Target illuminates the digital landscape in a holiday campaign that strikes a perfect balance between emotions and affordability

Target is addressing the economic pressures faced by consumers by emphasizing affordability in its holiday marketing. The store's new campaign, "However You Holiday, Do It For Less," highlights a range of everyday items that complement traditional seasonal products. Additionally, Target is boosting its efforts to drive digital traffic, increasing investments in the channel by 20% and prioritizing media mix optimization during the fourth quarter. This shift is in response to the fact that 75% of Target customers now start their digital shopping journeys on mobile devices, making areas like social media more important.

Under the campaign title "However You Holiday, Do It For Less," there are more than 100 spots that will be showcased across various channels, including TV, digital platforms, social media, video streaming services, paid search, and audio channels. The commercials will be aired during "Monday Night Football" broadcasts and will also be featured on popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN. Media responsibilities were managed by EssenceMediacom.

In addition to highlighting the importance of cost-effectiveness, the message of "do it for less" aligns with Target's convenient same-day services, such as free order pick-up, drive-up, and delivery options through the retailer's Shipt platform.

“Our aim is to provide our guests with value and exclusive offers, while also igniting their creativity and introducing them to new experiences. Target excels at striking a perfect balance between these elements,” stated Lisa Roath, who assumed the role of Target’s CMO in July. “At Target, affordability, high standards, delight, and convenience are not mutually exclusive. These core principles lie at the core of our holiday marketing campaign this year.”

Spirit of the season

A range of new advertisements tackle popular holiday themes at Target, such as "Lights," "Magic," and "Style," demonstrating how these themes relate to different product categories. The "Lights" ad, for example, showcases Christmas lights and a menorah before featuring various products like cookies, light roast coffee, and lightweight clothing. The aim is to inspire consumers as they plan for parties and other winter events, as well as during their everyday shopping trips.

Additionally, Target has expanded its product offering this year, introducing thousands of new items, priced from $25 toys to $1 stocking stuffers. The company is using this opportunity to highlight partnerships with brands like Fenty Beauty, Kendra Scott, and Mattel, as well as their own private labels, including the recently launched Figmint kitchen line.

The holiday campaign, developed and produced in collaboration with agency Mother, aims to evoke nostalgic sentiments associated with the end of the year. It features a revamped rendition of Faith Evans' "Love Like This," performed by rising R&B artist Rosemarie and produced by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. The campaign includes both English and Spanish versions of the modernized track.

“For years, we’ve been deeply contemplating the significance of music in our marketing," stated Todd Waterbury, Target's chief creative officer. "Music serves as a bridge, bringing people together. It acts as a unifying force, especially during this particular season of the year."

Eye on experiences

This season, Target plans to reintroduce experiential marketing after a challenging period of pandemic years. The Target Wonderland pop-up will travel to New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, showcasing toys from popular brands such as Mattel, Lego, and Nintendo.

The in-store activations will reflect a travel theme, featuring a "gifting gateway" inspired by Grand Central Station and displaying various toy collections. Additionally, through a collaboration with British retailer Marks & Spencer, a shopping area designed as a red double-decker bus will be available for consumers to explore and purchase items like hot chocolate and cookie tins.

Target is utilizing the Grand Central concept as a virtual activation to enhance their 360-degree experiences for online shoppers. They have created dedicated online shops for popular brands like Barbie and Play-Doh. Additionally, Target's website is offering exclusive collections in partnership with Disney and FAO Schwarz.

In an effort to strike a balance between sentimental storytelling and offering good value, Target has launched a holiday blitz. This comes after the company faced backlash and a decline in performance due to controversy surrounding its Pride Month displays last summer. Despite facing challenges such as rising prices and student loan repayments, Target surpassed profit expectations, even though their comparable sales dropped by 5.4% in Q2. The digital sector also experienced a year-over-year drop of 10.5%.