and female - that this kind of inanity that serves no purpose and is in fact not even humorous.