'Secret Snowman,'? 'Season's Greetings,'? 'The Holidays.'? People go to great lengths today to ensure they are referring to anything related to this most wonderful time of the year in a politically correct way. There is now almost a sense of censorship and uneasiness associated with speaking about the holidays. I personally find myself very aware when mentioning anything holiday related. I sometimes find myself even thinking back to past holiday conversations, hoping to not have offended anyone.
The thing is, as careful as I try to be, I usually slip up anyhow, accidentally referring to the Christmas party that I need to make Santa shaped cookies for. Usually, it seems the one who is mortified is me, rather than anyone around me. This got me thinking, is this anguish self-imposed?
Marketers, the media and retailers in particular are extremely careful when crafting their holiday messaging. Wanting to be all-inclusive and not offend a particular demographic, you will rarely see a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa specific ad or promotion. During a talk show I was recently watching, a production member commented about a Christmas tree that had been put up in the studio. The host was very quick to clarify that a Hanukkah Menorah had also been displayed, directly next to the tree in fact.
Are we as marketers just augmenting the situation? Or simply playing by the rules? The call is yours'?¦