I was passing by Banana Republic at Yorkdale Mall the other day (Toronto, Ontario CANADA) and was dismayed to see a lack of the letter “u” in the word “colour” posted on their display. It may seem like a small error, but its errors like these that make me feel like these companies have no respect for the country they are doing business in. I assume it’s an issue of time constraints. It’s easier to smear American marketing around the world rather than taking the time to develop sensitivities around the communities they make money in. I e-mailed them this post. I hope that might be some sort of impetus for change. I will keep you posted.
* Update:
Hello Banana Republic,
I noticed that your recent display in CANADA didn’t include the ‘u’ in
colour (the Canadian way of spelling). It may seem like a small error,
but such errors just show the disregard you have for the country you are
doing business in. I wrote about this on my blog, and I will be happy to
write a happy ending to this situation.
Response:
On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 1:54 PM, BananaRepublic.com Customer Service <custserv@bananarepublic.com> wrote:
Dear BananaRepublic.com Customer,
Thank you for your comments regarding the use of the word “color” in our
store displays. Please be assured, it is never our intent to cause any
offense. We appreciate the time you’ve taken to contact us to share
your thoughts. Please be assured, we have forwarded your comments on to
our marketing team, as customer feedback is an important consideration
when planning future marketing materials. Again, we do apologize and
appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments.
We appreciate your business and look forward to shopping with you again
soon.
If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to call us
at 1-888-BR-STYLE, and follow the prompts to share your store
experience. We are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to
9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please note all hours are
indicated in Eastern Time.
Sincerely,
Jennie
Customer Service Consultant