Some Good, Some Not So Good…

This is kind of a reversal, in my opinion. Normally, Target has some really amazing, clean, cool and very real photos in their ads. They are believable and likable. Normally, I’m not really grabbed by the Mini Boden catalogs, as they tend to look a bit cheesy and a little “too cute”, if you know what I mean. Well, today it was quite the opposite!

As you can see from the scans above, the Mini Boden catalog is actually pretty great! It is hip, fun and not too cheesy. Plus, I love the mountains! They add a touch of fantasy to the shoot. After all, I seriously doubt that most of their customers will buy those clothes for anything more than a backyard sleep over. And FYI, the girl on the right of the image is holding an old Argus camera. I have that same model displayed on a shelf somewhere around here.

OK, now we need to address Target’s big mistake. A company that is usually so in tune with their customers has made a huge error here. They build brand loyalty through their honesty. Their ads are energetic, but real. You feel like you can trust them. But, can you trust something that looks like this scary, over-photoshopped nightmare? Too much photoshop is definitely a bad thing!

And, why does she have a tiny plastic pool out in the middle of nowhere?!? This one is just odd and wrong on so many levels. It reminds me of the old Soundgarden video for Black Hole Sun, where the people look plastic and freaky…