Target may not have been too surprised at the social-media drubbing it got on February 2, when— days after announcing that it was curtailing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—it posted to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook urging customers to purchase items from its “new #BlackHistoryMonth collection.
“You could not think posting this would yield positive comments,” user @domnthecity commented on Instagram, where, indeed, other commenters slammed it as “performative,” “gaslighting,” and “hypocrisy.”
But while that response may have been explicable for Target, which until recently promoted DEI passionately, it could not have predicted what happened next.
In every Target post since that one—a dozen or more each to TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram when this story was published—it has become a piñata for commenters who profess to be once-loyal customers who’ve taken their business elsewhere because of its DEI backsliding. Commenters have whacked Target for retreating on diversity, even if the posts are not diversity-related. And, buoyed by the platform’s algorithms, the criticisms dominate the top comments.
Bull sigh: To a Target Valentine’s Day Instagram post promoting its bouquets, @natalieymarie commented, “Roses are red, violets are blue, reputable companies invest in DEI programs, and Target should too.” It received 769 likes and was the top comment as this story was published.
“Thanks got mine from @costco this year ❤️,” responded @laurenmoreseboisvert to the same post, referring as many commenters have to the fact that Costco has defied calls to dismantle its diversity program. “I used to shop at Target weekly but haven’t been since you rolled back on DEI policies ❤️.”
On Facebook, a February 19 post from Target promoted its house-brand sparkling water’s vast array of flavors.
“Sorry Target. I can’t buy those,” commented Cindy Bennett Beggs. “Too DEI. You should only offer one flavor. Vanilla.”
Another response, from Heather Cameron, evoked President Trump, whose administration has called for public agencies and private companies to cancel their DEI programs: “I’m surprised ‘orange’ isn’t the only flavor.”
Retail Brew has found no instance of Target posting responses to the criticisms. Instead, like a comic bombing onstage but acting like she’s killing it, it adds more chirpy posts.
Other retailers that rolled back their DEI programs, including Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon, have not been overtaken by commenters on social media for doing so, perhaps because they hadn’t promoted diversity as passionately on social media as Target had.
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Retail Brew asked Target to respond to several questions, including whether it had anticipated this much backlash, if it planned to respond on social media or elsewhere, and whether it would disable comments on the platforms if the comments remain so persistently negative. As it has again and again and again for our recent DEI coverage, Target did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
So we asked some social media strategists what they’d do if they found themselves in Target’s shoes.
Tarjnay: Target “wrote a new playbook on how to incorporate DEI into their marketing communications,” Jamie Gutfreund, founder of marketing consultancy Creator Vision, told Retail Brew. “They really did a brilliant job of making DEI a core marketing and brand pillar, [but] they just removed that pillar, so there is a vacuum.”
Gutfreund said she didn’t see an upside of the company trying to post something to social media to diffuse the backlash.
“When the crisis is obviously very hot and very acute,” Gutfreund continued, “what can they say on an Instagram post that is going to make anybody behave differently?”
As for Target shutting off comments on the platforms, even temporarily, Brendan Gahan, CEO and co-founder of Creator Authority—a social media and influencer marketing agency that focuses on LinkedIn campaigns—recommended against it.
“It looks like you’re hiding even more,” Gahan told Retail Brew. “My inclination is no, you’re gonna have to take some lumps.”
Gahan pointed to Patagonia as a brand that has been unwavering in trumpeting that environmental stewardship is at its core, and said that when other companies take a stand on societal issues, they best not waver.
“Your values, messaging, and actions need to be in alignment,” Gahan said. “But what’s happened here is Target has just sent a million mixed messages, and now I would say neither side knows exactly who they are and what they stand for…In the last month, they just sort of blew it all up.”
On February 18 on Instagram, meanwhile, Target posted about its selection of spring flats.
“Target social team what are you doing” began @egg_prices’s response to the post. “stop living in your fantasy world where nothing is happening. we don’t care about your shoes.”