7-3-2020
The short ad (15 seconds, maybe?) touting tomorrow's "Red, White and Blue Sale" ran twice in one CBS Eastern Market ad break during tonight's Carl Reiner tribute. The spot featured two whole styles of ladies swimsuit, with neither being very red, white or blue, nor did the ad seem inspiring enough to have people flock, en masse, to belk(dot)com for more. Even the narrator didn't seem very convinced or enthusiastic, almost whispering the brand name. Hard to blame her with the week Belk (truly earning its diminutive little "b" in recent months) has had.
Truth be known, the whole business, as well as its owners, the Sycamore Partners, Investment firm, doesn't know if it's coming or going, and neither do most of the employees, if this site, thelayoff.com, is any indication.
With all the current confusion about the chain's financial status and confusion and reticence about which employees have and will fall under the corporate "hatchet" (some 600 or so corporate positions including many in marketing were rumored at thelayoff.com to have been eliminated this week, alone), why spend good money on such a banal attempt at drumming up business during network Prime Time?
Tonight's ad spot follows the recent confirmation of mass layoffs within the company earlier this week and, to make things even more puzzling, charlotteobserver.com reports that in a statement made to them, "Belk said it is incrementally returning the remaining furloughed corporate employees to work through August."
Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/whats-in-store/article243922797.html#storylink=cpy