Ad Showing White Woman Upsets Howard University Students

  • 11 years ago
A grocery store ad welcoming back Howard University students from their winter break has upset many of the people it was trying to attract.

Good marketing is all about catering to your target audience.

A grocery store ad, however, welcoming back Howard University students from their winter break has upset many of the people it was trying to attract.

In putting together the circular the company used a picture of a white woman.

Howard is a predominantly African-American institution with a long history of being such.

Shortly after the ad went public, both students and alumni of the university took to twitter to express their feelings about the company’s image selection. )

Many pointed out that the model wasn’t reflective of Howard’s student body.

One poster wrote, “white people make up less than 1% of Howard's population. Bad PR move.”

Said another tweeter, “I’ll take reasons to get fired for $500, Alex.”

Giant representatives chimed in a few times, issuing an apology and a promise that the ad agency’s image choice would be addressed.

At this time, it’s unclear if the circulars have been removed from the O Street Market location, the one for which the promotion was specifically created.

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