Wal-Mart (and others) opts for ‘Christmas’ marketing (but Best Buy still say 'holidays')

Associated Press ^ | 11/09/06

[Heartofsong83]

Wal-Mart opts for ‘Christmas’ marketing It won't be 'happy holidays' this year; it will be 'Merry Christmas'

Updated: 9:31 p.m. ET Nov 9, 2006 BENTONVILLE, Ark. - It is beginning to look a lot more like Christmas at Wal-Mart.

This holiday season, Wal-Mart isn’t trumpeting big bargains only. It’s also bringing “Christmas” back into its marketing, after several years of playing down the term.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Christmas cheer seems to be a hot trend this season as several other retailers including Kohl’s Corp. and Macy’s, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc., are also stepping up their Christmas marketing. The moves respond to mounting criticism from religious groups that staged boycotts against Wal-Mart and other merchants after they eliminated or de-emphasized “Christmas” in their advertising.

“We learned a lesson from that. Merry Christmas is now part of the vocabulary here at Wal-Mart,” said Linda Blakley, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman.

Wal-Mart said Thursday that it will launch its first Christmas-specific TV ad in several years, feature Christmas shops, previously called Holiday Shops, and increase the number of seasonal merchandise labeled “Christmas” instead of “holiday” by 60 percent.

Macy’s is adding Christmas signage in all of its department stores and Kohl’s is playing up Christmas this year in its TV, print and radio advertising, according to Vicki Shamion, a Kohl’s spokeswoman.

Still, not everyone is following suit.

“We are going to continue to use the term holiday because there are several holidays throughout that time period, and we certainly need to be respectful of all of them,” said Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman at Best Buy Co. Inc., whose advertising omits any reference to Christmas.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Heartofsong83]

So we know who we must boycott now...the AFA has a link to send them complaints - http://www.afa.net/petitions/email/bestbuy_11102006.html

[Caipirabob]

Buh bye, best buy...

[freekitty]

If I were Best Buy, I would not think that all the Xmas banning customers would be coming over to you. Also, I have seen no evidence of Wal Mart changing. I am still seeing commercials that say "Be Bright".

[LiteKeeper]

there are several holidays

And which of those are associated with gift giving? And decorations, etc.

[Heartofsong83]

In most communities it is also the 'holiday' that over 90% is celebrating. It is CHRISTmas.

[UB355]

http://www.kohls.com/main/editorial.jsp;jsessionid=0001DOE0NGQQBIHQIY4I0YTBEYI:u1v28la5?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=10834639&FOLDER%3C%3EbrowsePath=10834639&bmUID=1163282060395

Kohls ran a happy holiday ad in the Milwaukee market yet on their web site they have a banner showing how many days to December 25th.

[avile]

Go to the store , bring a few hundred dollars worth of merchandise to the cashier and if they don't say Merry Christmas, walk away without paying for it.

They'll rethink their policy very quickly.

[Earthdweller]

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Christmas cheer seems to be a hot trend this season as several other retailers including Kohl’s Corp. and Macy’s...."

Wooohooo! Christmas is Christmas again!!! F Best Buy..there are other places to by HDTV now.

To all the Hanukkah lovers...make them celebrate your day on your day too. This lumping all holidays into one for convenience is insulting.

[upchuck]

“We are going to continue to use the term holiday because there are several holidays throughout that time period, and we certainly need to be respectful of all of them,” said Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman at Best Buy Co. Inc., whose advertising omits any reference to Christmas.

Another thread on this. Specifically on Best Buy.

Includes Dawn's email address if you'd like to drop her a note :)

[Continental Soldier]

We should thank Best Buy for that Christmas policy. Now, a lot of good folks who might have been suckered, will not be.

[derllak]

Great....here we go again! Hey, anybody who's offended by the words "Merry Christmas" can just kiss my lily-white butt!
How's that for Christmas spirit! :)

[mountainlyons]

bEST bUY does not pay their rebates so I not have more reason to boycott.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I agree this should matter, but even Samaritan's Purse thinks Christmas is offensive. I'm going to focus on bigger battles. There are too many other things that matter more. I am trying to reduce my overall Christmas spending. The retailers don't deserve the money and my family and I don't need the stuff.

[Cacique]

btt

[frankjr]

Well Best Buy has this at the top of their site (with nothing like it on the Walmart homepage):

Plus Walmart ranks Christmas right up their with Kwanzaa. What's next...Festivus at Walmart??? I'll stick with Best Buy.

Plus Walmart ranks Christmas right up their with Kwanzaa. What's next...Festivus at Walmart??? I'll stick with Best Buy.

[sully777]

There are several holidays

And which of those are associated with gift giving? And decorations, etc.

---

FYI -- Christmas and Hannakah (Festival of Lights -- the actual festival kept by Jesus during his lifetime) are associated with gift giving during this time of the year. The Roman and Persian world celebrated a gift-giving holiday around December 25th. Mithra's Birthday (Mithra -- aka Saturn/Opollo -- was called the "light of the world") was celebrated on December 25th and competed with christianity up until the early middle ages even after the Western Church made December 25th the official day of Christ's birth (a birth that was technically in September-October).

The season's greeting was "Lo, Saturnalia!" But the greeting was made illegal by the edge of the sword. However, all traditions of Mithra's birthday are still visible in the traditions of Christmas and Hannakah.

Be that as it may, the term happy holidays is used by polite people wishing no ill-will toward any man during this festive season.

Happy Holidays and goodwill toward all men.

[LiteKeeper]

Merry Christmas to you too.

[Right Angler]

I use Best Buy as the newegg.com showroom anyway.

[sully777]

Merry Christmas to you.

And a Festivus for the rest of us! Let the Feats of Strength and the Airing of Grievances begin:



~~Seinfeld "The Strike"

[familyop]

"Great....here we go again! Hey, anybody who's offended by the words "Merry Christmas" can just kiss my lily-white butt! How's that for Christmas spirit! :)"

That's mighty Roman of you, derllak. Have you seen the movie, "Santa's Slay?" ...one of the funniest flicks I ever saw, in parts of it, and a little too vulgar in other parts.