A Perfect Mix of Push & Pull

Target is a master of consumer engagement through utilizing push and pull techniques. Although Target does have multiple campaigns running simultaneously to influence specific audiences, every media channel both on and offline are cohesive in creative and when seen together fit within the over-arching brand strategy seamlessly. In-store promotions have the same brand personality as ads, direct mail, weekly deals, website, Cartwheel App, A Bullseye View blog, digital ads and etc.

Target outdoor billboards.

A Bullseye View, Target’s blog.

Cartwheel App navigation and virtual map.

Weekly mailer featuring “It’s a Plaid, Plaid World” Campaign.

Target’s offline push advertising consists of TV commercials, direct mailers, print ads, in-store signage (including floor decals, window clings, in-store displays and digital hyper-walls) all aimed at influencing the consumer to purchase. All of their traditional media pushes consumers online to the website, Cartwheel app or in-store to purchase or to retrieve special offers. They also offer in-store service pushes like the Beauty Concierge and Baby Advisor services where knowledge staff members help customers with buying decisions.

“It’s a Plaid, Plaid World” in-store display.

Target In-store digital hyperwall with product display which features sales of the week.

Weekly mailer with QR Code linking to website.

A new print push technique Target debuted uses Shazam to add augmented reality to print ads running in Vogue magazine. By scanning the page with the Shazam app, pull strategies launch on your iPad or smart phone such as behind the scenes video, photos, special click to buy deals and blog posts. This particular campaign featured Target fashion highlighting New York Fashion Week (#NYFW) and was even meshed with the “It’s a Plaid, Plaid, World” campaign. (The #NYFW and “It’s a Plaid, Plaid World campaigns were also featured on Target’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram accounts.)

A behind the scenes look atTarget’s “It’s a Plaid, Plaid World” and #NYFW on Vogue.com.

When you hover over the Vogue print ads with your phone or iPad, video pops up to augment the content. Here are some examples:

 

The company uses online push advertising with the Cartwheel app, e-newsletters and Target account email e-blasts and CSR pop up windows to name a few.

Pop-up customer service help

An online Push marketing custom skyline banner at top pops up on pages.

“A Bullseye View” blog email newsletter signup, as well as social media links.

Online push, Cartwheel custom email.

Cartwheel push message sent to users smart phone.

For Target’s pull marketing, they add to the consumer experience with fresh content of the A BullsEye View blog, user product reviews, Behind the Pin video DIY help guides, custom shopping lists, Blog e-newsletter, behind the scenes YouTube video, look books. Their social media channels include links as well to improve the user experience and share-ability.

Online pull content, “A Bullseye View” blog post related to #NYFW and “Vogue.”

As seen on Target’s Twitter feed. #NYFW party on Periscope again featuring #NYFW and “It’s a Plaid, Plaid World” campaigns.

Instagram post, “It’s a Plaid, Plaid World.”

Throughout Target’s website and Cartwheel mobile app are opportunities to not only follow the company’s social media channels, but also share to your own social media accounts.

Links to social media which run at footer of every page or along the sides.

In my opinion, Target does a pretty great job of utilizing many push/pull techniques in their touch points. Frankly, I’m surprised how well they do considering how many touch points and services the have. But Target’s goal of increasing the shopping experience is hard to miss. One recommendation would be for users to add images and video along with the online reviews, but that would entail extra monitoring by Target and could have potential problems. Amazon uses a similar technique in their customer review sections and has increased the online shopping experience. Another pull strategy could be to allow online groups, again like Amazon does, so you can connect to other consumers with the same hobbies and shopping likes.

In September 2015 Target launched LA25. A pilot program where they are building test stores to launch new programs, services and digital products to increase the consumers shopping experiences with the end goal to increase sales. Maybe after Target does some more in-store and digital testing we will see even more improvements for the consumer while increasing profits.

Source links:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/business/media/with-visual-recognition-vogue-ads-link-to-target-products.html?_r=0

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/shazam-digital-recognition-new-target-ads/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/business/target-q1-earnings.html?action=click&contentCollection=Media&module=RelatedCoverage&region=Marginalia&pgtype=article

http://www.vogue.com/TargetStyleMarketing/target_desktop/index.php

https://corporate.target.com/article/2015/08/plaid-fall-look-book

http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/06/adam-lippes-is-the-latest-target-collaborator.html

http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/08/targets-fall-collaboration-is-full-of-plaid.html#

https://corporate.target.com/Carousels/2015/08/Plaid-Lookbook

https://corporate.target.com/article/2015/09/la25-announcement

My Favorite Brand

I don’t even need to tell you the name. You instantly recognize the brand identity — the red bullseye logo. Whether you call it by the proper name Target or by my favorite knick-names, “Tar-jay” or “Red Circle Boutique,” you know as soon as you enter the store where you are and what to expect from your shopping experience.

You know that you went in for toilet paper, but you will walk out with other things you didn’t know you needed. There are even popular videos and memes about the “Target phenomenon.”

Every touchpoint inside the store from uniforms, shopping carts and signage; to social media channels; to traditional print ads, TV commercials and billboards — the brand personality of Target resonates with acute clarity and synergy. Its voice is funny, a little quirky, modern, bright & cheery and always helpful —this is reflected with great ubiquity in any thing you see and hear about Target online and off. 

There are Target customer advocates from all walks of life, rich and poor, single and married, all with diverse backgrounds. A recent story became viral when Mike Melgaard, one of Target’s loyal customers was so dedicated to the company, he posed as a customer service rep on social media and responded to Target “haters” over new gender neutral areas in toy aisles. After Target discovered what was happening, they responded to the customer service troll in quick-witted Target form. Even while responding to internet comments, Target always maintains consistent message and tone with style and humor.

According to Eric Hausman, senior group manager of PR and social media at Target, the company doesn’t believe in hard-sell tactics and would rather build long lasting relationships with its customers. “Consumers want to connect with brands. They want to understand who we are and what our stories are, ” Hausman says. 

And with Target’s many social media channels, blog and mobile app, they try to engage the consumers thereby extending the consumer experience.

The newest addition to Target.com I recently found is the “Behind the Pin Series,” which features quick video and step-by-step directions on how to DIY some of your favorite pins from Pinterest without #pinterestfail-ing. They use catchy hashtags like #kaboom which help the posts go viral and are branded within the same Target style, voice and tone.

Behind the Pin Series, “pb & yay” How-to Video Click here to view.

#Kaboom How-to make fruit skewers. Click here to view.

A touchpoint which proves Target is a true brand leader is the commercial creative which runs on both TV and its YouTube.com channel. Many have gone viral over the years and some are even considered cult-classics.

One of which is my favorite commercial of all-time — still has me saying “glitter” with jazz-hands.

Here are some of the newest commercials aired online that have given Target the “rules the internet” comment on their feeds.

A popular engagement tool Target has chosen to launch is “A Bullseye View” its own online magazine. Target works with over 16 bloggers to write content for their posts. it has over 100,000 unique visitors a month.

“A Bullseye View” online magazine. Click here to view.

As well as print ads, billboards and TV,  Target has many online touchpoints which help the retailer achieve brand awareness and consumer engagement. Here are links to all of Target’s social media channels: 

Facebook 

Instagram

Pinterest

Target Pulse Blog

YouTube

A Bullseye View

Cartwheel Mobile App

Vine

Classic Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing

For modern retailers and brands the direction of their communications strategy is one of the most important decisions they can make regarding marketing plans. These days, in order to reach audiences across the board, brands must use an integrated approach of using classic marketing and social media marketing in their media plans. Most modern consumers are savvy and do not take classic advertising whether it be print ads, TV, radio or billboard at face value. They know a “a sales/ marketing spiel” from a mile away and most skip through the commercials, turn the page or ignore the ad entirely.

Grabbing the attention of the masses is harder and takes a broader, more robust campaign including multichannel and multimedia creative.[1]

The most beneficial aspect of this layered approach is that classic marketing and social media marketing support each other and can drive traffic back and forth between the social media channels. [1] A print ad only talks to you, but it can use a hashtag or give you Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube information, and let the consumer talk back. Social media can help a brand not only organically by consumers talking, tweeting, referring or posting, but a brand can also talk back to the consumer by responding to posts or advertising directly in the channel.

Most people are overloaded with marketing messages all day. Especially for millennials, they no longer want a brand to talk to them, but want to be immersed in an experience in which they can relate and even contribute to the content.

Take Lowes for instance, they gave simple How-To advice on Vine. Lowes uploaded 15 second videos with easy step-by-step information on how to do small projects then gave the user a hashtag to post their own videos on social media.

Lowes on Vine. Click to view.

GoPro uses a similar tactic to keep the consumer involved. A production team goes on location, shoots video and posts to their website and on YouTube. The videos go viral and in return, they ask their audiences on the website, YouTube, Instagram and Vine feeds to shoot their own video or photos and upload to multiple GoPro channels or use #GoPro. The audience vies for a coveted chance to be featured on the website or on one of the brands social media platforms.

GoPro original video featuring a whale breach. Click to view.

User uploaded images on the GoPro Instagram feed. Click to view.

The language in classic marketing is vastly different than the way you communicate on social media. Classic marketing can lean towards “catchy” phrases and even rhymes that try to be memorable. I think most people know the jingle from commercials, “The best part of waking up, is Folger’s in your cup” or how about “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”  The sad thing is, it might give you an ear-worm, but doesn’t make you want to buy. Even if you do remember the name of the ad, these days, consumers still go online to research before buying. McKinsey Quarterly estimates that “TV only is only 35 percent as effective as it was in 1990.” Therefore, brands are smart to have a social media presence that is on-brand with their classic marketing as well as a good online reputation and can’t be filtered out. [1]

There tends to have a specific formula in classic marketing. Take the standard print ad. It consists of a headline, maybe a subhead, marketing body copy with “why you should buy,” a call to action (call now) and a logo with a big image in the background. The conversation tends to be more formal, sometimes even with legal-ease at the bottom. The savvy consumer knows this model and will not buy something solely based on an ad. This is why most print ads, commercials, etc. drive user traffic to a hashtag or back to a brand’s social media channel.

Social media marketing is much more conversational and not long-winded. Twitter is only 140 characters, Instagram and YouTube are more about the visuals and  marketer can speak directly to a consumer on a channel to personalize the experience.

Taco Bell seems to hit this out of the park on a daily basis with their Twitter feed. They use tongue-in cheek conversational humor as they reach out not only to other brands, but also their audience.

@TacoBell and @MensHumor Twitter exchange

@OldSpice and @TacoBell in a friendly Twitter “feud”

Oreo and Pizza Hut also use humor on their Twitter feeds.

Oreo’s “Lost Oreo” on Instagram.

@pizzahut on Twitter. To me, you are perfect.

Lowes, GoPro, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Oreo have huge social media followers that are brand loyal. The brands all still do classic advertising but have ventured successfully into the social media arena to shore up the brand message and to hit additional audiences that aren’t seeing traditional media.

In short, brands today can no longer rely solely on classic marketing media and expect to succeed in the marketplace. In order to get traction with their brand amid a cluttered landscape, a multi-media, multi-channel technique has to be the standard practice in brand communications.

Additional links:

1. Antony Young, Brand Media Strategy, Integrated Communications Planning in the Digital Era (New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2014), 17, 18, 19

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/check-out-2015s-shorty-award-winners-best-use-social-media-apps-and-video-163627

http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/michael-patterson-10-brands-amazing-social-media/624169