Tag: Target

Voice of the Silent Unwoke Majority

The need to speak is fundamental.

Whether accomplished through verbal, non-verbal, or myriad other means of connecting, communication is a rudimentary part of just being human.

Even if denied we remain resilient, and we try again to hear and be heard.

Despite recent efforts to inhibit free communication, our human connection was made manifest, albeit in a roundabout way, as necessity dictated.

An analysis of consumer choices that have been made over the past several months is providing a window into repressed public opinion.

To put it plainly, the silent unwoke majority sure seems to have found its voice.

We can hear it in the consumer purchasing activity of wildly popular music, movies, and streaming products, including Jason Aldean’s “Try This in a Small Town” music chart-topper, Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” download phenomenon, “The Sound of Freedom” motion picture triumph, and “The Chosen” series streaming success.

In a free marketplace, brands can quickly become tainted if companies do things that their customers find offensive. Retail giant Target is the latest company to hear the silent unwoke majority’s roar.

Recently, the company reported its first sales and revenue decline in six years, with comparable sales in its second quarter falling more than 5%, when compared to last year. It suffered a drop in number of transactions as well.

The plunge in sales occurred following a boycott by those who were outraged at the store’s promotion of transgender ideology and related merchandise for children as well as adults.

Target’s CEO told investors that the company’s sales fell because of “multiple headwinds” that had slowed down business. However, the biggest cause of the company’s woes is most likely the corporate decision to go woke.

One of Target’s merchandise partners, U.K.-based brand Abprallen, was discovered to have produced apparel depicting satanic imagery. Even though the demon-draped items were not sold at Target, the partnership appears to have intensified the anger that had fueled the original boycott.

Similarly, Bud Light continues to suffer financially from a boycott that was prompted by the decision to associate the formerly popular beer with a transgender social media personality.

Needless to say, the customer base was not pleased by the company’s woke left turn. Bud Light sales dropped more than 25% for the week ending August 5, with volumes down nearly 30%.

It is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which has found its entire portfolio of beers severely hurt in the woke implementation process. Anheuser-Busch InBev shares fell 6% during a six-month period, while the S&P 500 had simultaneously gone up 8%.

Bud Light’s losses led the company to place its marketing vice president on leave, and hundreds of workers had to be let go.

Disney is another company that has severely damaged its brand, incoming revenue, and reputation, particularly when it comes to its most needed fans; i.e., the paying population of parents, grandparents, and guardians. The Mouse House is currently more famous for its family-unfriendly content, and its political stance against the State of Florida’s child-protecting education bill.

With their significant losses following multiple boycotts by the silent unwoke majority, Target, Bud Light, and Disney now serve as cautionary tales for other business concerns.

If avoiding a similar fate is the goal, the above-described consumer reaction provides an ideal lesson for companies that are thinking about implementing woke practices and policies.

In order to preserve their valuable brands, companies need to be extra attentive to the potential minefield of a polarized society amplified by social media.

Additionally, possessing a basic knowledge of the human need to relate to one another, and actually caring about the beliefs, attitudes, and aspirations of the customers to which you cater, are simple common sense business axioms.

The voice of the silent unwoke majority may not exactly be music to the ears of woke corporations.

But it sure sounds sweet to those of us who still live free.

President Trump Shows Real Leadership in Coronavirus Response

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President Donald Trump’s rough and tumble experience in the business world of Manhattan’s real estate market came into full view in the recent launch of a series of federal actions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus to be a global pandemic, President Trump began a threefold engagement in the battle against the outbreak. He unveiled an innovative plan that brought in the private sector in the form of some of the nation’s largest companies to work alongside government to get our country back on a healthy footing.

To allow for the speedy production of coronavirus tests, the Trump administration cut out the red tape and enlisted companies with private labs to effectuate the tests.

Also brought in were leaders of some of the country’s most significant enterprises in order to initiate a public-private plan that could address the nation’s concerns and mitigate the mainstream media-prompted anxiety that had heightened over the virus.

President Trump and his staffers engaged in a series of meetings with business leaders from various relevant industries. Multiple agreements with major firms were successfully negotiated in order to provide, among other crucial protocol, coronavirus testing for Americans.

As a beneficial result of negotiated deals, Target and Walmart will be contributing parking lot space for drive-through testing facilities. Google, via a subsidiary, will work on the construction of a website, which will enable individuals to determine whether a test is needed, and if so, directions to the nearest testing location will be provided.

Other companies joining in with the pro-active efforts include Swiss drugmaker Roche, which received a fast track FDA approval to produce a new coronavirus test. Thermo Fisher will also provide tests. LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics offered their labs for testing purposes. And LHC Group, a company that provides home health services, will provide testing to the homebound.

The facilitation of government working together in conjunction with private enterprise is President Trump’s forte. Reassuring for the nation is the fact that the partnership concept has a demonstrated track record. In times of war, private industry proved to be indispensable in helping to defend the country. No doubt the business sector will once again play a vital role.

President Trump’s acumen in the art of the deal has additionally come to the fore as he has overseen negotiations for a compromise bill, legislation that was passed by the House and is likely to be expeditiously passed by the Senate and signed into law.

The legislation adds significant power to the nation’s efforts to fight the coronavirus as well as provide additional protections with regard to the economy. Paid sick leave, no-cost coronavirus testing, enhanced unemployment insurance, and the provision of additional Medicaid payments in the event of a rise in hospital patients are part of a comprehensive plan.

Passage of the bill in the House came to fruition only after marathon negotiating sessions had materialized. The White House and the GOP were attentive to the necessity of maintaining a cooperative attitude so that a swift agreement could be reached. For example, the inclusion of paid sick leave was secured via the negotiated item of granting employers offsetting tax credits in order to ease the burdens of small business owners.

“People really pulled together. Nice to see!” President Trump tweeted.

It appears likely that the Senate will soon pass the bill.

Excluded from the measure is President Trump’s desired provision of granting a payroll tax cut for working people. The White House and Republican leadership have likely deferred the payroll tax cut for an inevitable future bill.

The third prong of the administration’s strategy involves an additional $50 billion to be made available via President Trump’s State of Emergency declaration.

All in all, the president’s expert leadership should allow the country to recover in the most salutary of ways as together we shake off negativity and live in the light.