tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927499066712159439.post3941926039398872120..comments2023-11-05T04:51:37.986-05:00Comments on SoundBite Back: More on The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PRAnthony Julianohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07616129335179635003noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927499066712159439.post-7147785797090907902008-01-22T21:50:00.000-05:002008-01-22T21:50:00.000-05:00Hi, Beth--thanks for the comment. You make some gr...Hi, Beth--thanks for the comment. You make some great points about Target. Here's the difference I see between Wal-Mart and Target: Wal-Mart equals "low price"; Target equals "low price PLUS great design." That means you go to Wal-Mart for the $9.95 plastic white trash can that you hide in the corner of your bathroom, BUT you're willing to pay $11 for the Michael Graves-designed trash can that you don't have to hide in the corner. The former is a commodity item; the latter is targeted (pun intended) at a very specific type of consumer. Target has done a great job of positioning itself as a destination for the shopper who is willing to pay a little more for something they perceive to be of higher quality.Anthony Julianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07616129335179635003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2927499066712159439.post-53776900676308792372008-01-22T21:23:00.000-05:002008-01-22T21:23:00.000-05:00I think Target's advertising is brilliant and an e...I think Target's advertising is brilliant and an excellent example of successful brand-building.<BR/><BR/>My first job was at Target. They had just entered our market as the Dayton-Hudson discount department store -- the equivalent of L.S. Ayres' Ayr-Way. They were no different than any other big box store. Had they continued on in that manner, they probably wouldn't still be around. But, they changed their inventory, their advertising and eventually how they were perceived in the market place. Their alliance with Michael Graves and other hip designers helped them gain status. They are competitively priced, perhaps a little higher than Wal-Mart and Meijer, but Target shoppers don't seem to mind. Their use of cool imagery and songs (Think the Beatles "Hello Goodbye") in their advertising help to make an association between hipness and shopping -- no matter what the product. A TV spot might feature stacks of laundry detergent in an ad, but it's done in an inventive way. Local blogger Kody Tinnel referred to Target as "the Yuppie Wal-Mart," and he's not too far off the mark. That's the perception they set out to create and through their branding, that's what they've accomplished.<BR/><BR/>The only misstep that they've taken was the advent of "Super Target." Their food prices are not competitive, and their inventory is limited. A Super Target (and I guess that the new Target on 14 will be one) might be successful in Fort Wayne because of the Kroger/Scott's situation.Kirkwood Park Neighborhood Associationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03664321663306890717noreply@blogger.com