Generic winter holiday? Forget it
By THERESA HOWARD
USA Today
NEW YORK — The word "Christmas," nearly absent in marketing by major retailers in recent years, has been quietly revived by some stores.
Retail expert Jim Lucas says they are responding to consumers' desire to make the holidays more personal — whether they observe Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. "They are saying this has become very commercial, and they want to reclaim the holiday season and make it relevant," says Lucas, head of strategic planning at ad agency Draft Worldwide.
Chains also may be responding to a push by groups such as the Catholic League and American Family Association against a generic "winter holiday." The AFA cited 10 retailers (Kroger, Dell, Target, OfficeMax, Walgreens, Sears, Staples, Lowe's, J.C. Penney and Best Buy) for omitting Christmas in ads. It urges shoppers to go where Christmas is recognized.
"If you are going to make your earnings on the year because of Christmas, why should you be ashamed to call it Christmas?" asks AFA president Tim Wildmon. "People don't buy Thanksgiving gifts."
Lowe's got special note for hanging "holiday tree" banners on lots at its 1,175 stores. It pulled them after complaints. "We wanted to call a Christmas tree what it is," says spokeswoman Chris Ahearn.
The Catholic League says it scored a victory when it pushed Wal-Mart to have a Christmas category on its Web site, which had Kwanzaa and Hanukkah gift sections.
Other chains giving Christmas a nod:
"What we are doing is communicating our position," says spokesman Jim Sluzewski. "We never had a policy not to say 'Merry Christmas,' but clearly this is an issue of concern with a lot of people."
