Anne Bieler

Target Faces Protests over Political Donation

August 2, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
As several "Boycott Target" groups sprang up on Facebook, Target Corp. on Friday defended its $150,000 donation to a group supporting an ultra-conservative Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate who openly opposes gay marriage. Should retailers openly support one political party over another? How big a risk is a consumer backlash from such actions?      [more...]

Politics and business make difficult relationships. Shoppers want to believe retailers stand for them and their community--messages about politicians and their values can be troubling. People reach their own conclusions, so it will be in Target's interest to make their intentions clear, again, and learn from this.