Target Canada
Laird, Kristin . Marketing ; Toronto Vol. 117, Iss. 16, (Nov 18, 2012): 34-35.
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ABSTRACT (ABSTRACT)
Target"s loyal fans know exactly what they want from the retailer they know and love. [John Morioka] said
Canadian shoppers often tell him to make sure Target Canada isn't a "light version" of what they've come to expect
from the retailer's U.S. locations. Based on the marketing and merchandising efforts Target Canada has launched
so far, we're sure this pup's bite will be as big as his bark.
FULL TEXT
Headnote
It won't even open its first stores in Canada for months but Target still had a huge impact on the retail landscape in
2012
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. N ot true if that canine represents a marketing and merchandising
powerhouse that has been busy marking its territory on the Canadian retail landscape.
Target, the Minneapolis-based retailer known for selling high-fashion goods at reasonable prices, has been teasing
its northern debut with pop-up events this year as cool and distinctive as the brand itself-and usually with its well-
behaved mascot dog,
Bullseye, in tow. Rather than simply mimic the success of its U.S. marketing initiatives, Target Canada has hosted
events with the Canadian consumer and culture in mind.
Take the Target Hotel, for instance. For the first few days of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the
retailer took over all 27 rooms in the newly opened Templar Hotel in the city's entertainment district to serve as a
home for bloggers, influences and Canadian stars. The hotel was transformed into a brand experience with bursts
of red decorative accents such as pillows, chairs, flowers and prints brought in from the retailer's U.S.
headquarters.
It was away of celebrating design, pop culture and innovation, and "establishing partnerships in a way that
showcased the Target brand," says Lisa Gibson, spokesperson for Target Canada.
It was also a first for the 50-year-old company, which is known in the U.S. for its fun, upbeat television campaigns
and limited-time-only collaborations with famous designers. While certain branding ideas were borrowed from past
events, Target has never before taken over a hotel during a major film festival, says Gibson.
The Target Hotel was one in a string of event marketing initiatives the retailer hosted to introduce the brand to
Canadians and give future "guests" (what Target calls its customers) ataste of what to expect when it opens its
first 125 locations next year. Target Canada held beach party events in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta in
August and weeks later made its Quebec debut by partnering with Montréal Fashion Week. For the latter, the
retailer enlisted Quebec singer and style icon Mitsou Gélinas to conduct interviews in a branded media lounge and
share her experience across its digital platforms and Canadian Facebook and Twitter pages.
"We do look market-by-market and do things that resonate well with the people in that market," says Gibson.
Perhaps the most talked-about event was the one-day pop-up store in downtown Toronto with famed Canadian
fashion designer Jason Wu that had shoppers waiting in line for hours. Wu's collection of ultra-feminine designs
ranged in price from $10 to $45 and sold out in approximately four hours. John Morioka, senior vicepresident of
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merchandising for Target Canada, told Marketing at the time that the store was the perfect way to bring to life the
retailer's brand promise: expect more, pay less.
"Showing in subtle, cool ways that they respect the Canadian market and they want to be part of the Canadian
market through these events is just a wonderful way of them saying ?We know what the strengths of our brand are
and we know how to apply them in market in a way that will make us relevant and engage people,"' says David
Kincaid, founder and CEO of Level 5, a Toronto-based branding company.
"They haven't come in beating their chest saying ?We're Target,"' says Kincaid. "They've come in saying ?We want
to bring value to you. We want to be important to you.' And the fact they did it with large Canadian events like TIFF,
they're showing they understand the market and they want to be part of it."
Though it hasn't launched any mass advertising yet, Target Canada has still become one of the most buzzed-about
brands of the year (and perhaps one of the most feared retailers ever to cross the border). National department
stores and even grocery chains have been busy preparing for Target Canada's arrival
Target Canada remains tight-lipped about its upcoming plans for mass marketing and advertising (which will be
developed by agencies within the MDC Partners network including KBS+P Canada, Veritas Communications and
Boom Marketing; Aegis Group-owned Carat in Toronto is handling media buying duties).
But Target"s loyal fans know exactly what they want from the retailer they know and love. Morioka said Canadian
shoppers often tell him to make sure Target Canada isn't a "light version" of what they've come to expect from the
retailer's U.S. locations. Based on the marketing and merchandising efforts Target Canada has launched so far,
we're sure this pup's bite will be as big as his bark.
Sidebar
2012 MARKETERS
POWER
POINTS
Hosted events with the Canadian consumers and culture in mind
Openedaone-day pop-up store in downtown Toronto with famed Canadian fashion designer Jason Wu
Partnered with Montréal Fashion Week and Quebec singer/style icon Mitsou Gélinas
Sidebar
6They haven't come in beating their chest saying ?We're Target'... They've come in saying ?We want to bring value
to you. We want to be important to you
- DAVID KINCAID
DETAILS
Subject: Discount department stores; Brands; Fashion; Awards &honors; Mass
merchandising; Corporate profiles
Location: Canada
Company / organization: Name: Target Corp; NAICS: 452112
Classification: 9172: Canada; 8390: Retailing industry; 7000: Marketing; 9110: Company specific
Publication title: Marketing; Toronto
Volume: 117
Issue: 16
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Pages: 34-35
Number of pages: 2
Publication year: 2012
Publication date: Nov 18, 2012
Section: 2012 MARKETERS OF THE YEAR
Place of publication: Toronto
Country of publication: Toronto
Publication subject: Advertising And Public Relations, Business And Economics--Marketing And
Purchasing
ISSN: 11964650
Source type: Trade Journals
Language of publication: English
Document type: Cover Story
Document feature: Photographs
ProQuest document ID: 1449532155
Document URL: https://ucd.idm.oclc.org/log
in?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1449532155?accountid=14507
Copyright: Copyright Rogers Publishing Limited Nov 18, 2012
Last updated: 2017-03-18
Database: ABI/INFORM Global
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