So here’s a basic rule: know your customers before trying to sell them. As the comment on this photo indicates, Walmart should have taken a minute to understand that people who celebrate Chanukah likely are not going to be shopping for boneless smoked ham, or any ham. It’s a classic example of (1) not paying attention (2) not understanding to whom you are marketing, (3) a prank by an unhappy employee, and/or (4) not caring. All of these ends up in the same place — a negative brand image. Customers love to know that a brand has taken the time to get to known them and their likes and dislikes, and this has never been more true than now, when ongoing intimate customer engagement has become the key to creating and maintaining brand/customer relationships. And given the increasing multi-cultural demographics in today’s domestic and global marketplaces, it’s more important than ever for brands to take the time to do it right. Which means that brands and the people who work for them need to be educated about, sensitive to and aware of the cultural differences of their diverse customer base. So Walmart, just in case you’re listening, don’t merchandise steaks to vegans, bacon to pe0ple celebrating Ramadan, white bread for Passover….