Holidays on Thin Ice: Brands' Greetings Get Scrutinized

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Merry Christmas. Or should that be Happy Holidays? For marketers, deciding the choice of a greeting this season would tax even the wisest of men.

Evoke Christmas and you may alienate some consumers. Don’t say it, and you’ll incur the wrath of the Christian right as Best Buy, Kroger and Victoria’s Secret have learned this year. The finger-pointer in this case is the American Family Association, which considers greetings like Happy Holidays and other variations not to be enough.

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