A recent cross promotion between conservative clothier Lands’ End and upscale men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine GQ didn’t go as planned, when scores of Lands’ End customers received free copies of the July issue of GQ, featuring actress Emily Ratajkowski on the cover — wearing something that can only be described as being the complete opposite of an outfit one would typically see in a Lands’ End catalog. To Lands’ End’s customer base, this basically amounted to heresy, and the company’s Facebook page was inundated with complaints describing the filth that appeared in their mailboxes:
“My 14-year-old son brought in the mail today & was quite disturbed & fascinated by a ‘gift’ Lands’ End sent us — a copy of GQ magazine with an absolutely OBSCENE cover!!!,” wrote one mother on the company’s Facebook page, which filled up with dozens of complaints. “I am appalled that Lands’ End — which I have always thought of as a ‘wholesome,’ family-oriented company — would be the one to expose my son to pornography!”
Another said: “We received your ‘Lands’ End Bonus’ of GQ magazine this weekend, and we are absolutely horrified. How can buying something as family friendly as school uniforms lead to soft porn in the mailbox? I’m thankful my son did not bring in the mail.”
Snapped another, “I ordered Christian private school children’s uniforms from your company and you sold my home address to a magazine company that peddles in soft porn for men???.”
Lands’ End’s year-long deal with Conde Nast, GQ‘s publisher, was struck with the intent to expose its customer base to other fashions and lifestyles. It’s a common tactic in the magazine industry, especially in this era of declining sales of print copies. In this case, the intended targets were male Lands’ End customers, but the feigned outrage grew to a point where Lands’ End was forced to issue an apology:
“I would like to start by extending my most sincere apologies,” Edgar Huber, the chief executive of Lands’ End, wrote in an email. “We are aware that you have received or will be receiving shortly the July issue of GQ magazine with a suggestive cover.”
Mr. Huber explained that GQ, a men’s magazine, was included as part of the subscription offer “since we did not want to exclude our male customers.” He also wrote, in bold letters, “There are simply no excuses; this was a mistake.”
While every customer still received (or, will receive) the July issue of GQ, Lands’ End has already switched out the men’s magazine going forward, choosing instead to distribute Conde Nast Traveler (anyone interested in some stair porn?). Unfortunately, this means that angry mother’s 14-year-old son will just have to find some real porn on the Internet, which he’s probably been doing anyway.
[Yahoo]
