1. 2014 Summer Intern Project
Target Innovation Invitation
About Target:
Target is the second largest discount retailer in the United States, with more than 1,900 stores in North
America. The brand’s mission is to deliver outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional
guest experiences by consistently fulfilling its “Expect More. Pay Less.”brand promise. Target’s brand
values also include:
 Design for all - Great design is fun, energetic, surprising and smart—and it should be accessible
and affordable for everyone. It satisfies a need, simplifies your life, and makes you feel good.
 Great guest service - Friendly service from team members ready to assist with your list, fully
stocked shelves and a speedy checkout process to ensure your Target shopping trip is always
enjoyable and exciting.
 Everyday value - The best value every time you shop including low prices, price matching and an
additional 5% savings using your REDcard.
 Community giving - A cornerstone of the company by giving its time, talent and business
strengths to make local communities strong, healthy and safe.
The situation:
Last fall, Target experienced a significant data breach that exposed personal information of millions of
its guest. As the firm’s top client in the U.S., Target has relied heavily on Hill + Knowlton Strategies to
counsel its executive and communications teams in order to address the substantive issues of the
breach as well as to rebuild its reputation and consumer confidence with guests. In doing so, the client
has challenged all of its agency partners to both continually bring bold and fresh thinking to its ongoing
work and pause to evaluate leading innovation in the field of PR.
Client brief:
To be a world-class PR organization, we need to be aware of what’s happening around us.
 How is the competition approaching its PR programming?
 Where are we seeing innovation in our field?
 Who is breaking the mold and pushing the boundaries and how are they doing it?
 What’s working and what’s not?
 What can Target learn from these trailblazers and how should we consider putting those
lessons to work for us?
No one wants to be a copycat, but it’s imperative that we gain lessons learned among our peer group
and other creative forces, and understand what media and consumers are being exposed to as we craft
our own differentiated efforts. In our field, knowledge is power. We’re asking our valued agency
partners to join us in an ongoing series of discussions that spark dialogue and challenge us all to think
differently. The external environment is constantly changing. We need to keep a pulse on what’s
happening around us and apply key learnings into actions that benefit Target in the short- and long-
term.

2. Your assignment:
 Separate into three teams of 3-4 members
 Identify 3 innovative PR case studies that occurred in the past 12 months
o One case must be from another retailer
o At least one must be a global/international example
 Presentation requirements - No required template or format
o Presentations will be limited to 1 hour
 Including 20-25 minutes for Q&A and open discussion
o Presentations should address the following
 Situational background
 Insights and observations
 Evaluation of other communications channels (e.g. social, events)
 Key learnings, implications and actions for Target
 Timeline
o Brief – Mon., July 7
o Check in – Week of July 21
o Presentation – Week of Aug. 11
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