Targeting Target

Hi! My name is Angela, and as the title of this blog suggests, my purpose is to meddle a little bit in the marketing techniques and styles of the “chosen” websites. Dictionary.com refers to “meddle” as a verb meaning to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation. Even though meddling sounds like a negative behavior, I am looking forward to discovering good things! We’ll be looking at Target, Tide, Jeep, Harley-Davidson and the Minnesota Twins.

In Chapter 1, Section 5a, Roberts indicates that the internet marketing environment is unique with specific generic goals. The idea is to attract, convert and retain the customer base.

Target is truly one of my favorite stores, so they have been selected as my first target. Sunday, May 9th, is Mother’s Day, and Target’s website suggests some gifts for Mom. I am invited to save 20% on Photo Gifts + Prints for Mom. This is great for me, because I am a procrastinator and still in search of that perfect gift. All I have to do is click the icon that says “get coupon”. A new page comes up with the directions to “select to print” and then “print selected coupon.” Two quick clicks take me to the next page. The page tells me that I am just a minute away from printing my coupons. Wait. Apparently, first I have to install the Coupon Activator by downloading and installing the program. Then my coupon will print. I clicked install and it appeared as if a file was downloading. Then I got a security warning message…so I quit. I am fan of coupons and discounts, but not at the risk of a security threat. My experience could have a negative impact on customer conversion (Roberts, 13). The goal of changing visitors into actual customers would likely be hampered by the inability to easily print the coupon.

I really liked the idea of promoting Mother’s Day, but the process I encountered was a little disappointing. A main driver of the internet economy indicates that consumers want things quickly. Speed is of the essence (Roberts, 19). Not only did I not get the coupon quickly, I didn’t get it at all.

I still like Target. I am almost positive that my Mother’s Day purchase will come from Target. Maybe someone at the photo counter can print the coupon for me.