up&up. Successful Launch or Failed Mission for Target?
A visit to Target will have you wondering what happened to the Target brand line of products. The infamous red bullseye has disappeared from the shelves and a new, chunky arrow in various solid colors has taken its place. There are images - some cheeky, some fun and some boring - clipped on stark white backgrounds.
The always hip and exceedingly marketing-savvy Target has redesigned its in-store brand:
I’m on the fence for this one. I am a huge fan of clean design and white space, so I dig that. The grid-like layout and white space provides a more modern feel than the previous dated wave look. It’s clean, not flashy, and expresses quality without seeming expensive. On the other side, the design seems to have been born from laziness. Any good designer (and not for that matter) can drop a photo in and add some plain colored text. I get that the arrow goes with the bullseye, but will consumers get it?
There are mixed thoughts throughout the design community, as well as consumers. Some say the design is phallic. Some say it’s too similar to the Publix brand imagery. Some say it’s brilliant, and others disagree. Some just want to know where the bullseye went.
Consumers have expressed confusion and frustration when trying to find the products from the in-store brand. Should Target have provided its consumers with more of a warning about the new look? Several employees have said they didn’t even know up&up was the Target brand. Interesting.
Is up&up economy-based advertising, like so many other companies are providing these days? Does it appeal to consumers looking to stretch their pennies further? Does it tell us Target is doing just fine in this economic slump?
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this one.
Posted by Stephanie Fields on Oct. 08, 2009
Honestly, I didn’t “get” the arrow / target relationship. Hmmm
Posted by Melinda on 10/28/2009 04:39 PM