We get to laugh at ourselves and each other in a way that isn’t mean or catty or showing the hallmarks of internet flame wars, but one that embraces the silliness instead.”

“On a cultural level, it’s actually a wonderful way to connect,” Weingarten says. The fact that all types of people (women, men, children) are posting pictures with the dresses, hashtagging the challenge and tagging Target, and even that the general media is covering it, is a fantastic - and probably unexpected - win for Target, says Lehigh University marketing professor and fashion industry expert Ludovica Cesareo. “Because of the virality of the challenge, Target is getting so much earned (a.k.a. “It’s good for Target,” Lambert says, because challenges like these “get people into the store.”

Not to mention, viral challenges work, she says. “You can’t control the conversation about your brand, you can only hope to be part of the conversation.” Target is certainly at center of this particular discussion. It’s good because they’re being talked about, she says. Laughing With You Or At You? (Does It Matter?)Īlthough Target turned out to be “the butt of the joke,” explains Sheri Lambert, assistant professor of marketing at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, the news is all good for the retailer. The public was encouraged to share their own photos as part of what has become the #TargetDressChallenge. Thanks to Facebook, the phenomenon exploded from there. Women who raise chickens decided it would be fun to stage photos of themselves in the dresses holding or feeding their chickens and livestock. Then the chicken crowd got in on the action. Men also got dressed up for fun, sometimes perched aboard lawn tractors. Some women used props, such as gardening trowels and pitchforks, some donned bonnets a la “Little House on the Prairie” to complete the look. Inspired by, or wanting to be part of the joke, women started buying the dresses and taking photos of themselves wearing them, often in settings more appropriate for farm wear. One friend asked her to make it shareable, which she did, and within a matter of hours, the post had gone viral. She posted it on Facebook to amuse her friends.

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