Maureen Atkinson is senior partner, research insights, at J.C. Williams group.
Peter Simons, CEO of Quebec-based department store La Maison Simons, made a public apology earlier this month for a new bra promotion that supposedly honoured strong Canadian women. The campaign named bras after accomplished Canadian women, including Beverley McLachlin, the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
This idea was wrong in so many ways. It is hard to believe that it was not stopped internally. Having spent several years of my retail career overseeing the lingerie category, I know just how fraught this area is. While modern lingerie purports to be liberating and freeing for women, it is also laden with sexual connotation. Anyone dealing with lingerie should be sensitive to these mixed communications.
In the time of #MeToo, the Simons campaign, which also featured a bra named after Nellie McClung, was wildly inappropriate. Imagine naming boxer shorts after David Suzuki to honour environmental advocates.
Beyond the sensitivities of the lingerie category, the fact that the marketers at Simons thought they could name a bra after the former chief justice (the only living woman featured in the ads) and promote it without her approval is mind-boggling. This is Marketing 101.
To their credit, Simons did the right thing after a nudge from Ms. McLachlin. While they may have started out trying to defend the promotion, it became clear that this was a fire that could blow back and burn them badly. Their chief executive publicly took responsibility for the campaign, explaining what they were trying to do but admitting that it was a very bad idea. He did not minimize the concerns expressed or make excuses. Not only did he publicly apologize for the promotion, he also pledged to destroy any materials related to it. In addition, he promised to make a donation to an Ottawa women’s shelter to help make amends – a request from Ms. McLachlin.
Apart from the initial campaign, everyone in this story did exactly as they should. Ms. McLachlin acted maturely when she contacted the CEO rather than calling a lawyer. She certainly brought the issue to light and stopped the promotion immediately. Mr. Simons behaved appropriately by complying with Ms. McLachlin’s requests promptly and without defensiveness.
Where can this event lead? I would like to think that Simons and many other retailers can learn a lot from this incident – not just about the appropriation of a person’s identity but also about how to honour women. Clearly, naming a bra or any other piece of clothing after them is not the way. This does not mean that a retailer cannot praise strong women and show how they have had an impact on Canada. Retailers have extensive real estate and access to many marketing tools. Their platform to act as a champion for women is massive. Hopefully, Simons will take the opportunity to find more appropriate ways to accomplish that goal.
Companies can actually use high-profile incidents such as this to become an advocate for an issue. Starbucks recently closed its U.S. and Canadian stores to give sensitivity training to staff after a store manager called the police to have two black customers removed. Starbucks not only apologized but showed just how seriously executives took the issue by ensuring that all staff understood the company’s beliefs.
Simons has the opportunity to become the retailer advocate for women’s role models – but not through selling merchandise. It must train staff on appropriate communications. When in doubt, they should ask the women who were their harshest critics on social media. This will give them the kind of perspective they clearly need.
This unfortunate incident can turn into a win for Simons, if the company acts quickly.