ADSPIRATION: To “Market” With Target
If the saying proves true – that we indeed garner wisdom from our fathers – then a recent conversation with my own old man provides proof to the pudding, no question. Over a sun-filled Sunday brunch, he brought up a simple, but stirring question that he’d been meaning to ask me:
“So you’ve looked at this new local shop/Target campaign, right?” as he took another bite of Eggs Benedict.
I make it a daily point to read the trades, so not knowing about the latest Target branding effort caught my attention awkwardly; feigning a knowledgeable air – rather unconvincingly, I might add – I attempted to stand my ground:
“Heard about it, not familiar yet though…Why?…What’ve you read?”
“It’s brilliant, great write-up in USA Today – I’ll email it you,” he replied with vigor.
And with that we left the subject. I knew as much about Target’s new marketing move as I did pre-Mimosa No. 2.
Fast forward 10 days posthaste.
Fisher – my five-year-old Black Lab – and I took an evening in to catch some TBS, CBS, and Lifetime, which we never do. More importantly, I never write while watching TV. But then quite serendipitously I saw a commercial toting the “local shop” selection currently available at Target for a limited time only. The flashing conversation between Dad and I came flooding back, and just as fast, out came my laptop, iPhone, and remote to rewind and re-watch the spot:
Although marketing efforts where national retailers support the “buy local brands” idea is not entirely new, these campaign strategies create a broader concept when the “inside scoop” or deeper narrative elements appear at the center of the creative work.
Digital media platforms expand the product/service’s basic story.
Today, a consumer not only hops online to connect with Target, but they go beyond seeking basic information – and that means making an effort to learn more about the featured local company’s staff/founders/products/services via Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
As communication practitioners, it’s imperative that the work we produce strives to achieve the branding excellence and community outreach like Target’s operation – or to put it more concretely, lets us think in terms like Lion King 1 1/2, the story of Timon and Pumba.
It’s the story within the story.
Companies retain customers, continue to build upon the return on relationships, and increase return on investment when the advertising/public relations/marketing efforts that they design allow backstage access and give their consumer an extra insight about what makes their products/services so unique.
Today’s market space very clearly exhibits that we all buy goods. But more importantly:
We buy items from people – and we continue to buy from people we like.
Locally.
Nationally.
Globally.
Successful media campaigns help expand audiences, inspire communities to connect with one another, and encourage viral participant communication. As a result – when brands execute these ideas properly – a naturally-occurring ability to reign as brand category leader will emerge; and that’s the crowning achievement.
And while this highly anticipated partnership promotion was executed in stores for just less than a month earlier this summer, fear not Red Dot Boutique fans. Come September 9th, Target will introduce “The Shops” Round 2 – with four more retailers to join the ranks:
The Kirna Zabete and Odin Boutiques out of New York, San Francisco’s The Curiosity Shoppe and Boston’s PATCH NYC.
So when writing out that Target to-do list in a few weeks, make a note to purchase something extraordinary that you discovered while browsing “The Shops”.
No air travel necessary – just visit your local Target.
Happy shopping!
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- by AWSC
- posted at 9:51 am
- July 26, 2012
