Reference no: EM133168340

Instructions:

- All questions must be answered by using the answer boxes provided in this paper.
- Completed answers must be submitted to Blackboard by the published due date and time.

Purpose:

This assessment consists of 2 Parts and is designed to assess your level of knowledge of the key topics covered in this unit. Lecture materials and resources used during your studies at Holmes Institute should be sufficient to guide your answers BUT if you consult any external resources be sure to cite correctly and list as references at the end of each question, using Holmes adapted-Harvard style.

PART 1: CASE STUDY

Case study about Target is provided below. Students are required to read the case, watch the video in the link provided and answer the following questions. No more than 200 words for each question.

Case study: Designer collections, plastic carts, and that bright red color: How Target gets you to spend money.

Earlier this year, Target became the seventh-largest retailer by sales in the U.S. It had a whopping $78.1 billion in revenue in 2019, and despite difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic, profits rose more than 80% year over year in the fiscal second quarter of 2020 with record online business.

Since its debut in Roseville, Minnesota, in 1962, Target has grown to 1,880 stores across all 50 states and now has a devoted fanbase who lovingly refer to the brand as "Tarjay."

How does Target keep its shoppers hooked? The retail giant has revolutionised the shopping experience. From the width of the aisles to the placement of dollar bins, everything is carefully designed to entice customers.

"Expect More. Pay Less" has been Target's slogan since the mid-'90s. One of the key ways the company breeds loyalty and excitement is with its popular private labels and designer collaborations.

Target began working with high-end designers like Isaac Mizrahi and Vera Wang in 1999, and its popular private clothing lines A New Day and Cat & Jack now account for $1 billion and $2 billion in annual sales, respectively.

"They have one of the best private-label strategies of any retailer in the United States," says Bob Hoyler, senior analyst at Euromonitor International. "They're the envy of even Amazon when it comes to their private-label strategy in apparel."

Neuroscientist and marketing expert Terry Wu says the anticipation of these lines can even create a physiological response, giving customers a dopamine rush.

"That surge of dopamine actually drives us to go back to Target, to buy again and again," Wu says. "This is how they build loyalty."

And once you're in the store, strategic design elements keep you engaged. From the dollar bin right at the front, which one frequent shopper calls "dessert" because she says "there's always something I never knew that I needed," to lightweight plastic shopping carts that are easier to push around than metal ones, and its signature red and white color palette, making it look bright and clean and easier to spot employees.

"Target has been able to elevate what's at the end of the day, just a general merchandise, big-box retailer," says CNBC.com consumer and retail reporter Melissa Repko.

Required:

STEP 1: Watch this video link:

STEP 2: Using the information provided in the video and the case study, answer the following questions:

1. Who is Target's target customer and what is the price strategy of Target?

2. What are the product strategies of Target? Use the information from the video to discuss the design collaboration of Target

3. What is the brand positioning of Target? Use the information from the video to discuss the private label of Target.

4. Target encourages customers to buy more when they are in their store. Discuss which strategies Target uses to impact consumer behaviour

PART 2: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question 1

Some marketers believe that online stores will replace traditional stores in the near future. Other marketers have opposite opinions, believing traditional stores will still maintain the same position.

In what ways and to what extent do you think that non-store retailing poses a threat to conventional retailers? Use examples to support your discussion.

Question 2
20 years ago, Al Ries and Laura Ries indicated that it has long been a trade secret advertising doesn't really sell - and that PR has more intrinsic credibility. In 2002, they introduced the Book called "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR".

In what ways and to what extent do you think Public Relations can replace Advertising?