Target Corp., Gok Wan 'Bangers'

Members:

2013 Television 100% Report A Problem

UK reality TV star ("How to Look Good Naked") and style icon Gok Wan has gotten attention in this Target commercial by saying that 85% of women don’t know their correct bra size and says if they get the correct size "your bangers will never feel more loved."

At the end of the commercial, he says the frequently used nickname for Target "Tar-jay," as if it was French, and giving it more style. (He did not use the gay nickname for the store, "Tar-gay.")

The commercial received complaints to Australia's Advertising Standards Bureau for its language referring to breasts and that a gay man was used to get away with it.

Defending the ad to the ASB, Target wrote, "Gok Wan was chosen as a brand ambassador for Target because of his personality and reputation, not his sexuality. He feels good about who he is as he is. He is playfully irreverent, colorful and fun. He has a great capacity for making other people feel good about themselves too. Target strongly believes that a person’s sexuality is irrelevant to their worth as a person. Target makes no apology for using a gay man in its advertising and we do not believe that this should be grounds for upholding a complaint.

‘More importantly, Gok is a British style icon. The brands he has chosen to provide with his imprimatuer are Department Stores such as Sainbury’s in the UK and Target in Australia - not high end fashion houses. He is about making fashion accessible to everyone and making people feel good about themselves. This is completely in line with Target’s brand values."

The ASB has dismissed the complaints and allowed the ad to stand.

Company

Target Corp.

Brand

Target

Industry

Fashion/Apparel

Media Outlet

Television

Country

Australia

Region