Time to Break Out

Like many others, chances are your brand is just one of the pack. That might be fine for now, but eventually it'll catch up with you. Consumers today just have too many choices which means brand complacency has consequences. Lower image. Lower margins. And so on. Why not reinvent the brand, innovate and break out of this cycle?

Aim High!

Target Corporation did just that. Squeezed by Wal*Mart, K-Mart and a host of other mass merchandisers viscously competing for the value dollar, Target elevated the brand, and almost overnight, became an "upscale discounter". An oxymoron? Hardly.

The chain knows even the most price-sensitive of its guests (their word) appreciate good quality and design. With single-minded focus on innovation, Target reinvented its product strategy. Out were ordinary, every-day items that could be purchased anywhere at commodity prices. In were unique, trendy and inspiring creations...like Michael Graves-designed teapots, designer galoshes, and other surprises. The chain even elevated its consumer focus with ads in the New Yorker, art gallery sponsorships, and hip fashion shows. A bold move to be sure, even disruptive.

The result: The brand's on fire and now the target of the rest of the pack.