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Sunday, March 01, 2015

"Going forward, Cornell said Target will hang its hat on those things that made it famous to begin with and that customers say they want — stylish apparel, home goods and beauty products. The retailer will aim to win with mothers by doubling down in its baby and kids departments. And it will try to win more health-conscious consumers by offering more organic and natural products, which means an upcoming makeover of its grocery department."

The headline is quoted text from within Strib coverage.

I am not sure what this CEO aims for, but if an ad or two on TV, during Wolves games if I remember correctly, are indicative; well, good luck. Those ads were real clinkers. Fast cuts of pseudo-chic wares, with accompanying kitsch background music, a last cut to the Target logo.

Clinkers. Although opinions may differ. Differences of tastes and opinions makes us a great nation of consumer goods consumers. Perhaps somebody in Eagan or Alexandria, or wherever, thought the TV ads were motivation to shop. Who knows. There might have even been interlaced quick subliminal text, SHOP TARGET TODAY. If so, they were not something I noticed, but then the point of subliminal messaging is that it not be noticed, only followed. I did find that music accompaniment not only bothersome, but incessant, and perhaps it was intended to be hypnotically so while being shown so much great stuff to go out and purchase, never mind cupboard contents that might need to be scuttled if purchasing an entirely new and more chic set of tableware.

Ho, hum. And good luck. If only Target headquarters were in the Iron Range instead of downtown, IRRRB might have the opportunity to be helpful.

UPDATE: An interesting two paragraphs, particularly the last of the two, at the tail-end of the report:

In November, Cornell met three generations of the Dayton family at a cocktail reception for Cornell and his wife, Martha, at the home of Eric Dayton, who owns the Askov Finlayson men’s shop and the Bachelor Farmer restaurant in Minneapolis with his brother Andrew.

Gov. Mark Dayton was there, as was his father, Bruce Dayton, who is 96 and was the last member of the company to be actively involved in running Target. He retired from the company’s board in 1983.

It is conjecture, but perhaps an intent was to write, " ... was the last member of the family ...". I might be wrong. But if the man was last member of the company involved that way, one can see how the business might have been viewed by outsiders as rudderless since 1983.