This Public Relations Plan was developed for a class that was part of West Virginia University's Integrated Marketing Communications Master's degree program.

1. PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN
Designed by
Rachel Groves
West Virginia University
IMC 618
July 22, 2013

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
Company Background 5
Situation Analysis 19
Core Problem Statement 20
Key Publics 20
Primary and Secondary Messages 24
Campaign Goal 28
Campaign Objectives 29
Campaign Strategies and Tactics 32
Calendar of PR Activities 41
Budget 50
Evaluation Plan 56
Conclusion 60
References 61

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Executive Summary
The Target Corporation is made up of 1,784 discount stores in the United States,
which offer a wide variety of high quality products for low prices. Target’s brand promise
to its publics is to expect more and pay less. This promise comes from offering products
that have more value than that of competitors’ products. However, this promise extends far
beyond just Target products, as the company wants publics to expect more from Target in
all areas of business than they can from other retailers. Target believes in design that is
accessible and affordable to all, great customer service, providing more for your money,
creating an enjoyable and rewarding work environment, celebrating diversity, and making
giving and service the cornerstone of the company (Mission & Values, 2013). It is the
combination of these beliefs that make Target a popular and loved store to its customers.
Due to the slow economic growth over the last few years, Target is finding itself in
competition with a wide range of retailers including other discount stores, warehouse
clubs, dollar stores, and online retailers. In order to differentiate itself from these
competitors, Target must increase the awareness of their high quality products and low
prices. Target is the only discount store that offers great value and quality for the price, and
it must increase awareness of this distinguishing fact in order to preserve and increase
market share.
In order to increase awareness of the value of its products, Target must increase the
interaction that customers have with products on target.com, increase engagement with
customers on Facebook and other social media sites, increase engagement with potential
designer partners, and increase engagement and relationship management with influential
bloggers. By accomplishing these objectives Target will be able to promote the quality of

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their products through several different channels and will increase the amount of quality
products offered at Target.
This public relations plan outlines strategies and tactics that focus on Target’s main
publics  customers, designers, and bloggers. These publics are the main people that
Target must rely on to increase the awareness of the value of shopping at Target. The
included calendar details when these tactics should be implemented throughout the
campaign year in order to gain and hold the attention of these publics, and the proposed
budget of $35 million is broken down from this total cost into strategy and tactic costs. The
most important thing to note on the proposed budget is that current resources are used as
much as possible to save money. Using social media as well as Target’s in-house
capabilities help to keep costs from rising. Since these are resources that Target already
possesses, it is important to take advantage of them as much as possible. The majority of
the budget is spent on Target customers to both increase their interaction with Target on
social media as well increase their engagement on target.com in order to increase sales.
This campaign will help Target to increase the awareness of its products and the
value customers receive from shopping there. This increase in awareness will keep the
store from losing market share to competitors during these slow economic times. Tools for
measuring and evaluating this public relations plan have also been outlined so Target can
ensure all objects have been met at the end of the campaign.

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Company Background
In 1902, George D. Dayton founded the Dayton’s Dry GoodsCompany, which is now
known as the Target Corporation (Target through the years, 2013, para. 1). In 1911,
Dayton’s Dry Goods Company changed its name to The Dayton Company to reflect the
variety of items sold there, and was often called Dayton’s Department Store (Target
through the years, 2013, para. 4).
In 1960, Dayton’s Department store decided to open a new discount chain store.
Even though it was considered risky, “the company [took] the
first step toward transforming the organization from a
family-run department-store chain into one of the nation's
largest discount-store chains” (Target through the years,
2013, para. 17). The new store promised to “combine the
best of the fashion world with the best of the discount world,
a quality store with quality merchandise at discount prices,
and a discount supermarket” (Target through the years,
2013, para. 18). The Target name and logo were chosen for the new store because “as a
marksman's goal is to hit the center bulls-eye, the new store would do much the same in
terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value and overall
experience” (Target through the years, 2013, para. 19). The grand opening of the first
Target store was on May 1, 1962 in Roseville, MN (Target through the years, 2013, para.
20). Target was different than other discount stores because it combined many features of
a department store with the low prices of a discount store.

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Today Target’s mission remains similar to the mission of the very first Target store,
which is “to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering
outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by
consistently fulfilling our Expect More Pay Less® brand promise” (Mission & values, 2013,
para. 1). As of 2012, there were 1,784 Target stores in 49 U.S. states, which employed
361,000 people (Corporate overview, 2013, para. 3). In 2012, total revenues reached over
$73 billion with 25% of those sales in the health, beauty, and household essentials
department (Financial highlights, 2013, para. 1).
Target has felt strongly about corporate responsibility since it first opened. Target
(then Dayton’s) has given 5% of its profits to communities
each year since 1946, which is more than $4 million each
week (Corporate responsibility, 2013, para. 1). Target is
also committed to donating time, talent, and resources to
meet their corporate responsibility goals in the areas of
education, the environment, team member well being, and
volunteerism (Corporate responsibility, 2013, para. 1).
Products
Target sells thousands of products in many different departments to make shopping
convenient for their customers. Target has become a one-stop shop where customers can
find clothing and beauty products while going grocery shopping and picking up
prescriptions. They are “focused on developing and delivering products that solve our

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guests' everyday problems, make their lives more convenient, or simply make them smile”
(Design & innovation, 2013, para. 2).
Products at Target can be found in many departments including:
 Apparel
 Home
 Furniture
 Electronics
 Toys
 Entertainment
 Healthy & beauty
 Grocery
The products carried at Target are produced by national brands as well as brands
owned and exclusive to Target. Target’s brands can be found alongside national brands in
most departments around the store including food, clothing, and home decor. Target feels
their brands “bring guests national-brand (or better!) quality for less (usually a lot less!)
and help set Target apart from other retailers” (Target owned & exclusive brands, 2013,
para. 1). Some of Target’s most popular exclusive brands are Up & Up, Circo, Merona, and
Xhilaration.
Target is also well known for partnering with famous designers to create uniquely
designed products just for their customers. Target says, “great design doesn't have to cost a
fortune…our partnerships with well known and emerging designers are some of our most

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anticipated products” (Design & innovation, 2013, para. 1). Recent partnerships have
included Neiman Marcus, Missoni, Kate Young, and Phillip Lim (Design & innovation,
2013). These partnerships give Target a competitive edge over many of their competitors
by offer quality designer fashions at discount store prices.
Target partners with more than just clothing designers for their products. Michael
Graves partnered with Target for thirteen years, creating over 2,000 products for the
Target collection including his famous Pop Art Toaster and Spinning Whistle Teakettle
(Final collection, 2012, para. 2). Target has also partnered with famous recording artists
such as Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and Michael Buble in order to release deluxe
editions of their albums (Music only at Target, 2013). These special edition albums can only
be found at Target and feature several exclusive bonus tracks, giving customers more for
their money when they buy their music from Target.
Promotions
Target has a special section on their homepage that features
“ways to save” which makes finding deals and on-going promotions
easy for their customers, instead of making promotions something

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they have to hunt to find. This section includes links to their weekly ads, daily deals,
coupons, clearance items, and other deals being offered.
A on-going promotion from Target is their free gift card offer.
This promotion offers a free Target gift card of varying amounts to
customers who purchase certain products. The products change
weekly, and often customers must purchase two or more of a product
to receive the deal. The free Target gift cards usually range between
$5 and $10 depending on the price of the product they are being offered with.
One of the biggest promtions that Target offers is their Redcard. The Target Redcard
can be either a credit or debit card and offers subscribers
several benefits (Redcard, 2013). The most enticing
benefits for members include receiving a 5% discount on
each purchase, in-store or online, as well as free shipping
for each online purchase (Redcard, 2013). Card holders are
also able to receive pharmacy rewards and donate to a school of their choice by using their
Redcard (Redcard, 2013).
External Environment
The financial crisis of 2008 continues to impact the U.S. economy today. The
economy has been growing at a steady pace for the past four years, but this “growth [is] too
slow to make up the lost economic ground from the 2008-2009 recession” (Irwin, 2013,
para. 2). Even though the economy is growing at a steady pace, the Great Recession seems
to have changed the way people are managing their money. In a recent survey conducted

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by Fidelity, “nearly half of respondents say even now they are saving more, reducing debt
and building an emergency fund” (Kadlec, 2013, para. 3). This means people are saving
more and spending less than they were before the crisis. For Target, that means customers
are going to their stores less, spending less money on purchases, and are aware of products
that they can find at other stores for cheaper. The slow economy also means that Target
customers are looking to get more for their money, either in quantity or in quality for the
price they are paying.
This slow economy may have been a factor for the lower than expected first quarter
earnings of 2013 for Target. Target’s president, chairman and CEO, Gregg Steinhafel, said,
“while we are disappointed in our first quarter performance, we remain confident in our
strategy, and we continue to invest in initiatives … that will drive Target’s long-term
growth” (Target reports first quarter, 2013, para. 9). It will take time to see if these
initiatives that Target is investing in will be enough to overcome for the poor economy and
help bring customers and sales back.
The Industry
Since Target is a store that sells products to consumers, it falls under the retail
industry. In the U.S., the retail industry ranks second out of all industries and accounts for
over 11% of total employment in the country (Zacks Equity Research, 2013, para. 3). This
huge industry has many different types of retailers that fall under it; therefore the industry
contains many subsets under the retail category. In the past, Target has been classified as
both a department store and a discount store, two subsets of the retail industry. While
these two types of stores can be similar, there are some distinct differences between them.

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For example, discount and department stores both offer a large variety of products,
however, discount stores compete mainly on price (The industry handbook, para. 5).
Target falls under the discount store industry because of its large product offering
and its low pricing structure. Profitability of discount stores “depends on efficient supply
chain management, effective merchandising, and competitive pricing” (First Research,
2013, para. 4). Management of this supply chain is more important now, during the slow
economic growth, for Target. If not properly managed, prices will increase which is the
exact opposite of what customers can afford right now. Another important aspect of
discount stores like Target is that they also “compete with a diverse set of retailers,
including department, drug, grocery, off-price, outlet, and specialty stores; warehouse
clubs; and Internet and catalog retailers” (First Research, 2013, para. 5). Target is seeing
this with new competitors entering into their sights. Previously, their main competitors
were other discount stores. However, Target now has competitors in club stores, dollar
stores, department stores, and online retailers in addition to their traditional competitors.
Market Share
Target stores are part of the discount department store industry, which is a
subsection of the retail industry. In 2010, “discount department stores accounted for 54.2
percent of the market with sales that exceeded $480 billion” (The Gale Group, 2013, para.
2). Today the discount department store industry is made up of about 5,000 stores (First
Research, 2013). Large companies like Wal-Mart and Target, “dominate the industry, and
enjoy advantages in purchasing, distribution, and marketing. The industry is highly

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concentrated: the seven largest companies have nearly 100 percent of the market” (First
Research, 2013, para. 4).
Competition
Target has competitors in many different industries because of the variety of
products they sell. Main competitors of Target include Wal-Mart, Costco, Dollar General,
and Amazon.com.
Target Wal-Mart Costco Dollar
General
Amazon.com
# of stores 1,784 4,500 622 10,000+ Online only
Total Rev.
(in millions)
$73,301 $405,000 $97,062 $16,020 $61,093
Stock price
(as of 5/28/13)
$69.61 $77.24 $114.28 $54.65 $267.69
Mission
Statement
Expect more.
Pay less.
We save
people
money so
they can
live better.
Continually
provide our
members
with quality
goods and
services at
the lowest
possible
prices.
Serving
Others.
We seek to be
Earth’s most
customer-centric
company for
four primary
customer sets:
consumers,
sellers,
enterprises, and
content creators.
Rank in top
100
retailers
3 1 5 28 15

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Resources
Target’s physical resources include 1,784 stores in the United States, 48 stores in
Canada, 37 distribution centers and 361,000 team members worldwide (Corporate fact
sheet, 2013). Target team members are offered various types of training including
“position-based training, learning groups, certifications, and self-paced resources and
professional development courses focused on topics like communication, cultural
awareness and 6Sigma methodologies” (Careers, 2013, para. 2). The company also offers
leadership development training “from entry-level leader courses to senior leadership
development programs, [which] help leaders understand themselves better so they can
lead their teams and the business more effectively” (Careers, 2013, para. 6). By offering
different types of training for their employees, Target is hoping to develop their employees
into long-term assets of the company. After finding employees who are excited to work for
Target, it is in Target’s best interest to hold on to these employees for as long as possible,
and to help them achieve their career goals within the company.
Target’s online resources include target.com, their online store, an online
magazine/blog called “A Bullseye View” which has behind the scenes stories from Target,
and various social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,
YouTube, Tumblr, and LinkedIn. Target is also taking advantage of the mobile world by
offering text alerts and their “Webby Award-winning mobile app, which lets guests
navigate a Target store, refill prescriptions, browse the Weekly Ad and more” (Target
through the years, 2013). These online resources help to engage customers and potential
customers with the company in hopes of building a strong relationship and store
preference.

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SWOT Analysis
Strengths
 Low prices
 Great quality and design
 Value for your money
 Owned and exclusive brands
 Enjoyable shopping experience
 Socially responsible
 Great customer service
 Variety of products
 Ranked 3rd in top 100 retailers
Weaknesses
 Perceived as having higher prices than
competitors
 Not advertising price-match
 Less stores than some competitors
 Less items available online compared to
online retailers like Amazon
Opportunities
 Move up in rankings to be #1 or #2 in top
retailers
 Continue lowering prices
 Offer more items in the $1 section
 Partner with more designers to create
more unique products
 Increase community involvement
 Improve mobile shopping experience for
customers
Threats
 Lower prices for some products at Wal-Mart
and Dollar General
 Slow economic growth
 Increased prices from suppliers
 New competitors in the retail and online
markets
Public Profiles
Like any company, Target has many different publics on which their success depends
upon. These potential publics include:
 Customers
 Investors
 Employees
 Company leadership
 Designers
 Suppliers
 Bloggers

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Customers
Target customers, who are referred to by the company as guests, are looking for
stylish products and to get the most for their money. These guests have a median age of 40,
are predominantly female, and have a median household income of $64,000 (Corporate fact
sheet, 2013). About 43% of these customers have children and around 57% of Target
customers have completed college (Corporate fact sheet, 2013). Target guests “are smart
about their purchases, savvy to trends and conscientious about their communities”
(Target’s unique guests, 2006, para. 7). This means that Target guests are looking for a
store that combines quality products, with style, selection, and price, and they feel like
Target has all these qualities, while other stores may only have one or two. Target
customers are also very conscious of quality and value of products. While they are looking
for low prices, they do not want to sacrifice quality in order to make the price a little bit
lower.
Investors
Target investors are people who trust the company’s “innovation to drive strong
financial performance and create new
opportunities for profitable growth”
(Investors, 2013, para. 1). These
investors expect to make money off of
the shares they own and want to be
paid dividends, which Target has been
able to do every quarter since 1967

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(Investors, 2013). Target needs to remember that some investors will be quick to leave if
they do not like something the company is doing or if they start losing money.
Employees
Target employees are people who are looking to be “happy, challenged and fulfilled
at work” and want “opportunities to learn and grow, [be] recognized for contributions, and
[feel] comfortable in the workplace” (Benefits, 2013, para. 5). In order to provide
employees with these things, Target needs to promote employee satisfaction by offering
competitive pay, an enjoyable work environment, good benefits, the ability to earn awards
and promotions, and training opportunities. Target does offer many of these things to
employees including medical and life insurance, 401(K) plans, vacation days, and a team
member discount (Benefits, 2013).
Company leadership
Target leadership includes company executives as well as
a board of directors. Gregg Steinhafel heads up the leadership
team as the chairman of the board, president and chief executive
officer of Target (Leadership, 2013). Target executives are the
men and women who oversee the running of the company; from
marketing and finance to property development and technology. These are the people who
strive to make the company the best that it can be in every way.
The board of directors “act on behalf of shareholders and oversee management”
(Board of directors, 2013, para. 1). Their job is to make sure the executive team is making

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the best decision for the company as well as its customers and shareholders. Target
believes “there is a direct correlation between the quality of the company's board of
directors and the overall performance of the corporation” (Board of directors, 2013, para.
1). Therefore, Target strives to have the best people on their board of directors in order to
enhance the entire company.
Designers
Designers that partner with Target are looking for exposure to new audiences.
Target offers these designers “the kind of exposure that would otherwise be very difficult
and expensive to achieve” (Holmes, 2013, para. 9). Designers are looking to take advantage
of this opportunity to become well known with a much wider audience by using Target’s
huge customer base. Having access to Target’s customers not only increases their exposure
to new audiences but it also gives them the opportunity to create new products and
collections they might not be able to do for their own line.
Suppliers
Suppliers that work with Target are looking to build a strong partnership and feel
good about doing business with Target (Suppliers, 2013, para. 1). These companies are
“certified diverse suppliers who can provide innovative, competitively priced goods and
services, foster community and economic development, and enhance our ability to deliver
shareholder value” (Suppliers, 2013, para. 4). It is by working with these suppliers that
Target is able to provide great quality products while keeping prices low. These suppliers

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are also looking to get their products out to Target’s large audience to expand their
product’s reach.
Bloggers
Bloggers are people who write for blogs as a profession or as a hobby in order to
publish their thoughts for others to read, comment on, and interact with. Bloggers write
about a variety of topics, which focus on their interests and allow them to share these
interests with others on the web. Bloggers are often looking for content that is unique and
will help them pull in new readers and followers. Bloggers that partners with companies
like Target do it in order to receive benefits like free content for their blog, promotions for
their readers, and to make extra money for their blog from sponsorship.

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Situational Analysis
Target has been in competition with other discount stores such as Wal-Mart for
many years. However, due to relatively new factors, Target is now competing with other
retailers. One major factor is the continued slow growth of the U.S. economy, which has
many consumers looking toward dollar stores to save money. Dollar stores are filling their
shelves with “nationally known brands that lure in both the low-income shoppers who
have been Wal-Mart’s core customers and higher-income households now practicing thrift
after getting hit hard from the recession” (Thomas, 2012, para. 4). With dollar stores
becoming more attractive to all income levels, stores like Target are losing customers who
are concerned about the economy and do not see a difference in the quality of product they
are receiving. With the increased popularity of online shopping, other competitors are
online stores like Amazon.com. Consumers love online shopping because it is price-
sensitive and convenient (Morphy, 2013). With more low-priced competitors than ever, it
is important for Target to differentiate itself with a unique, high-quality brand, as well as
with low pricing.
A major difficulty in accomplishing this is keeping high quality products while trying
to keep prices low. Target customers shop there for innovative, quality products and will
not settle for anything cheaply made. So while they need to keep up with competitors with
low prices, Target cannot sacrifice quality or value of their products.

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Core Problem Statement
Target needs to differentiate itself from competitors by offering unique, quality products at
low prices with great customer service; otherwise the company will lose market share to
new and old competitors.
Key Publics
Customers
Target customers, who are referred to as guests by the company, have a desire for
style and value as well and enjoy shopping at a store that gives back to the community
(Target’s unique guests, 2006, para. 1). Target guests have a median age of 40, are
predominantly female, and have a median household income of $64,000 (Corporate fact
sheet, 2013). About 43% of these customers have children and around 57% of Target
customers have completed college (Corporate fact sheet, 2013). Target guests are “smart
about their purchases, savvy to trends and conscientious about their communities”
(Target’s unique guests, 2006, para. 7). This means they expect the stores they shop in to
provide stylish products at a low price.
With the median age of Target shoppers being 40 years old, that puts many of
Target’s customers in Generation X. This generation, while not as technology savvy as the
younger Generation Y, is still very technology savvy and frequently use a variety of
technology for functional uses. For example, as of 2010:
 68% of Gen Xers sent and received text messages
 61% go online for news
 26% go online for information about food and cooking

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 23% own a smartphone
 18% use mobile web to check social media sites (Perez, 2010).
These statistics show that people in Generation X are tech savvy and are interested in using
that technology in order to find information and to connect them with peers. Target should
keep this in mind when determining how to best reach their target market and where they
can find them. Forrester Research also found that Generation X does the most online
shopping of any generation (Perez, 2010). This information is very important to Target
because of the potential they have in getting their customers shopping and interacting with
the company on target.com.
Many of Target’s customers shop not only at Target but also at some of Target’s
competitors. Customers may shop regularly at each store for specific item, visit whichever
store is most convenient at certain times, or decide where to shop based off of an item’s
price. Therefore they can be influenced to shop at Target in a variety of ways including by
peers, celebrities, traditional and online advertisements, social media networks, or by price
alone.
Designers
Target partners with designers who are well known on the Hollywood red carpet as
well as little know, emerging designers on many of their products. These designers are
interested in working with Target to expand their brand to new audiences. They are also
often able to reach many more people by working with Target then they would be able to
on their own. This is especially helpful for the emerging designers as they would likely be
unable to afford the kind of exposure Target is able to achieve.

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Designers work with Target to decide which company will actually design the
products and what the collection will include (Holmes, 2013). Target gives the designers
creative leeway by only providing general guides the designers need to keep in mind when
producing products (Holmes, 2013). Designers are then compensated for their designs, the
use of their name, and to appear in marketing promoting their collection (Holmes, 2013,
para. 9). With the huge success of many of Target’s designer partnerships, new designers
are become interesting in the opportunity.
Bloggers
Bloggers are people who write for blogs as a profession or as a hobby in order to
publish their thoughts for others to read, comment on, and interact with. Bloggers write
about a variety of topics, which focus on their interests and allow them to share these
interests with others on the web. Blogs that focus on retail, fashion, and bargains will be the
main blogs Target focuses on. Bloggers want to post content and subjects which not only
they find interesting, but also that their readers will enjoy. Bloggers are often looking for
content that is unique and will help them pull in new readers and followers.
The demographics of bloggers are very similar to the demographics of Target’s core
customers. The majority of bloggers are female, about half of them are between the ages of
18-34, and one in three are moms (Buzz in the blogoshere, 2012). Blog readers will also
likely have similar demographics as the blogger they are following. With the similarity of
demographics between these two groups, it makes sense for Target to use this platform to
reach out to customers by having bloggers discuss their products. Blog readers are more

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likely to listen to advice they receive from a trusted blog than the most recent Target
advertisement.
Bloggers are also active on social media, being “twice as likely to post/comment on
consumer-generated video sites like YouTube, and nearly three times more likely to post in
Message Boards/Forums within the last month” (Buzz in the blogoshere, 2012, para. 3).
Being active on social media, as well as on their own blog, will help Target connect with
bloggers that are most active in the topics that pertain to the company’s products.

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Primary and Secondary Messages
Customers Primary Message #1
Customers who shop at Target.com will find an easy and convenient way to shop a wide
variety of products from the comfort of their own home. The multiple departments and
subcategories of each department makes it easy for customers to find the products they are
looking for. Products can even be narrowed down within subcategories by selecting criteria
the customer desires; taking all the frustration out of finding a specific item or helping to
narrow down the field of potential items.
Secondary Messages:
 Target.com offers customers exclusive products that are not found in stores.
Customers are also able to find more sizes, colors and styles of apparel then can be
found in their local Target store. With these extra products available online,
Target.com is sure to have whatever it is customers are looking for.
 Target.com is the fourth most-visited retail website in the U.S. and receives on
average more than 26 million unique visitors each month (The Shopping
Experience, 2013).
 With the free shipping offers that are available for using a Target REDcard or for
spending $50 or more, customers are able to receive their products without adding
any extra expenses. And to ensure the customer gets the product as soon as they
need it, target.com offers three shipping options including standard, premium, and
express.

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 Customers can do more than just shop at target.com! Customers are encouraged to
leave reviews of products, download product coupons, and read A Bullseye View,
Target’s behind the scenes blog. Once they have found an item they like, customers
can then share it with their friends via Google+, Twitter, Facebook or email. They
can also add items to a wedding or baby register or onto a Target shopping list.
Customers Primary Message #2
Customers who follow Target’s Facebook page are able to hear about tips, promotions,
exclusive products at Target, and have their questions and comments answered.
Secondary Messages:
 Target’s Facebook page is for fans to actively interact with one another and with
Target (Target, 2013).
 Target currently has 21 million Facebook Fans.
 Target Cartwheel is a way for customers to save money and share deals with their
friends through Facebook (Help Center, 2013).
 Target promptly responds to many customer comments and concerns when posted
on their Facebook page so that customers feel they are able to truly give their
opinions to the company.
 Target posts questions and images to Facebook to get customers interacting with
each other and with the company. Although most of the interactions are about fun
topics, it helps build a more personal relationship between Target and their
customers by helping Target learn more about their shoppers.

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Designers Primary Message
Designers who partner with Target are able to create an exclusive collection of products
and extend their brand awareness to a huge new audience.
Secondary Messages:
 Target has a long and successful history of partnering with designers. Their first
partnership was in 1999 with long time design partner Michael Graves (Design &
innovation, 2013).
 Products designed through designer partnerships are often Target’s most
anticipated products. Products from past designers were so in demand that they
sold out in a matter of minutes (Krupnick, 2012).
 Target plans and coordinates the marketing and public relations for the designer’s
new collection (Holmes, 2013).
 The designer is exposed to Target’s customers, which average about 30 million
every week (Holmes, 2013, para. 9).
 Designers are able to expand their reach to new audiences through the partnership.
Most designers would never be able to achieve a reach of this magnitude on their
own, without the help of Target.

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Bloggers Primary Message
Bloggers who partner with Target will create a strong relationship with the company
where they will receive Target products to review and special promotions to pass along to
their followers.
Secondary messages:
 By posting exclusive promotions and deals from Target on their blogs, bloggers can
increase their number of followers. Blog readers love to hear about promotions and
receive coupons. Therefore, blogger who post these from Target regularly will be
able to increase their followers who do not want to miss out on these exclusive
deals.
 Bloggers that partner with Target will receive products that they are able to review
and post about on their blog. This gives them content to discuss with their readers
as well as free Target merchandise.
 By linking to Target products in their blog posts, bloggers are able to make money
every time one of their readers clicks the link and purchases the item from
target.com (Anderson, 2013).

28. 28
Campaign Goal
Target’s campaign goal is to increase the awareness of their high quality products in order
to differentiate itself from competitors.
This goal is necessary because of the increase in competition between discount
retailers during a time of slow-growth for the economy. While Target’s main competitor
continues to be Wal-Mart, new competitors include dollar stores and online stores such as
Amazon. All of these retailers are trying to set themselves apart from one another by
offering customers something unique. Wal-Mart is able to offer low prices on all products,
dollar stores sell everything for only $1, and Amazon offers a comfortable shopping
experience from home. Target needs to offer quality products that are exclusive and
desirable which will offer customers more value for their money compared to the
competition. By offering high quality products at a great price, Target will have the edge
over their competitors who are able to offer low prices for lower quality products.

29. 29
Campaign Objectives
1. Increase customer’s time spent interacting with products on the website by 5% in
the next six months, by December 2013.
Target needs to increase the time customers spend on target.com for multiple
reasons. The first is it will increase customers’ and potential customers’ awareness of
Target’s quality products and low prices. This awareness should lead to an increase in sales
either at target.com or in Target stores once customers become conscious of everything
Target has to offer. Another reason to increase website visits is to make target.com
customers’ first stop when shopping online. The more regularly customers are checking
target.com for their retail needs, the less they are on other online retail sites like
amazon.com. One final reason to increase traffic to target.com is to increase the exposure of
the Target brand to customers and prospects. This exposure could lead to repeat customers
and an increase in sales.
2. Increase interaction with social media followers by 20% by June 2014.
Similar to increasing website views, increasing social media followers is important
for several different reasons. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites can help build
a relationship between Target and many of its publics including customers, prospects,
investors, employees, and designers. This setting gives Target a good place to interact with
these publics to find out their thoughts and feelings about current or future promotions,
projects and products. Social media also helps to open a dialog between Target and their

30. 30
publics which gives Target an insider’s perspective of how they feel about Target products
and what could be done to increase the value of products further. Therefore, the more
people Target is able to connect with in this way, the better. The increase in social media
followers will also help to increase target.com traffic by linking posts to the website for
followers to look at, and hopefully purchase.
3. Increase engagement with current and potential design partners by 20% by
December 2013.
The products produced through these partnerships with designers are unique to
Target and provide them with a competitive advantage over their competitors. Therefore, it
is in Target’s best interest to make sure that these partnerships and the products designed
through the partnerships get as much exposure as possible to increase awareness. National
media reports will give Target publicity about their unique products, which will lead to
more customers and prospects learning about the products and shopping at Target for
these and other products. The media reports will also bring more exposure to the designers
working with Target, which will also give them a wider customer base. As other designers
see the exposure that Target partners are receiving in the press, they will also want to
work with Target. The more designers that partner with Target the more unique products
will be designed which will help differentiate Target from competitors.
4. Increase the engagement and relationship management among core audience
bloggers for Target by 15% by December 2013.

31. 31
Many of Target’s competitors come to mind before Target when it comes to retailers
with the lowest prices. Having products featured on fashion and money-saving blogs will
increase customers’ awareness of Target’s quality products and low prices. Different types
of bargain blogs will feature products from many of Target’s different departments
including home, healthy and beauty, and apparel. For example, a bargain fashion blog such
as Cheap Chicas Guide to Style (cheapchicas.com) would show off deals on Target’s
fashionable apparel. When customers and prospects see Target products featured on these
money-savings blogs they will better understand the great deals and low prices they can
find at Target. Being featured on these blogs during the current slow economic growth will
also show customers that Target understands what they are going through and are
determined to keep prices low.

32. 32
Campaign Strategies and Tactics
Customer Strategy #1
Remind current customers about the variety of products, tools, coupons and convenience
offered at target.com, so that they will increase their visits and interaction on the site.
Tactics
1. Post signs around the clothing department that tells customers they can go to
target.com to find additional sizes and styles that are not in the store. The signs
should also include QR codes to help direct the customer to similar styles to what
they are currently looking at in the store, on the website. By having these signs
located near the items they are interested in at the store, customers will be able to
immediately look up other items on target.com before they walk away and forget
about it. This will also give them the opportunity to read reviews, share the product
with friends via social media, and purchase the product while at target.com.
2. Print on the bottom of customers’ receipt a reminder that target.com offers
thousands of items for them to browse from the comfort of their home. Having this
reminder at the bottom of the receipt will remind customers of everything that’s
available on the website whenever they look at their receipt. This is especially
helpful if there was something a customer saw in the store and wanted to look up
once they got back home.
3. After a customer leaves a Target store, send her a text message asking her to look at
target.com for any products she was not able to find in the store or forgot on her
recent visit. These texts should not be overwhelming for the customer, but should
serve as a reminder or helpful hint. By sending these messages around holidays or

33. 33
other occasions, the text can focus on reminding customers of the coming
celebration and link to possible gifts at target.com.
Current customers might not realize or remember how much target.com has to
offer. Therefore, Target should do what it can to remind customers of what they can find
there and how convenient it is for them. Since these customers are already in the store,
Target should focus on reminding customers about the products that are offered
exclusively on the website.
To make it easier for customers to see the types of exclusives they can find on
target.com, QR codes can direct them straight to products online that are similar to what
they are looking at in the store. This will allow them to purchase the product on their
smartphone right away or let them pull it up to look at later.
Having a reminder to browse target.com on their receipt might serve as the prompt
for customers to go online once they get home. Customers may have thought of something
they wanted to look for on target.com in the store but forget by the time they get home to
their computer. Seeing the message on their receipt could be what jogs their mind to look
up that product. The printed message also acts as an advertisement for the website for
those customers who have not yet visited target.com.
Sending text messages to customers after they leave the store brings Target’s
website to mind while their store visit is still fresh in their minds. That way the customer
remembers what products they couldn’t find in the store and will have a direct link to
target.com to look there. Often right after leaving a store, customers remember something
they were planning to purchase but they do not feel like going back. This text message will

34. 34
serve as a way for this customer to quickly purchase that item without having to go back to
the store. It gives the customer not only convenience but also piece of mind.
Customer Strategy #2
Increase interaction with customers by using social media to engage with them on a more
personal level.
Tactics
1. Post questions to followers on Facebook to get their perspective and opinions on
how Target is doing and how they could improve. These can vary from fun questions
related to new products to serious questions about the company and customer
service. These questions give Target insight into their customers, and help
customers trust the company that is interested in hearing their opinions.
2. Share exclusive company information, reveal new designers, and offer special
promotions on Facebook and Twitter for followers. This information will give
followers reasons to continue to follow Target on social media. It will also help build
a relationship between the company and store by trusting customers with exclusive
information before they tell the public.
3. Ask customers to post pictures of them using their favorite Target product on
Instagram and tag Target in the posts. These pictures will show off Target products
to other customers in hopes that they will want to then go out and purchase similar
products. Contests can be set up every month on Instagram based on different
themes, with the image getting the most likes winning a Target gift card.

35. 35
4. Ask customers to vote for the designer they’d like to see Target partner with next by
tagging their post with #NextTargetDesigner #(Designer Name) on Twitter. This
gives customers a part in choosing the next designer and makes them feel like the
company cares about their ideas. The votes also tell Target which designer has a
strong following with customers who will be excited to purchase their products
once available.
Social media makes engaging and interacting with customers easy for Target. This
interaction will give Target more information about their customers and will give
customers more information about the company. This can help build trust and awareness
between both parties.
Facebook and Twitter are great forums for Target to get information and opinions
from their customers without having to spend much money or effort. Target should take
advantage of this opportunity as much as it can by asking for feedback and comments from
their customers. Encouraging honesty from both parties will build trust and awareness.
This open communication will help Target continue to improve their customer relations,
product offerings, and other aspects of how the business runs.
By rewarding Facebook and Twitter followers with exclusive promotions and
information, Target makes them feel like they are special. These social media sites help to
build a personal relationship with customers to make them want to continue to support
and follow Target. By making customers feel like they are valued, Target will be building a
unique bond with them, which is something that some of their competitors have had a
difficult time achieving.

36. 36
Instagram can also be used by Target to have customers share their favorite
products with the company as well as with other Target customers. By tagging Target in
Instagram pictures of Target products being used or worn, customers can show off their
favorite items. This interaction between customers will allow them to brag about their
recent Target purchases to one another and in the process they will sell friends and
customers on the products as well. Target is also able to increase the engagement on
Instagram by making this into a contest. Every month Target can ask customers to post
their pictures about a certain brand, holiday, product, etc. The image that receives the most
likes will receive a Target gift card. This is a great way for Target to facilitate sharing of
their quality products with other customers without tooting their own horn.
Another way for Target to engage with their customers on social media is by having
them vote for the designer they would like for Target to partner with next. Twitter is a
great vehicle for this because customers are easily able to vote for their favorite designer
by tagging him or her in a Tweet to Target. This not only increases interaction between
Target and their customers, but it also increases interaction between the designer and
Target and the designer and their Target fans. Target customers will also be helping to
create Target’s newest line of quality products by voting for the design partner. This will
get them excited about the products when they become available for purchase, helping to
create a buzz for the designer and for Target.
Design Partner Strategy
Motivate more designers to become partners with Target through personal contact.

37. 37
Tactics
1. Make phone calls to the designer and his/her team to see how what they think about
a partnership and answer any questions and concerns they have. A phone call
should be the first contact between Target and the potential designer in order to
make a personal introduction and discuss the possibility of a partnership. Other
communication, including phone calls, will need to continue to happen throughout
the courting process as well as the partnership in order to keep communication
open and build strong relationships.
2. Provide a fact sheet that outlines the benefits that are offered to the designer. After
initially talking to the designer, sending a fact sheet to them detailing the benefits of
the partnership will help them see details of a partnership. Seeing how many
benefits they could receive will help the designer to make their decision.
3. Send sales statistics of past partnerships to designer to give him/her an idea of what
s/he can expect if they do partner with Target. The designer will also want to see
details of how many products will be sold, how much money they can expect to
make out of the partnership, and prices that Target charges for their items before
deciding to work with Target.
4. Visit designers to see their collection and ensure there are not any problems with
the creation of the Target line. After the designer has come up with product ideas,
Target representatives should go see the ideas and prototypes in person to review
with the designer. This gives both parties a chance to make sure the products
measure up to expectation before production begins.

38. 38
It is in Target’s best interest to recruit some of the best designers to partner with
them in order to give them an edge over their competitors. The more unique products
Target is able to offer from designers, the more press and publicity they will be able to
receive for the brand. However, in order to attract the best designers Target needs to give
each one personal attention to make them want to work as Target’s partner.
Making personal calls to the designer and their team will help him/her to see how
interested Target is in partnering with him/her. This will show the designer that Target is
not casting a big net to see how many designers they can catch. Instead it will show the
designer that Target is interested in him/her work specifically and would like the
opportunity to work with him/her. Target should make the designer feel special and like
one-of-a-kind.
If the designer does show interest in partnering with Target, s/he will want to know
what benefits s/he will receive from the partnership. Target should provide him/her with
this information in order to make the designer see why it will be a good business move for
his/her company. This fact sheet should include statistics like how much the designers’
customer base could increase, how much his/her market share could increase, and how
much money Target would be putting toward promoting his/her design brand.
Potential designer partners will want to know that previous partnerships worked
well for both sides. If they receive this information showing how many past products sold
and how quickly, they will be more interested in working with Target. If they do not think
the partnership will be a successful for them then they will not waste their time and energy
to work with Target. Therefore, Target will want to prove to them how successful the
opportunity can be.

39. 39
A personal visit to the designer will allow the two companies to meet and see how
well they work together. This visit also gives Target the opportunity to see the designer’s
ideas and prototypes before they go to production. The face-to-face meeting shows how
dedicated Target is to the designer and allows for any changes or problems to be worked
out quickly with both parties present.
Blogger Strategy
Build relationships with influential bloggers through personal interaction.
Tactics
1. Contact bloggers through their blog’s contact information to discuss if they have any
interest in blogging about Target products.
2. Send exclusive Target products to bloggers to have them review the product and
post about it on their blog. Products can be sent for each season, which gives
bloggers content to blog about and gives blog readers a sneak peak of products that
will be new for the coming season.
3. Email coupons and special promotion to bloggers for their followers to enjoy and
use. These coupons will be exclusive for blog readers insuring that the bloggers have
unique content to post.
Bloggers have a lot of influence over their followers, and with the help of Pinterest
blogs are attracting more followers than ever before. There is a wide range of blogs that
could be influential to Target customers, including everything from bargain blogs to fashion

40. 40
blogs. Building relationships with the authors of these blogs could help Target reach new
customers and build the Target brand.
Personal contact of a blog’s author by Target will show that blogger that Target has
read and enjoys her blog. It also shows the blogger that Target has a personal interest in
her blog because they believe it has a lot of power to influence others. By contacting the
blogger directly, Target can tailor the message they communicate with the blogger based
on the type of blog she writes and give specific examples of posts they enjoyed reading on
her blog.
By sending products to bloggers to review, Target is being open to honest opinions
on their products. These opinions will influence customers and potential customers more
than an advertisement Target develops because they are coming from a person that
customers trust. Target is helping to get word-of-mouth reviews started by sending
bloggers these products. By not only allowing but also encouraging honest reviews from
these bloggers, Target will earn their trust and the trust of their followers.
Bloggers love to pass along helpful information to their followers and hope that this
information will also help them pull in new followers. If Target understands this and takes
advantage of this by sending useful coupons and promotions, then the blogger is sure to
pass these on to her followers. These coupons help the blogger to increase her blog traffic
and hopefully retain those new readers as regular followers. If the blogger is able to
increase her audience, then whenever she mentions Target on her blog she will be reaching
a larger audience for Target as well.

41. 41
Calendar of PR Activities
Customers Strategy 1
Increase customer's visits and interaction on target.com
Jun-13 Jul-13 Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14
Public: Customers
Strategy 1:
Increase customer's
visits and interaction on
target.com
Research For customer strategy 1
Tactic 1:
Post signs with QR
codes to direct
customers to more
options on the website
Tactic 2:
Print reminder of
target.com on bottom
of receipt
Tactic 3:
Send text message to
customer after they
leave store
Evaluation For customer strategy 1
Strategy 2:
Increase interaction
with customers by
using social media
sites
Research
For customer strategy
2
Tactic 1:
Post questions to
followers on Facebook
Tactic 2:
Share exclusive
information and
promotions on
Facebook and Twitter
Tactic 3:
Ask customers to post
pictures of favorite
product on Instagram
Tactic 4:
Use Twitter to ask
customers which
designer they should
partner with next
Evaluation
For customer strategy
2
Public: Designer Partners
Strategy:
Motivate designers to
become partners with
Target
Research For designer strategy
Tactic 1:
Make phone calls to
the designer and team
Tactic 2:
Provide a fact sheet
that outlines the
benefits
Tactic 3:
Send sales statistics of
past partnerships
Tactic 4:
Visit designers to see
ideas and prototypes
Evaluation For designer strategy
Public: Bloggers
Strategy:
Build relationships
with influential
bloggers
Research For blogger strategy
Tactic 1:
Contact bloggers
through their blog’s
contact information
Tactic 2:
Send exclusive Target
products to bloggers
for review
Tactic 3:
Email coupons and
special promotion to
bloggers for their
followers
Evaluation For blogger strategy
Start date: June 1, 2013
Calendar: Campaign to increase Target's brand awareness

42. 42
Research for customer strategy 1 needs to be an ongoing effort in order to adjust the
tactics if need be during the course of the strategy. Since many of the tactics used for this
strategy are used throughout the year of the campaign, it is important for research to also
continue throughout the year to ensure the tactics are using products and information that
is appropriate with the time of year and are most relevant to customers at that time.
Tactic 1
Signs with QR codes should be posted with different items, especially clothing, year
round. Shoppers are always looking for more styles, colors, and sizes when it comes to
clothing and if Target offers those on target.com it is important for Target to get this
information to their customers. More of these signs could be added during heavier
shopping times of the year, such as around the holidays in order to give customers more
options for gifts online.
Tactic 2
Printing a blurb about target.com on the bottom of customer’s receipts should also
happen on a constant basis throughout the year. Store information and return policy
information are already a permanent addition to receipts, and information for target.com
should also become a permanent part of receipts so that customers can be easily reminded
of target.com by glancing at their store receipt.

43. 43
Tactic 3
Text messages should be sent to customers after leaving the store during months in
which people are often shopping for holidays and may forget a gift they should purchase.
The text should relate to the holiday or event in which the customer needs a gift for as well
as a link to target.com. Target should focus on sending texts to customers for the following
months and events:
 June: Father’s Day and Graduation gifts
 September: Back to school supplies and clothes
 November & December: Holiday gifts
 February: Valentine’s Day gifts
 May: Mother’s Day gifts
Evaluation of the first customer strategy also needs to be done on an ongoing basis.
As these tactics continue to be implemented throughout the year, it is important to take
what has been learned from the tactics and improve them for the remainder of the
campaign.
Strategy 2
Increase interaction with customers by using social media sites
Research for customer strategy 2 should also be done on an ongoing basis in order
to adjust the tactics if need be during the course of the strategy. Since tactics relating to
social media are used throughout the year, it is important for research to also continue

44. 44
throughout the year to ensure the tactics are posting information that is most relevant to
customers each day throughout the campaign.
Tactic 1
Target should constantly be posting questions on Facebook to their followers so that
the company can get insights into what their customers want. By engaging with customers
on Facebook on an ongoing basis, Target will build a stronger relationship with them.
Customers will also feel like they are involved with the company and will feel that their
opinions truly matter to Target.
Tactic 2
Sharing exclusive information and promotions with social media fans on Twitter
and Facebook should also be a tactic that is implemented on an ongoing basis. Providing
this information to fans will keep them interested and following Target on social media. By
keeping these customers as followers on social media sites, Target has more opportunity to
increase their sales with followers going to Target stores or to the website to redeem the
promotions they received on Facebook and Twitter.
Tactic 3
Another relationship tactic that should be used ongoing is having customers post
pictures of Target products to Instagram and tagging Target. These pictures could be of
customers’ favorite products in specific categories, products being used in unique ways, or
customer’s wearing their favorite Target outfit. Target could chose a different topic each

45. 45
month and ask customers to post their Instagram pictures that relate to that month’s topic.
Target could even make this into a contest by giving the image with the most likes a Target
gift card.
Tactic 4
Target can use Twitter to ask customers twice a year to help them decide which
designer they should partner with next. Customers could tweet Target using #(designer’s
name) to vote for who they would like to see partner with Target. This should be done
twice a year; once in June to pick a designer in time for a fall collection and once in
December to pick a designer in time to release a spring collection. By having customers
help choose a designer to partner with Target, they will feel like they helped make the
partnership happen and be more likely to purchase the designer’s products once they are
available.
Evaluation of the social media customer strategy also needs to be done on an
ongoing basis. As these tactics continue to be implemented throughout the year, it is
important to take what has been learned from the tactics and improve them for the
remainder of the campaign. Evaluating social media efforts daily is easy with the use of
SproutSocial, so Target can see which posts get the most views and shares and see what
topics are most engaging for their followers. By evaluating this on a regular basis, Target
can update the type of posts they use on social media based on this evaluation.

46. 46
Designer Strategy
Motivate designers to become partners with Target.
Research for the designer strategy should start three months prior to when Target
wants to start the partnership. These three months will give Target time to research
potential partners to see which ones would appeal most to their customers. It will also give
Target time to give these options to their customers for the vote on Twitter. These three
months of research also provides Target with enough time to research and pull together
the information needed to prepare fact sheets of benefits and statistics to the potential
partners.
Tactic 1
While phone calls should be made on a constant basis to keep communication open
between Target and their design partner, initial phone conversations with designers should
happen in June and December. By contacting the designers by phone in these months,
Target can discuss the details of what would be involved in partnering with them for an
upcoming collection. Calling the designers in June would insure there would be enough
time to develop a fall clothing collection and calling them in December would allow for
enough time to develop a spring collection.
Tactic 2
Target should provide an information sheet to the designer as soon as they have
initially contacted the designer to see if they are interested in a partnership. These

47. 47
information sheets will detail what benefits the designer will receive from partnering with
Target. Since the information sheets should be given to any interested partner, they should
be sent out in June and December following the initial phone conversations.
Tactic 3
When sending the information sheets in June and December, Target should also
send a fact sheet of statistics from previous partners. These statistics will show the
potential the designer should be able to expect from a partnership like this. By sending
these statistics soon after the initial phone call, they should help persuade the designer to
sign a contract with Target.
Tactic 4
Even though ideas and designs can be sent via email between the designer and
Target, it would be good for Target to make a trip to the designer’s studio to see ideas and
prototypes at least once before production of the collection begins. By making these visits
in July for the fall collection and January for the spring collection, Target and the designer
have time to iron out any issues that may arise from the designs in time to have the
products ready for production.
Evaluation of the designers should continue from the time the designer’s products
first arrive on the shelves at Target through the end of the partnership. This allows Target
to evaluate how the products are selling throughout the time they are available. It also

48. 48
allows Target and the designer to have a final evaluation of how the partnership went as far
as sales, media attention, and engagement between the two partners.
Blogger Strategy
Build relationships with influential bloggers
Research for the blogger strategy should be done on an ongoing basis in order to
adjust the tactics if need be during the course of the strategy. Since tactics relating to blogs
are used throughout the year, it is important for research to also continue throughout the
year to ensure the tactics are using information and promotions that are most relevant to
blog readers throughout the campaign.
Tactic 1
In order to build and maintain strong relationships with influential bloggers, Target
should constantly be contacting new and existing blog partners. By keeping these bloggers
constantly updated with information on the company and Target products, they are more
likely to talk about Target on their blog frequently. The bloggers want to feel like they are
in a relationship with Target, not like they are only someone Target contacts when they
want something. Target can only build these relationships by staying in contact with the
bloggers regularly throughout the year.
Tactic 2
While Target can send products out to bloggers for review on a regular or random
basis, they should at least do this four times a year. Those four times should focus on

49. 49
seasonal items from Target. Therefore, sending products in July will allow bloggers to
review the items that will be coming out for fall, October will allow for review of winter
items, January will allow for review of spring items, and April will allow for review of
summer items. By having bloggers review the products slightly before they are available in
stores, the blogs will help create demand for those products so that when they do hit the
shelves customers will be eager to purchase them.
Tactic 3
Target should also send bloggers special coupons and promotions for their
followers on an ongoing basis throughout the year. If the blogger is bringing in more
followers by posting about Target promotions, then they will be eager to post about Target
whenever possible to continue to pull in new followers. This will help build the relationship
between Target and the blogger, which will hopefully lead to more posts about Target aside
from just the promotions.
Evaluation of the blog strategy also needs to be done on an ongoing basis. As these
tactics continue to be implemented throughout the year, it is important to take what has
been learned from the tactics and improve them for the remainder of the campaign.
Evaluating which blog posts get the most views and shares allows Target to see what topics
and promotions are most engaging for blog readers. By evaluating this on a regular basis,
Target can update the type of products and promotions they send to bloggers based on this
evaluation.

50. 50
Budget
Customers Strategy #1
Increase customer's visits and interaction on target.com
Tactic 1
By placing 20 signs with QR codes around each Target store, customers will be able
to easily spot products that have more options or similar styles on target.com. These signs
Detail Per Item Cost Total Projected Sponsored Credit Actual Projected
Public: Customers
Strategy 1: Increase customer's visits and interaction on target.com
Tactic 1 Design signs Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Print Signs 20 signs per store $0.03 $1,070.40 $0.00 $1,070.40
Create QR codes Free software- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Set up mobile ready landing pages for QR codes One for each of the 20 signs- done in-house $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Post signs in stores Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 2 Create new receipt template Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Print receipts Already being done- no additional cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Write text copy Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 3 Define location areas Set location for when customer leaves store boundry $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Send texts to customers Send no more than 2 texts per customer per month $0.10 $15,960,000.00 $0.00 $15,960,000.00
Set up trackable link for mobile landing page Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Design mobile landing page specific to text message Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Evaluation Use Google Analytics to monitor the traffic and time spent on site from trackable links Google Anayltics Premium has flat annual cost $150,000.00 $150,000.00 $0.00 $150,000.00
Strategy total: $16,111,070.40
Strategy 2: Increase interaction with customers by using social media sites
Tactic 1 Target employees post questions to Facebook Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 2 Target employees post promotions to Facebook and Twitter Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Set up promotion code in the system so it is recognized Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Design printable coupon Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 3 Design flier to tell customers about Target's Instagram page Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Print fliers Print 1 million fliers for every store $0.01 $17,840,000.00 $0.00 $17,840,000.00
Target employees tell customers on their other social media sites about using Instagram Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Distribute fliers to customers in their shopping bags Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 4 Target employees post on Twitter asking for fans to vote on next design partner Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Monitor hashtag votes for each designer Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Evaluation Use SproutSocial to monitor interaction on web and social sites Premium SproutSocial account for 20 employees $99.00 $23,760.00 $0.00 $23,760.00
Strategy total: $17,863,760.00
Public: Designer Partners
Strategy: Motivate designers to become partners with Target
Tactic 1 Target team members make phone calls Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 2 Create fact sheet of benefits Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Email fact sheet to designer Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 3 Pull statistics of past partners Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Create report of statistics Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Email report to designer Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 4 Book flight visit designer Two employees fly from MN to NY twice a year $600.00 $2,400.00 $0.00 $2,400.00
Book hotel for visit One night for two employees $200.00 $800.00 $0.00 $800.00
Dining on trip All meals for two days for two emplyees $20.00 $240.00 $0.00 $240.00
Rental car Rental car for one day $100.00 $200.00 $0.00 $200.00
Gift for designer Thank you gift for designer $500.00 $1,000.00 $0.00 $1,000.00
Evaluation Monitor traditional communication methods with designers Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Strategy total: $4,640.00
Public: Bloggers
Strategy: Build relationships with influential bloggers
Tactic 1 Email bloggers Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Tactic 2 Choose products to be reviewed Choose products with $50 value, send to 100 bloggers $50.00 $20,000.00 $0.00 $20,000.00
Mail products to bloggers Mail product to 100 bloggers $10.00 $4,000.00 $0.00 $4,000.00
Tactic 3 Email coupons and promotion codes to bloggers Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Design printable coupon Created in-house- no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Set up promotion code in the system so it is recognized Done by Target employee -no cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Evaluation Use SproutSocial to monitor blog shares via social networks Already paying for SproutSocial for another strategy $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Strategy total: $24,000.00
Total Budget $34,003,470.40
Budget: PR Campaign to Increase Target's brand awareness

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should be used mostly in clothing sections for women, men, and children. The signs will be
the same size as the current price signs that Target uses in the clothing departments so
there is no need to buy special paper or sign holders for them. The cost for printing a sign is
approximately $0.03 and there are 1,784 U.S. Target stores. Therefore, printing 20 signs for
all stores totals $1,070.
Tactic 2
There is no cost in adding copy to the bottom of each customer’s receipt that talks
about target.com. Since receipts are already printed for every in store transaction, the only
thing that will need to change is the template that is used for printing the receipts. Since
such a small change is needed to the template, a current Target team member should
handle this.
Tactic 3
Sending location-based mobile text messages to customers once they have left the
store to remind them about items they may have forgotten with a link to target.com, will
help increase interaction on the site. It could also help increase in-store sales if customers
decide to turn around and go back to the store once they receive the text. Since regular bulk
SMS text message cost an average of five cents to send, the proposed budget is ten cents per
message to account for the location tracking (Mobile Marketing Wiz, 2013, para. 4). Target
should not overwhelm frequent customers with these text messages every time they leave
the store, therefore each customer that is subscribed to receive these texts should receive
them no more than twice a month. In order to calculate the number of customers

52. 52
subscribed to receive mobile text messages from Target, the average was taken of Target’s
Twitter and Facebook followers. Since Target has approximately 22 million Facebook
followers and 716,000 Twitter followers, the budget approximates about 11,400,000
customers are signed up to receive these texts from the company. Sending two texts at ten
cents each for the seven months specified in the calendar will cost $15,960,000. According
to Business Insider, location-based mobile marketing is about twice as effective as the
average mobile click through rate with about a 0.08% click through rate (Luger, 2013, para.
7). With a click through rate of 0.08%, Target would get approximately 912,000 additional
viewers on their website to interact with the products and make additional purchases.
Evaluating time spent and interacting on target.com can be done by Google Analytics
Premium, which costs $150,000 for the year. By using Google Analytics Premium, Target
will have access to the freshest data and more reporting options than if they were to use
the free edition of Google Analytics (Google Analytics, 2013). This will allow Target to
better understand their online shoppers and what they are looking for on a retail website
like target.com
Customer Strategy #2
Increase interaction with customers by using social media sites
Tactics 1 and 2
Since Target already employs team members to monitor and post on their social
media sites there will be no additional costs to have Target post questions, information,
promotion, or anything else on Twitter or Facebook.

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Tactic 3
In order to increase awareness of Target’s Instagram page and the monthly contests
they will have for their customers on Instagram, Target should print out small fliers to
hand out to customers in the store. These fliers should be available in all 1,784 Target
stores and in a quantity of about one million so that they will last long enough for
customers to learn about the contests. Printing fliers in this large of a quantity will cost
about one cent each. Distribution can be at checkout counters so that there will not be any
additional cost for distribution. By engaging customers in these contests they may view
other customer’s products on Instagram and want to go out and purchase it for themselves.
Target can also post their own pictures to Instagram with links to the products on
target.com, which will also help increase online sales.
Tactic 4
There is no cost for using Twitter to have fans vote for future design partners,
because Target already employs team members to monitor and post to Twitter.
Evaluating Target social media accounts can be handled with a SproutSocial
premium account. SproutSocial is able to monitor all of Target’s social media sites, provide
real time brand management, and includes a premium reporting package (SproutSocial,
2013). SproutSocial costs $99 per month, per user. Therefore, Target should purchase
accounts for 20 employees in order to have enough accounts to allow for increased
interaction with customers on the social sites without overwhelming employees.

54. 54
Designer Strategy
Motivate designers to become partners with Target.
Tactics 1, 2 and 3
There is no cost associated with tactics 1, 2 or 3 because Target employees will
carry out all aspects of these tactics. There is no additional cost associated with making
telephone calls, creating reports, or emailing the designers, which also helps to keep the
costs low for this strategy.
Tactic 4
The costs associated with making trips to see designers twice a year includes
airfare, hotel stays, food, and transportation. Sending two Target employees for two
overnight trips a year will cost about $3,640. Costs for traveling can vary but the budget is
based on flights costing $600, a one night hotel stay costing $200, $20 per meal for a
maximum of six meals per trip, and a one day car rental of $100. The budget also includes
$500 for a thank you gift to the designer and his or her team. This will also help to build
strong relationships with the designers throughout their partnership with Target.
Evaluating the interactions between Target and designer partners can be done by
Target employees, which will not incur any additional costs.
Bloggers Strategy
Build relationships with influential bloggers

55. 55
Tactics 1 and 3
There are no costs associated with these tactics because Target employees will be
able to implement all aspects from contacting the blogger by email to designing printable
coupons that will be emailed to the bloggers for their followers.
Tactic 2
In order to have bloggers review and discuss Target products on their blog, items
will be sent to 100 bloggers, four times a year. These products will cost no more than $50,
which brings the total cost for these products to $20,000 for the year. It will also cost
approximately $10 to ship these items to each blogger, which totals $4,000. By sending
these products to blogger, they will be spreading the word about Target’s products to all of
their followers. The followers will then be interested in purchasing these and other
products from Target once they read the reviews on their favorite blog.
Evaluating the interaction with bloggers and how popular their posts about Target
are can also be done using SproutSocial. Since Target will already be purchasing
SproutSocial accounts to evaluate their social media accounts, the number of accounts
purchased was increased in order to include accounts needed to monitor blog post sharing
as well. Therefore there is no additional cost for using SproutSocial to also monitor blog
posts.

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Evaluation Plan
Criteria for objective 1
Customers’ interaction and engagement on target.com increased 5% by December 2013.
Tools
Target can use Google Analytics to track and compare user engagement before the
start of the campaign and after December 2013. If users are staying on target.com 5%
longer in December 2013 than they were before the campaign started, then the objective
has been met. Google Analytics can also be used to see what customers are engaging with
on the website to see if they are reading about product details, leaving reviews, or printing
coupons. The information that is gathered by Google Analytics can then be used to add
more engaging content to target.com for customers, thereby communicating more useful
information to them and increasing their connection to the Target brand.
In addition to using Google Analytics, SproutSocial will be used to track analytics
from the website as well as Target’s social media sites. SproutSocial will track keywords
that are used online that are related to the Target brand and products (SproutSocial).
Target can then see how customers are interacting with one another online and what they
are saying to one another about the company. These keywords can be tracked by
SproutSocial even when they are not directly linked Target’s social media or website which
means they will get a better picture of what people are saying compared to just what
people post on Target’s fan pages.

57. 57
Criteria for Objective 2
Engagement with and between Facebook followers increased 20% by June 2014.
Tools
Monitoring how many likes and shares Target’s Facebook posts receive is a simple
way for Target to quickly see if follower engagement is increasing during the campaign.
Other tools, such as SproutSocial, are able to give more in depth details of engagement
rates including how many people are talking about your brand. The more Target interacts
with customers on Facebook, the stronger their relationship will be with those customers.
Therefore, it is important for Target to know how much engagement they truly have with
their Facebook followers and how to best increase that engagement.
SproutSocial can be used in order to examine how well Target is engaging with their
fans by tracking how many important messages Target responds to and how quickly they
respond (SproutSocial). Target can also use SproutSocial to see what type of posts
resonates most with their followers and which posts reach the most people. Once Target
starts to see patterns in this data they can tailor their messages to reach the most people
and post about topics and products that get their fans most excited.
Criteria for Objective 3
Engaged with current and potential design partners 20% more by December 2013.

58. 58
Tools
By maintaining records of how frequently designers are contacted by Target and
engage in communication with them through phone and email conversations, both before
and during the campaign, the percentage of engagement can be determined. It is important
for Target to build and maintain close relationships with their design partners in order for
the partnership to be successful. These successful partnerships are what give Target an
advantage over their competitors, so they need to foster these relationships. By increasing
engagement with other potential designers, Target is building a relationship that will also
be beneficial for the brand. If Target does not engage with these designers other companies
may steal them as partners, which will make Target lose that competitive edge.
Criteria for Objective 4
Build and manage relationships among core audience bloggers by 15% more by December
2013.
Tools
By maintaining records of how frequently bloggers are contacted by Target and
engage in communication with them, both before and during the campaign, the percentage
increase of engagement can be determined. The amount of blog posts that feature or
mention Target should also be measured to see if the increased engagement with the
bloggers helps to increase the posts about Target.
Target can also monitor how often the posts that feature Target brands are shared
through social media sites, and pinned on Pinterest. By monitoring the sharing metrics of

59. 59
these blog posts on SproutSocial, Target can work with the bloggers to provide products
and coupons that are specifically targeted to what their readers engage with most.
Providing this content to bloggers will help them receive more followers and will provide
Target with further reach. This benefits both the blogger as well as Target and helps them
to build a strong relationship with one another.
Bloggers are more likely to say good things about the Target brand and their
products if they feel like they have a connection and relationship with Target. Therefore, it
is important for Target to build and maintain relationships with these bloggers so that they
will discuss Target more on their blogs thus showing their thousands of readers the quality
of the Target brand.

60. 60
Conclusion
The goal of this public relations plan is to increase awareness of the quality of
products sold at Target in order to demonstrate the value of purchases made at Target in
comparison to competitors. In order to achieve this goal, Target must use a combination of
PR strategies and tactics to engage its main publics. If this goal is accomplished, Target will
be able to hold off competitors and gain market share, which is extremely important in
today’s slow economy.

61. 61
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