Target, Nordstrom say a lot about inclusion – without saying a word
This month’s circular from Target featured some seriously cute kids, hamming it up like seriously cute kids do. One in particular might grab your attention: the little blond- haired, blue-eyed boy on the left, rocking an orange t-shirt like he’s been modeling his whole life. (You know, all six years of it…)
His name is Ryan and the Target ad is actually his second high-profile modeling gig — he appeared in a Nordstrom catalog last year. (I couldn’t love the little girl’s ruffled cardigan more, but I digress.)
Ryan’s modeling career is making news because he has Down syndrome. Even though nearly a half million people in the U.S. are affected by the condition, a kid with Down syndrome is just not something you see everyday in a Target ad.
The neatest part about his being included in these ads is that neither retailer said a word about him. They didn’t pat themselves on the back for including a “special needs” child in their ad. No one pointed out that he was different.
The page didn’t include a headline like “Hey look at us, we’re putting a kid with Down syndrome in our ad because we want you to know that we think he’s just like everyone else and doesn’t that make us great?”
Nope. Instead, they just included him with a group of other, equally adorable kiddos – essentially saying-without-saying that he’s just like everyone else. They just treated him like a kid.
Well done.