Chapter 1 and 2: Target's Understanding of its Consumer's Behavior and Motivation

 Marketing Tactics: 

     When looking into Target’s marketing tactics and strategies, the strategy that has popped out the most recent and has ultimately become a priority has been Target’s marketing strategy to combat COVID-19 during these unprecedented times. On Target’s website, it demonstrates that their response to the COVID-19 pandemic includes such things as enforcing masks and social distancing, to say the least. Here is the full list below of Target’s push during the pandemic.

In a Forbes article, Target’s chief marketing officer Rick Gomez stated that Target’s most recent campaign “Target Run” was one of their marketing strategies that worked out very well. Target Run was the idea that everything you needed was at Target, and if you didn’t want to go to Target you could get the items delivered to your door. This is a smart idea considering COVID-19's impact on customer mobility.                         

    

Disposition:

Over recent years, as more people are becoming environmentally conscious, there has been an increase in consumers' demand for brands to have sustainability. Using what we only need may be challenging to persuade consumers, but it will not take long for others to join if individuals start the trend. The social influence, as identified in Harvard's Business Review's article, "The Elusive Green Consumer," explains that humans have a "strong desire to fit in and will conform to the behavior of those around them." Furthermore, people are not only giving in the social influence, but brands are also now jumping in on the trend. They are discovering an increase in profits when introducing more sustainable products, such as less harmful ingredients, recycled packaging, biodegradable products, etc.

 

Target has announced to reduce its carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable practices in its retail stores and its supply chain. Target is involved in a GreenChill Partnership with EPA, The United States Environmental Protection Agency, in reducing their carbon footprint and lessen their impact with the ozone layer. In 2017, the company introduced new policies and goals in ways they plan to combat climate change. The new procedures include the discussion of chemical management, water usage for raw materials, manufacturing, direct operations, and how the company plans to reduce waste. By 2022, Target aims to remove flame retardants that pose a health threat to customers, workers, and the surrounding community and remove perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)- toxic chemicals from its products. In its entirety, Target recognizes its social responsibility as a retailer giant to help combat climate change by implementing sustainable practices and developments in its stores and supply chain.

Consumer Culture:

 Target has permeated the zeitgeist of American culture, representing much more than a retail store. It's an American institution of sorts, even landing in the Urban Dictionary in 2008 with it's own lexicon, "Tarjay." Tarjay is a popular tongue-in-cheek reference used by the public to attempt to make Target appear more upscale and high-end. Although the phrase began as a parody, the word Tarjay has infiltrated the American vocabulary, even embraced by Target themselves, indicating this phrase has contributed to Target's success as a top-of-mind brand to the consumer.

To further demonstrate the impact Target has on popular culture, several very popular skits on Saturday Night Live featured the "Target Lady," played by Kristen Wiig. While these skits are silly and fun, the mere fact that Target was used to symbolize a place where all walks of life shop, indicates that in American culture, Target is synonymous with the every-man shopper.

These examples represent the powerful influence popular culture has on consumer behavior. Target's reach has gone beyond word of mouth and reference group influence, because Target has actually become integrated into the fabric of American culture itself; embodying the quintessential "everything store."

Motivation: 

"Target Hits on Winning Formula Amid Covid Pandemic

Surging e-commerce sales at Target during the coronavirus pandemic should translate into a lasting advantage"  - WSJ

As this article from the Wall Street Journal suggests, Target greatly increased consumer's motivation to shop at Target during the Covid-19 pandemic because of Target's efficient and reliable delivery service. In the second quarter of this year, 5 million customer's shopped from Target.com for the first time. This enormous increase was successful for Target because of their lean model of shipping goods directly from the retail store, the ease with which consumers can use their app, and Target's free delivery service. 

Particularly during the pandemic, Target customers are experiencing functional and hedonic needs. Functional in that consumers need essentials to live and may not be able to get to the grocery store to buy essentials like canned goods and toilet paper, as well as experiencing hedonic needs because everyone is scared and would like to experience pleasure by playing a video game or snuggling into a new soft blanket. 

By offering efficient, reliable and easy to use delivery services, Target has addressed consumers functional and hedonic needs during the pandemic, motivating consumers to shop at their retail store.