| Fast on the heels of their impending merger with Sears,
Kmart stunned the retail industry this week by announcing their plans
to dump their longtime association with Martha Stewart and replace her
with Rick Warren, best-selling Christian author of The
Purpose-Driven Life. As part of their endeavor to “revive”
their damaged reputation and spur growth, Kmart stores will
phase out the Martha Stewart “Everyday” Collection later this year
and introduce the Rick Warren “Purpose-Driven” Collection, which
will reflect the hugely-successful philosophy of the popular pastor.
Featured products in the
collection will include a line of men’s Hawaiian shirts with
matching khaki pants and loafers, personally designed by Warren for the leisurely,
suburban churchgoer. Also among the Warren-designed items: Hawaiian
print bathroom towels, Hawaiian print kitchen decanters, and a Message
Bible that features a fold-out Krispy Kreme donut tray and coffee cup
holder.
Asked about the sudden change
in direction, Kmart chairman Edward Lampert explained, “We just feel
that Martha Stewart, despite her recent incarceration, projects a
snooty, high-maintenance image that makes the common middle-class
housewife feel inadequate. Rick, on the other hand, has a message that
says, ‘Hey, God has a purpose for you shopping at Kmart.’ Plus, have
you seen how much money this purpose-driven cr*p is making?”
Reaction from business
experts has been mixed, with most of them concerned about the possible
ramifications of bringing Warren’s seeker-sensitive Christianity
into an established retail chain. One critic noted that the sudden
drop in sales of men’s ties and dress socks alone would probably offset
any possible profits. Still, Chairman Lambert remains confident. “When
the idea was first brought up, we thought that there was no way that a
church program could be utilized in the retail sector,” Lambert
explained. “But boy were we surprised with how easily it translated
to the business world. Who knew?”
Nonetheless, some analysts have
questioned whether this move will disenfranchise some of Kmart’s
loyal customers who may not relate to evangelical Christianity.
Lambert, however, shrugged it off. “Certainly the initial concern
was that it might alienate consumers of other religious faiths. But
once we realized that the purpose-driven philosophy didn’t rely on
the Christian view of God, we were tickled to death.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t
the first time that a retail chain has flirted with the idea of
marketing themselves with a known Christian celebrity. In 2003, Target
had briefly toyed with the idea of using Christian radio apologist
Hank Hanegraaff as a spokesman. This idea was dropped, however, when preliminary
market research revealed that some listeners and ex-employees of “The
Bible Answer Man” might take a Target logo on Hanegraaff’s shirt too literally. |
