It's the most wonderful time of the year, and companies are looking to target consumers in the most creative way possible. For Macy's, however, shoppers claim the department store chain missed the mark with its new seasonal campaign.
In a newly released holiday ad, the retail giant depicts images of families comfortably dressed in matching pajama sets. In one of the photos, the father is noticeably absent. Coincidentally, dad is only missing from the Black family featured.
Naturally, the Internet caught wind of the wild omission and dragged Macy's for feeding the absent Black father trope.
One Twitter user implied that subliminal messaging is everything, and the department store should consider the mindset of the consumer before releasing such an advert.
Can anyone detect whats wrong w/this Macy's ad? In a World where Magic of Subliminal Messages impact our Conscious w/out havng to go through the Subconscious for permission to enter. Making Subliminal Messages more effective than direct blunt messages 'to help create reality!!!!* pic.twitter.com/J7zfCDercU
— Si'rus (Sir) Masters (@SirusMasters) November 18, 2018
Another retorted, "Apparently Black men aren't capable of raising happy families."
Macy's holiday ad. Apparently black men aren't capable of raising happy families. pic.twitter.com/6yWPJ7ixg8
— Cali Chulo (@Cali_Chulo) November 18, 2018
Not only is the campaign degrading to Black people, but another commenter also added that the ad is even more disrespectful to Black women.
It's to degrading to black people as a whole, but more to women. It's saying that black men will choose anything other than a black woman, and the only thing black women are good for is making babies… https://t.co/Z1YtJW0t0k
— Tiffani Real (@TiffaniReal) November 19, 2018
In a statement to NewsOne, Macy’s spokesperson Radina Russell apologized for the ad and reiterated the company's corporate values:
"We appreciate our customers reaching out to share feedback on our holiday pajama images. We apologize. These are some of a number of images were that were intended to celebrate families and togetherness, and our intent was never to offend. It’s important for us to know when we have missed the mark, and we appreciate that our customers let us know. At Macy’s, we are guided by our corporate values of Acceptance, Respect, Integrity and Giving Back. We know we are at our best when what we do fully reflects the rich diversity of our colleagues, customers and communities nationwide. We have shared the comments with our creative team and plan will have a thorough discussion on how to be more thoughtful in the future."
According to NewsOne, Russell claims the photos that ignited the controversy were "'product images that were cut and pasted together,'" rather than an official advertisement.
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