Target Coming to Canada: Case Study
Over recent years, we have seen a growing trend in Canadian Nationalism. Canadians do not like to be viewed as “America’s little cousin”, and firmly believe in a unique and distinct “Canadian” way of living that is more focused on diversity, individuality, and community than in the U.S.
As a result, Canadian support for home-grown businesses and services has also been on the rise. U.S.-based chains that had been in Canada for decades (such as Gap Inc.) weren’t being affected by the trends, but new U.S. entrants who tried a cookie-cutter approach to their U.S. operations were often suffering fitting in to the Canadian retail landscape (i.e. Krispy Crème, Bath and Body Works)
Even before the Canadian Nationalism trend was on the rise, Walmart was the first U.S. big box retailer to enter into Canada in a way that would show Canadians they weren’t simply mimicking their U.S. Strategy. They ensured each regional launch showed knowledge of that community, and managed through PR what differences Canadian consumers could expect vs. their US stores – including both product and pricing.
In 2011, Target was preparing to move into to Canada, and based on key learnings from Walmart Canada’s success; and extensive research into the Canadian Nationalism trend, Target designed their entire entry so that at every step they would demonstrate their respect for Canadians – including their values, culture and their community.
The goal for Target was to have Canadians welcome them as a part of their “community” rather than view them as just another U.S. entrant.
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY + EXECUTION
Pre-Launch – Uniquely Canadian branding
Target. Loves. Canada. - Target first introduced itself to Canadians in February 2012, a year ahead of the official launch of its 135 stores across Canada. From the moment they broke ground in Canada, they made their commitment to Canada clearly known.
Before any official teaser or pre-launch communications began, Construction sites of the soon-to-be Target locations; the new Target Canada Corporate Headquarters in Mississauga Ontario; and even their under development website featured a bold graphic treatment leveraging Target’s trademark bulls eye, and with no accompanying copy. This was then used at the core of the teaser campaign, consisting predominantly of online and OOH.
Pre-Launch – Canadian On-the-Ground Activations
While there was a strong awareness of Target coming to Canada, they wanted Canadians to tangibly experience the brand and understand what makes Target different.
Pop-Up Shop - Prior to any stores opening
During the pre-launch stage, Target desired to provide Canadians with a “Taste of Target” that reinforced their love and respect of this country. The delivery was by way of offering a one-day only pop-up collection by Canadian celebrity designer, Jason Wu, backed by Canadian celebrity stylist and reality TV star Brand Goreski. 100 percent of proceeds were to be donated to the United Way Toronto foundation. The Jason Wu collection is a great example of Target’s commitment to providing great design at a low price point and clearly outlines the value that Target can bring to Canadian consumers.
Target’s pop-up shop was first in a string of experiential marketing initiatives the retailer hosted to introduce the brand to Canadians and give future “guests” (what Target calls its consumers”) a taste of what to expect when it opens its stores a year later.
During TIFF one of Canada’s most prominent arts and cultural events, Target took over the newly opened Templar Hotel in Toronto’s entertainment district to serve as a home for bloggers, influencers 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 a way of celebrating design, pop culture, and establishing partnerships in a way that showcased the Target brand.
In August of 2012 Target held beach party events in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta with special guest Carly Rae Jepsen making a few appearances.
One month later Target 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.
During December of 2012 Target continued their experiential events by spreading some holiday cheer across the country via a travelling pop-up shop. The branded caravan traveled over 20 major cities stopping at well-known landmarks for Canadians to do some minor shopping. People could watch the tour’s progress and check out schedules and a photo scrapbook of past stops on the brand’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
For their hotly anticipated launch campaign, Target wanted to celebrate and showcase that they had invested significant time in truly understanding not just Canada, but the Canadian mindset, culture, habits and icons that create a unique national identity.
Primarily targeting women aged 18 to 54, Target’s first Canadian TV commercial touted its entry into the “neighbourhood”, during the first hour of the Canadian broadcast of the Academy Awards. Social media also played a large role in the campaign, as Target hosted a Twitter party to coincide with the Academy Awards, during which it asked followers questions and interacted with them.
The 60-second spot paints the Target brand as a friendly new neighbour, set to a remake of Mister Rogers’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbour?” song by the popular Canadian band Dragonette. The alternate version of the commercial aired during La Voix in Quebec with an original song created by local band Alfa Rococo.
In the commercial, a woman rides a motorcycle with Bullseye (the Target dog) while the audience follows them as they travel across the country and take in the iconic sites, such as people skating in Toronto, Vancouver’s Olympic Village, Moving Day in Quebec and a lighthouse in St. John’s. The tagline read “Can’t wait to meet you neighbour”.
The campaign relied heavily on TV spots that rolled out on conventional regional TV channels in different markets across Canada to coincide with store openings. The TV buy was supported by OOH in major markets, print spots in regional publications and digital takeovers on sites such as MSN.ca and Yahoo.ca.
The results of this Canadian-centric approach have paid off for Target Canada as they continue to launch across the Nation.
Taste of Target – Popup Shop
· More than 70 media outlets in attendance and 40 on-site interviews within a two-hour period
· Coverage via Canada’s top 10 style bloggers who hosted exclusive giveaways, including pieces from the Jason Wu for Target collection
· 1,198 tweets generating 3,266,390 media impressions
· Geo-targeted updates on Target’s Facebook Page, generating 17,277 impressions
· More than 95,700,000 media impressions to date
60,000 in proceeds, which was donated to United Way Toronto on behalf of Target
Less than a month after launching its Facebook page, it gained more than 150,000 fans and present day sits at over 1 Million Facebook Fans – surpassing Sears at 351,477 fans, Wal-Mart at 751,737 fans, Canadian Tire with 896,599 fans – and now boats a Twitter following of 61,260 users
Well over half a million views on Target Canada’s YouTube channel
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