Target Builds a 'Valentopia'

Target turned its back-of-store seasonal department into a "Valentopia" in advance of the Feb. 14th Valentine's Day holiday.The merchandising effort spotlighted exclusive offerings from recurring seasonal partners Mars Inc.'s M&M's, Hershey Co. and Godiva Chocolatier. The first two vendors provided exclusive candy SKUs bearing Valentine's Day messages, while Godiva presented special gift boxes. All of the items were merchandised on custom shelf trays that boasted about the exclusivity; Godiva's were part of a dedicated, custom endcap.Walt Disney Co. also participated with a custom endcap display comprising a header and shelf trays that merchandised exclusive confectionery and gifts. Additionally, Disney home videos in account-specific shelf trays were stocked on racks outfitted with signs presenting the products as "The Perfect Gift from Disney." The videos often were cross-merchandised with exclusive Valentine's Day-themed "movie night snack kits" from M&M's — a concept that first appeared in stores for Halloween 2012. (See "Target Scares Up ..." in Related Articles.)Outside the seasonal department, ceiling banners and headers on dedicated endcaps in the baby, grocery and pet departments directed shoppers "This way to Valentopia." Other seasonal endcaps positioned throughout the store bore headers promising "Prices you'll love love love." An endcap merchandising Apple's iTunes gift cards carried a "Downloads make the heart grow fonder" message.The P-O-P materials hit stores before Target began running themed circular features on Jan. 20. Spotlighted items included the aforementioned SKUs from Godiva, Hershey's and M&M's, as well as a slew of additional exclusives including Timex watches (see "Target Dreams Big"), gift boxes of Lindt & Sprungli's Lindor truffles, gifts licensed from Sanrio Ltd.'s Hello Kitty and 20th Century Fox's Star Wars, and Nestlé's Wonka Fun Dip cards.Feature activity ramped up as Valentine's Day neared to include four oversized pages in the Feb. 3 circular and a back-cover feature in the Feb. 10 tab. On Feb. 3, Target also ran a themed stand-alone insert. (See "Target 'S'more Amore' ..." in Related Promotional Activity.)Display ads running on the websites of regional TV stations promised either $6 in coupons for confectionery brands or simply plugged Valentopia. Digital activity also included a Feb. 4 email blast delivering a "gift guide for you & your sweetie" that linked to gifts in various categories.

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