Attn. Kmart shoppers – vulgar ads on your TV

By: American Decency Staff

By Lisa Van Houten

It’s hard not to smile at the exuberance of children as Christmas approaches.   Weeks before Thanksgiving my young Sunday School students have asked to sing Christmas carols during our worship time before class.  Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Away in a Manger, and, one of their favorites, Joy to the World!  The younger ones especially like the little chorus we sing to the tune of Jingle Bells  – “Christmas bells, Christmas bells, tell me what they say.  Little baby Jesus, was born on Christmas day!” – vigorously ringing little bells in accompaniment as they belt out the lyrics.

The ringing of bells seems synonymous with joy!

Unless, of course, you’ve had the misfortune of having the latest Kmart commercial foisted upon you or your family.

Kmart’s new Christmas television commercial – entitled “Show Your Joe” – features six men with hand bells, spiffily dressed in tuxedo jackets, and lined up behind a cloth-draped table.  The men play the introduction to Jingle Bells, ringing their hand bells as professionally as any hand bell choir I’ve ever seen.

Suddenly they set down the bells on the table which is whisked away to reveal that they are missing the bottom half of their tuxedos.  The men are clad in Kmart’s brand of “Joe Boxer” boxer underwear.

What happens next has “all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,” to quote my favorite Christmas cartoon.  The three best words that best describe it, are as follows, and I quote

Stink!
Stank!
Stunk!

In the “Show Your Joe” ad, the boxer-clad men squat and as the hand bell music continues to play “Jingle Bells,” the men shake and thrust their hips with each hand bell note, implying that their swinging testicles are the source of the bell sounds. 

Imagine sitting down with your family to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and during the commercial break you get Kmart’s “Show Your Joe” version of Christmas.  Not such a jolly time.  The ad is not only airing on primetime network television, but even on family friendly channels such as The Hallmark Channel.

While considered a family-oriented company in the past, Kmart has become known in recent years for pushing the envelope with controversial ads.  The company seems bent on creating buzz during the Christmas shopping season.  However, while this ad certainly has people talking about Kmart, not all publicity is good publicity.  The company’s Facebook page has lit up with downright frosty comments and it seems that the ad may do more to alienate customers rather than draw them.

Here are just a few comments from disgusted shoppers:

"I saw your new Jingle Bells commercial last night on TV and am disgusted as I find it offensive.  I always regarded Kmart as a family-friendly department store. Therefore, I am disappointed in your decision to air such a filthy commercial and saddened that your wholesome image has taken a downward turn."

“You can forget me stepping into any of your stores. Pull that ad off the air.”

“Sorry will not … be shopping at your store. Take Joe Boxer back to the gutter.”

Why do all commercials have to be about men or woman pretty much naked. And to have the song jingle bells playing while men shake their baggage wow that’s pretty low for young viewers. I thought Kmart had more class then that. the commercial should be banned!!!!!!

“They are not a family oriented company. Don’t shop there. They are brash, ugly and disgustingly uncaring.”

The Joe Boxer commercial was absolutely repulsive. People can criticize me all they want, but I did not find it funny at all. It was horrifying, what if my kids saw that? Bad decision on Kmart's part.

Really bad form. It's not 'playful', it's 'suggestive'. … Sorry KMart………you've lost my business unless you pull that ad.

OK… I totally get that you guys were trying to be hilarious with your lil jingle ball commercial. I do, I get it. And if I was a young adult with no children I would actually laugh. However, because your commercial is being played on family networks during times when children are watching TV, I had to explain to my young daughters why they were shaking like that in their underwear and where the bells were. I found that suddenly being put in that position when we were relaxing as a family was really awkward. So I wanted to say thanks, Thank you so much for forcing our family to have a discussion that we were not ready to have (please sense the sarcasm). Good job guys, I have never been so disappointed in Kmart as I am now.

“I think this is the tackiest commercial Kmart has ever had and very distasteful.”

Kmart's response to such comments was, "Thanks for your comment. This commercial is a playful take on spreading holiday cheer. We regret if you found it objectionable."

“Playful???”  More like pornographic.  And what a sad commentary if spreading lewdness is equated with “ spreading holiday cheer.” 

I have a message for Kmart – if “Show Your Joe” is your equivalent of holiday cheer, as I do my Christmas shopping – I won’t touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

Take Action!  Click here to send a message to Kmart.

(Kmart is a subsidiary of the Sears Holding Corp.)

To leave a comment on Kmart’s Facebook page go to:  https://www.facebook.com/kmart?filter=2

 Call Kmart directly at: 1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)

To support our efforts please click hereor mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412.   

American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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