What’s Next for Target?

The “upscale discount store” was founded in 1962 by the Dayton brothers, department store entrepreneurs from Minnesota. The Daytons knew from the start that they didn’t want to create a store filled with cheap merchandise, so they formulated a model that “would exude the mild pretension of a low-end department store rather than the folksiness of a high-end dime store,” according to Slate. Target was indeed unique, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that it started garnering “cultural capital.” At the urging of marketing head John Pellegrene, the store began courting famous designers to increase its appeal.

There was work to do before fashion icons like Isaac Mizrahi, Mossimo Giannulli and others signed on with Target, however. Aretha Franklin was one of the first stars to help the company start developing a brand that was more than just “discount.” When Pellegrene was ramping up Target’s marketing campaign, he wanted stars not just to endorse Target, but to try selling products there. Franklin agreed to help produce the music that was used for Target’s first Christmas ad. Once she was on board with the store, other stars followed.

Oprah, too, has done her part to help bring Target publicity. Designer Isaac Mizrahi participated in one of her shows, treating four shoppers to a Target-style makeover.

Target’s bull’s-eye logo rose to a new level of class in 2006 when the fashionable Los Angeles store Intuition gave it celebrity appeal. The store was the first to be authorized to use the Target logo for a non-Target purpose: the Tar-zhay Couture line. “It” girls like Carmen Electra, Paris Hilton, Sophia Bush and others were wearing the Target logo on jeans, t-shirts, belts and even necklaces.

In March 2008, the International Herald Tribune reported that the fashion industry was undergoing a designer upheaval of sorts. Designers like Isaac Mizrahi, Tommy Hilfiger, Dana Buchman and others are switching retailers. “The motivation behind these defections and poachings is equal parts economic and egocentric. Clothing manufacturers are responding to a seemingly insatiable appetite for fashion across every income bracket,” the paper reported. As for Mizrahi, he’ll be moving over to Liz Claiborne and Target will end its relationship with him at the end of 2008.

Target’s philanthropic efforts are well known around the country. Whether participating in education initiatives, encouraging cultural diversity, or supporting arts or family and community safety, Target has proved an active member in helping promote a variety of social improvement efforts.

Target is a company known for catchy advertisements, but not all of its ads have been well received by the public. A Times Square billboard in New York displayed a woman sprawled provocatively across the Target logo. The blog ShapingYouth.org felt the ad portrayed women in an unfavorable light, and wrote to Target to express its concerns. When Target responded that it couldn’t act on the complaint because it didn’t “participate with nontraditional media outlets,” critics blasted the company as one that “dismisses bloggers.”

But on the whole, Target’s ads have unforgettable trademarks, including the classic “Bullseye” dog. This little bull terrier has a busy life. Getting ready for a public appearance means spending hours in a makeup chair so a professional makeup artist can paint on her bull’s-eye. In March 2008, Target’s mascot stopped in Alaska to make an appearance at the Iditarod. Learn about a day in the life of Bullseye, and the pleasant and not-so-pleasant people she has to deal with, from the Anchorage Daily News.

Some of Target’s memorable TV ads are available on YouTube.