Tied to Father’s Day, J.C. Penney released an advertisement depicting “real-life dads Todd Koch and Cooper Smith with their children, Claire and Mason,” and the accompanying copy reads, “First Pals: What makes Dad so cool? He’s the swim coach, tent maker, best friend, bike fixer and hug giver — all rolled into one. Or two.” Earlier this month, the retailer featured a lesbian couple in its Mother’s Day catalogue, to the chagrin of One Million Moms, who issued an online complaint. But, according to YouGov BrandIndex, J.C. Penney’s “consumer perception” numbers were even better afterward, showing that the image (and One Million Moms’ campaign) didn’t negatively impact customers’ attitudes. Lesson learned: When One Million Moms says no, you can always ask two dads to be in your photo shoot.
