the deets

looks like a couple things got left out of the article from the star tribune...

thanks to ed kohler for covering the story on his blog, the deets.

target coverage

more coverage from the target rounders stuff:

Thanks to my PR Research teacher, Dr. Sweetser, a bunch of people got wind of the Target Rounders stuff and covered it. I recently did two interviews-- One for an AP writer, and another for a Minneapolis newspaper writer, so we'll see what becomes of that!

Here is the post by Dr. Sweetser. Here are my original posts about Target Rounders: Target & Target Update

AdRants covered it!!! (I'm literally obsessed with AdRants and AdGabber)
Get Mad! Target and Drillteam's Ethics Lapse Much Worse Than a Faux Pas
Vaspers the Grate: Corporate Use of Social Media
Parents For Ethical Marketing
The Double Standard: Does Target Get a Social Media Pass?
(same post, new comments)
Andy Sernovitz's Damn, I Wish I Thought of That (<-- This is actually really cool because I accused Target of not abiding by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Code of Ethics and A. Sernovitz actually wrote the original code of ethics!)
Dutch Evans
Target Hit with Flak About Its Facebook Marketing
Ignite Social Media: Target's "Off Target" Social Media

Have you written anything about this? Do you know of any other blogs that are writing about it? I'd love to hear... Comment, or e-mail me: rosiesiman[at]gmail.com

Target Update

I got an e-mail from 'Laura' the site administrator for Target Rounders. As I was reading her e-mail, I got a call from an agency in NYC that operates Target Rounders. The girl who sent me an e-mail and some VP were on the phone... They wanted to explain that the whole thing was a miscommunication.... But they did admit that it was unethical. They wanted me to know that this was their fault and not something from Target. They didn't send out another e-mail to clarify, but they did update a message on their website. They also deleted my facebook posts.


Here was the e-mail "apology" they sent to me:

Hi Rosie,


You are absolutely right, and your concerns are completely founded. The message in last week's newsletter was the result of a miscommunication and in fact, was not endorsed by Target. If you notice the Team Message on the Rounders' homepage, we have changed it. Target Rounders is a program designed for Target enthusiasts to help spread the word about Target and its products. We encourage honesty and transparency in these communications.


The message in last week's newsletter was merely intended to remind the Rounders not to dominate Target's facebook page or seem like an exclusive club that other Target fans are excluded from. Sorry for the miscommunication and confusion. Please let me know if you still have concerns, because your opinions are important to us, and we obviously want you to be proud to be a Rounder. Please let me know if this addresses your concerns.

Sincerely,
Laura

The original newsletter said this:

Target Rounders


Issue 107

TARGET ROUNDERS NEWSLETTER LOVES FACEBOOK!!


Your mission: try not to let on in the Facebook group that you are a Rounder. We love your enthusiasm for the Rounders, and I know it can be hard not to want to sing it from the mountaintops (and the shower, and on the bus...). However, we want to get other members of the Facebook group excited about Target, too! And we don't want the Rounders program to steal the show from the real star here: Target and Target's rockin' Facebook group! So keep it like a secret!

The updated version said this:

Thank you for your enthusiasm for the Rounders! We love it! If you want to spread the word about how to be a part of the Rounders program please let your friends know that they can visit www.targetrounders.com to get information and fill out a quick application to get accepted. Also remember that we do not want others to feel excluded from the Rounders program, so keep that in mind when chatting about it with your friends online.