Some think that Target has lost its cachet. A June WSJ article says that the star retailer’s recession-driven strategy to focus on food and low prices works at the expense of its chic image. This, they say, has confused its audience and put pressure on the company’s large, high-margin fashion and home décor business. After you look at this ad from the September issue of House Beautiful, what do you think?
When we first saw the colorful ad, we were impressed by Target’s bold strategy and sharp focus (and not a little surprised by how broad the Missoni product line has grown). Going well beyond Missoni’s roots as an upscale Italian fashion house, the ad shows many home products such as drinking glasses, plates, bowls, even wall hangings, all with the iconic chevron design. In a magazine aimed at interests other than clothing and for a store interested in clothing and more, Target highlights the upcoming promotion with showing newly added accessories such as kitchenware, home décor, bikes, handbags and shoes, in addition to their flagship look in clothes. Target plans to spotlight the Missoni products between September 13 and October 22, or “as long as supplies last”, many of which will be sold within the startling price range of $2.99 to $54.99. Further, the ad features Margharita Missoni, the third generation family member and model involved in developing the Missoni line, differentiating and personalizing the brand from other design icons now part of large conglomerates.
If you haven’t heard of Missoni, mention the name to a few of your style-conscious friends or check out the 20-page Missoni for Target blockbuster in the September issue of Vogue.
As interesting as the ad was to us as an example of how to add excitement in a usually been-there-done-that product category, it was even more so as an example of high-risk-high-reward advertising. What do you think? Ennui or excitement? Risk or reward? Bonus question: Do you think the TV commercial is as strong as the print ad?
Postscript: Advertising Proof of Life
Added October 14, 2011
Target’s Missoni offer proved so successful that the Target website crashed on the first day. And in “an unusual fumble for the large retailer, Target was unprepared for online shoppers’ hunger for the items. The Target.com site was wiped out for most of the day; the company said that demand for items was higher than it was on a typical day after Thanksgiving, and that is usually the biggest shopping day of the year.” (New York Times) For the month, Target’s same-store sales were up a better than expected 5.3%.
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