My agency has spent the last year trying to figure out how people are going to handle the new year. Will they hunker down? Will they believe in the resurgence and start spending, traveling, “being” again? Are they going to keep putting off buying cars, boats, clothes or trips? Or are they going to just buy smaller cars, boats, clothes and trips? Are they going to watch more television, less television or get in touch with nature? Will that mean more tent sales? You can see how frustrating it can be.
You have probably read plenty in the press that says the American way of life is changing. There is a ton of research out there of the two different quas (qualitative and quantitative). It tells you that Americans are prioritizing. It will tell you Americans are scared. They are looking at stuff longer before they buy it. They are searching for the best deals. They are less likely to act impulsively. That’s all well and good and probably true.
But I did some research the day after Christmas. I went to the mall. And you know what I found? Every single person in the world was there. There was nowhere to park. It was good old-fashioned American chaos. I had to park at the Wynn.
So many people. There were big ones, small ones, Eastern European ones, bimbos, manbos, Asian shopping junkets, families with nothing better to do and loners like myself. And there were bags. They were carrying bags. That means they bought stuff. I even bought something. It was on sale and had great stitching and I had to wait in line to buy it.
OK, so maybe this isn’t quality research. Maybe I was just witnessing a spike. A small glimmer of hope in a world destined to re-evaluation. But even spikes show us something. They show us what is underneath. They show us what is trying to escape but just can’t quite get there. A spike is where we want to be. It’s a measurement of hope.
We all have a place we want to be. It’s why the Target ads don’t really work for me. They are well acted and funny but they only talk about where we are – some horrible place where everyone argues about how much presents cost.
The holidays are all about where we want to be. We want the perfect week with family and friends. We want that week to be pretty much the same every year…tradition. It can be more, but it certainly shouldn’t be less. This is a time to celebrate and bring it all together. This isn’t the time to think about the bad stuff even when it is really bad.
I feel like the folks who put together the Target work never watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas – the little tree that could. I know they sell this tree at select stores. I’m not sure if Target is one of them or not.
I think we need more Hope Marketing. It’s a concept that shouldn’t be ignored. It has a lot going for it. It doesn’t prey on fears. It reminds us of the good times. It gives us something to shoot for. And the one thing we always have is hope. Hope is always waiting underneath it all, ready to spike at any moment.
We are not a nation of hunker-downers. At least I’ve never heard us described that way. I’ve never heard any nation described that way. Please let me know the next time someone says, “I come from a long line of hunker downers.” Although, research would have you believe we can be such a people, we are not.
I would like to see a Super Bowl ad where there is a battle between the hunker-downers and the pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstrappers. And I want the pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstrappers to win. And I will cheer and wait for a spike.
Weren’t all the gifts in those commercials reflections of “where we want to be”? That was the point. Shopping at Target will make you forget there’s a recession.
As a consumer, any commercial that disregards the fact that people have lost their jobs, their homes and essentially their lives as they knew them, only leaves me going “What recession-free world are THEY living in?”
I was out of town over the week of Christmas and got out quite a bit, be it shopping, to holiday parties or family gatherings. I recall THREE different times hearing people rave about the Target commercials. People appreciate honesty, especially when it’s presented with a strong dash of humor.
That said, I’d love to see the pull-yourself-up-from-the-boot strappers get the big win. But, only if it’s not presented in some la-dee-dah, everything’s dandy form.
The Target commercials are their best commercials creatively. They are favorites of my creative department. They will no doubt win awards because they are on strategy, well written, well acted and nicely casted. However, in the numerous focus groups where we test concepts, consumers do not like to be reminded of things like the recession, unemployment, hard times, etc. It’s something they already know and tire of it quickly because they are living it. Reminding them of the things that are important to them value-wise during these times is relevant and seems to work well in the groups. I realize that testing is often wrong and that many creatives will say it’s the last thing you should do. I am different. I believe that if it is done right it, it has great value. So that and my experience is telling me that something is off with the Target work. That being said, I did buy some gifts there for Christmas. So I was wrong at least when it comes to me. Thank you for you response.