Retailers' Sensitive Marketing Debacle: When Humor Goes Too Far

As Labor Day comes to a close, retailers are rolling out promotions tied to upcoming holidays like Halloween and Christmas.

The author of an article in The Coast News Group recently visited Home Depot and was taken aback by a display of poseable LED skeletons at the front door.

The skeletons were meant to be humorous, but the author felt they came off as insensitive given the recent surge in violence-related concerns and historical events such as the Khmer Rouge's systematic killing of 2 million Cambodian citizens from 1975-79.

The display was made in Cambodia, raising questions about the responsibility of large retailers like Home Depot to be sensitive to their customers' values and awareness of the impact of their marketing efforts.