Skater brands denounce gay-hating fans #toplovesall

A couple of young men from Western Quebec have drawn the ire of the social media shame machine for their violently anti-gay shirts and statements.

One of them (I won't repeat their names here) was photographed wearing a shirt with the name of his gamer group, along with the words "If you are gay, don't approch [sic] me I'll kill you," to a popular Halloween event in Ottawa. Once identified, the man and a friend spoke to media defending their group's message, even though it might be considered hate speech in Canada.

These guys don't deserve any more infamy than they're already getting, however local skater store Top Of The World's reaction is interesting from a branding point of view.

Recognizing RVCA and other subculture brands on the offenders, Top Of The World posted the above captioned picture with the words, "I'm sure you've seen these fellas in the news or on social media. If not check it out. We wanted to make ourselves clear when it comes to this kind of garbage. #ottawa #toplovesall"

In recent years, many brands have struggled with the polarizing issue of LGBT equality, such as in the pasta wars of 2013. But with gay rights in the mainstream consciousness, in more progressive parts of the world brands have more to gain (and less to lose) by being LGBT allies than in courting homophobic customers. 

Top Of The World and RVCA picked the smart side in this one.

Twitter protip: Research before hashtagging! #whyistayed

Via Time

It's easy to see how this happened: Whoever manages the DiGiorno frozen pizza Twitter account saw a trending hashtag, #whyistayed, and completely misunderstood it.

From the Tweet above, it looks like they assumed the meme was about staying in a tired relationship. It was actually used by survivors of domestic abuse to share their stories, like "I thought I could change him," and "I didn't know he was abusing me." It runs parallel to another hashtag, #whyileft, and both allow strangers to create a huge, virtual support group.

The DiGiorno Tweet was a huge mistake, making it as far as coverage in Time. The administrator has been performing due penance, apologizing individually, over and over again, to people who called them on it.

The moral of the story? Educate yourself. Not just about what hashtags and memes are really about, but deeper on the underlying social issues that drive them.

And when you do screw up, make it right. Even if you are just a pizza brand.

Thanks to Audra Williams (via Facebook) for the tip.

Barbie joins the RCMP, goes ginger, in Mountie/Mattel cross-promo

Via The Mountie Shop

Cue the "she always gets her man" jokes. (Oh wait, the Globe and Mail already did that.)

The red-haired northern Barbie was briefly available directly from the RCMP's official e-commerce site before being completely bought out by what I can't help but visualize as hundreds of Mr. Smithers clones.

Via Tumblr

Here's the product description:

The Dolls of the World® Barbie® collection celebrates travels with Barbie® dressed in the ancestral clothing of her country. This Barbie® Doll of the World hails from the land of the maple leaf, maple syrup and the maple donut: Canada! Part of the Pink Label collection, RCMP Barbie® is dressed in the uniform currently worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or Mounties, as they are widely known. Her scarlet tunic is accented with the cross strap and belt, navy and yellow breeches and tall Strathcona boots while her Stetson can be removed to reveal her bright red hair. RCMP Barbie® comes in keepsake travel trunk packaging and includes a “pink passport” for the perfect way for Barbie® to travel across Canada, and the world, in style!

I'm not sure the fitted tunic is regulation. (Her waist sure isn't!) And the loose hair wouldn't pass inspection. Plus, the pants aren't exactly that figure-hugging:

Via 

As one of Canada's most recognizable brands, the RCMP dress uniform lends itself to all sorts of cross-promotions, from collectible coins to Cookie Monster dolls.

The National Post reports that the RCMP's licensing fee from Mattel will go toward at-risk youth programs.

A new line of confidence-wear for girls

As a reaction to the marketing of sexist shirts for girls like "I'm too pretty to do math" (marketed, then pulled, by JC Penney) entrepreneurial dad Kevin Wagstaff decided to start his own line of confidence-wear.

Named "Keira's Kollection" (after his young daughter), Kevin's shirts make declarations of female strength and independence. Nice stuff.

The shirts and other activewear for girls and women are available online.

Tip via Yahoo!

Related post: Urban Outfitters' drinking shirts are a very American dilemma