Suing The (Ad) Messenger
ADOTAS — First it was the media’s fault. Now it’s the advertisers fault, at least according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 34-year-old Wal-Mart worker killed on Black Friday.
The lawsuit against Wal-Mart says the lack of security and the frenzy created by “specific marketing and advertising” were to blame for the death.
The worker, Jdimytai Damour, was trampled after opening the doors at a Valley Stream store. Let’s put aside that everyone seems to give mostly a pass to the mob that ran over this man, it’s likely no one will be charged, but blaming a well-run advertising campaign for the death is absurd.
A more reasonable idea, as noted in the Ad Age story, is that in addition to the marketing and merchandising process, stores should have enough stock and should advertise that they have enough so that people don’t feel the need to crowd the stores in the early morning. I don’t know if that would actually work, people’s habits are hard to change, but it’s at least something that could ease the hysteria.
Also named as defendants in the lawsuit were the Green Acres Mall, its owner Vornado Retail Trust, and a security company required to patrol the property.
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