April 30, 2013
Target Is Wired for Success with Gadget Tie-In
Target has teamed up with Wired to sell electronic gadgets selected by the magazine’s editorial staff. The items will be featured on special end-cap kiosks in Target’s 1,700+ stores as well as on target.com/wired.
The promotion is scheduled to launch in time for Dad and Grad season and will run 12-weeks. The Wired kiosks will feature 11 items, including the Adonit Jot Pro Stylus for tablets, NuForce NE-600 M/X Earbuds, and the Olloclip camera lens for iPhone 5. A greater selection of items will be available through the Target website.
"Target wanted to collaborate with an industry expert to create an assortment that will help our guests find the latest gadgets easily and conveniently," said John Butcher, vice president of electronics, Target, in a statement. "The editorial team at Wired shares our love for the latest gadgets, and Target’s guests can trust them to offer credible product recommendations."
"We’re trying to push Wired out and beyond the four conventional walls of how it’s been defined its first 20 years," Howard Mittman, Wired’s publisher, told Adweek. "The ability to cross-pollinate opens [Target] up to affluent young men, and we get the opportunity to tap into their scale."
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Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
What is your assessment of the Target/Wired tie-in promotion? Is the Wired brand a good brand fit for Target? Do you expect Target to continue pursuing partnerships in consumer electronics?
Poll
I like it. It’s a win for both firms before it even sells any merchandise.
Target likes to surprise and delight its guests with items you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to carry. Finding Wired-curated gadgets is a bit like finding a Missoni bag at Target.
By the same token, the Wired end-cap at Target introduces and elevates the Wired brand to a segment of loyal Target shoppers that Wired doesn’t reach today.
Both firms get to offer much needed curation for the shopper in a category that is mired in an ocean of undifferentiated product assortment. It will be interesting to see how well the Wired editors are able to hit the mark for Target guests and drive actual sales.
Target is clearly evolving as a result of their innovative practices. Target embraced pop-up shops very early, embraced tie-ins with high street designers and now this concept takes things to a new level.
The Wired Magazine venture appears to be an in-store pop-up shop geared for Father’s Day and Wired can also promote to their targeted (no pun intended) audience through their magazine and other media.
Winning!
Putting new gadgets in front of consumers is a great idea. How will Target explain how to use them? The average Target sales associate does not have the knowledge or skills to do this. New gadgets are great, but unless they are explained and demonstrated, consumers will pass them by.
This is a toss up between being successful and being very successful. If the display has some great items and they are changed on a regular basis, it could be a nice draw especially for the male segment of the market. If the display gets old and is not refreshed on a regular basis, it will just be another display.
Fantastic! Target doesn’t have much credibility in terms of electronic expertise — this overcomes that. It even leapfrogs some Best Buy geek chic by offering “impartial” advice and commentary.
I imagine that WIRED will develop celebrity “recommenders” too. It’s in keeping with Target’s strategy of offering celebrity designers to guide fashion choices; now there are expert guides for electronics too.
Absolutely love this virtual-to-physical engagement by Wired, and think it will be popular with both affluent young men and women. Nice set-up for the holiday Wired Pop Up store in New York City every December.
Another great idea! Don’t you just love how retailers keep upping their games?
Wired wins. Target wins. Customers win.
Now, to push this into the stratosphere, let’s make sure the Target staff get some training on how these products work and on how to sell them. A great display can only do so much. Eventually, a customer is going to want to talk to a knowledgeable and friendly staff member.
Consumer electronics is a tough market to get into. In most trips, Target isn’t the destination of electronics. Hence, tying up with a brand surely makes sense. Previous brand tie-ups have given good value to Target, such as with Missoni, and yet sometimes it didn’t make a mark, like with Neimen Marcus. They have to keep experimenting — keeping their customer in mind.
There’s very little downside here and I’m sure this will at least be a moderate success. However, I wonder how high Wired’s name recognition is among the average Target consumer. In stores that rely heavily on the “suburban mom” market, this could be just another end cap.
Yep, another win from Target! This fits in perfectly with the brand experience and should prove to be a plus for both Target and Wired.
I can also see this taking several different shapes after the dads and grads campaign is over.
Kudos!
This is an interesting partnership. It opens up a new demo for Target with the Wired brand and brings authority that Target doesn’t have.
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I like it. It’s a win for both firms before it even sells any merchandise.
Target likes to surprise and delight its guests with items you wouldn’t necessarily expect them to carry. Finding Wired-curated gadgets is a bit like finding a Missoni bag at Target.
By the same token, the Wired end-cap at Target introduces and elevates the Wired brand to a segment of loyal Target shoppers that Wired doesn’t reach today.
Both firms get to offer much needed curation for the shopper in a category that is mired in an ocean of undifferentiated product assortment. It will be interesting to see how well the Wired editors are able to hit the mark for Target guests and drive actual sales.
Target is clearly evolving as a result of their innovative practices. Target embraced pop-up shops very early, embraced tie-ins with high street designers and now this concept takes things to a new level.
The Wired Magazine venture appears to be an in-store pop-up shop geared for Father’s Day and Wired can also promote to their targeted (no pun intended) audience through their magazine and other media.
Winning!
Putting new gadgets in front of consumers is a great idea. How will Target explain how to use them? The average Target sales associate does not have the knowledge or skills to do this. New gadgets are great, but unless they are explained and demonstrated, consumers will pass them by.
This is a toss up between being successful and being very successful. If the display has some great items and they are changed on a regular basis, it could be a nice draw especially for the male segment of the market. If the display gets old and is not refreshed on a regular basis, it will just be another display.
Fantastic! Target doesn’t have much credibility in terms of electronic expertise — this overcomes that. It even leapfrogs some Best Buy geek chic by offering “impartial” advice and commentary.
I imagine that WIRED will develop celebrity “recommenders” too. It’s in keeping with Target’s strategy of offering celebrity designers to guide fashion choices; now there are expert guides for electronics too.
Absolutely love this virtual-to-physical engagement by Wired, and think it will be popular with both affluent young men and women. Nice set-up for the holiday Wired Pop Up store in New York City every December.
Another great idea! Don’t you just love how retailers keep upping their games?
Wired wins. Target wins. Customers win.
Now, to push this into the stratosphere, let’s make sure the Target staff get some training on how these products work and on how to sell them. A great display can only do so much. Eventually, a customer is going to want to talk to a knowledgeable and friendly staff member.
Consumer electronics is a tough market to get into. In most trips, Target isn’t the destination of electronics. Hence, tying up with a brand surely makes sense. Previous brand tie-ups have given good value to Target, such as with Missoni, and yet sometimes it didn’t make a mark, like with Neimen Marcus. They have to keep experimenting — keeping their customer in mind.
There’s very little downside here and I’m sure this will at least be a moderate success. However, I wonder how high Wired’s name recognition is among the average Target consumer. In stores that rely heavily on the “suburban mom” market, this could be just another end cap.
Yep, another win from Target! This fits in perfectly with the brand experience and should prove to be a plus for both Target and Wired.
I can also see this taking several different shapes after the dads and grads campaign is over.
Kudos!
This is an interesting partnership. It opens up a new demo for Target with the Wired brand and brings authority that Target doesn’t have.