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Posted Nov 16th 2009 at 2:01PM by Erin Donnelly (Subscribe to Erin Donnelly's posts)
Well, bah humbug.
Earlier today we reported that Gap had turned to "Glee" for inspiration for its new "Holiday Cheer" ad campaign, which features the tagline "Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa, Go Solstice" in its inclusive "Happy Whateveryouwannakah" ad.
Now, however, a Christian group has announced that they will boycott Gap Inc. because they feel the ads are "offensive," Brand Week reports.
According to Brand Week, the American Family Association has planned to boycott Gap and associated businesses (including Old Navy and Banana Republic) through Christmas Day. The group reportedly feels that the lighthearted ads poke fun at religion.
"It looks like an attempt to patronize people," AFA representative Randy Sharp told the publication. "What they did was almost make a joke out of it."
Gap has countered the group's anti-religious claims, saying that it "is and has always been an inclusive, accessible brand in which everyone can participate and we embrace diversity across all of our customers, and more importantly respect their beliefs as individuals... We focus our marketing on the joys of the holiday season as a whole," the company said in a statement released to the media.
"Our brands have periodically used Christmas in their holiday season advertising. With this year's Gap and Old Navy ads, we hope that the AFA will update its Web site, which has claimed that Gap Inc. 'refused to use the word Christmas in its advertising.' This is untrue."
Gap Holiday Ad Causes Religious Controversy - StyleList
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