The Store Blog

Target Bullseye Bazaar

You gotta hand it to Target. The big-box store can create some serious buzz. The ads were all over Chicago city bus stops, newspapers, and commuter train stations the week of May 4th. The store opened a quickie pop-up shop (called the Bullseye Bazaar) on Michigan Avenue for 3 days that week. I took a walk over to the space (where the McCormick Freedom Museum used to reside), and the shop was definitely worth a pop-in. In addition to tons of home goods (including items from the store’s collaborations with designer Michael Graves), the Bazaar included the latest Target fashions (men’s and women’s items by ecofriendly line Loomstate, as well as great stuff from womenswear designer Tracey Feith) and even fresh fruit and flowers.  Jorge Ramon was on hand offering complimentary style tips and makeovers.   Kiosks in the store allowed customers to order furniture items online and avoid shipping charges. Fresh fruit in galvanized buckets were even outfitted with bullseye stickers. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful and shoppers didn't seem to mind the crowds a bit.

Bringing the store’s seasonal best to North Michigan Avenue on a busy Mother’s Day weekend was likely a brand-building move worth the time and money.

 

- Jenn Phillips, The Store

Pick n Pay campaigns to make plastic bags extinct with Y&R Cape Town

South African shoppers have become accustomed to paying for plastic bags and are reportedly using almost as many bags as they did before the new legislation came into play in 2003.

So, national retail giant Pick n Pay decided to encourage an entirely plastic bag free environment and launched a campaign in conjunction with Y&R Cape Town, dubbed ‘Make Plastic Bags Extinct.’

The objective of the campaign is to encourage people to say ‘no’ to plastic bags at the till points and to do this in a manner that is altruistic and not merely a way to sell to more Pick n Pay Green bags.

A selection of stores and hypermarkets across SA will have a gigantic dinosaur made entirely of plastic bags at their entrances, to draw attention to the campaign, demonstrate that Pick n Pay wants to make plastic bags as extinct as dinosaurs and re-sensitize consumers to the green issue.

This message, such as “Plastic Bags are suffocating our planet” and “Pick up a good habit that will help reduce our impact on the environment”, is the theme throughout stores.

Included in the series of initiatives was a web-based design competition for limited edition Pick n Pay designer eco-friendly bags. Budding designers were invited to submit designs for a new and stylish eco-friendly Pick n Pay bag and in January this year, an expert panel comprising of the likes of style guru Edith Venter and Creative Director of Y&R Cape Town, Clinton Bridgeford selected the ultimate winner, as judged by Pick n Pay shoppers via the company’s website. The bags, which are manufactured from entirely locally sourced natural fibers, will be available in Pick n Pay stores around the country from March 2009.

Congratulations to the Y&R Cape Town team driving in this project, headed up by Creative Director: Clinton Bridgeford and Cathy Coyle: Idea Management.