Target Brand Audit
An important part of the brand inventory is brand aesthetics. Brand aesthetics is described as logos, name, packaging, and color. The aesthetics of the Target brand is something that is very important to the corporation. When Target first started carrying their own brand, they decided to use the target as a logo on all their products. They decided to move away from this because it put the Target brand at risk of being overshadowed by the national brand equivalent. They also wanted to live up to their slogan: “Expect more, pay less”. The corporation believed it was living up to the “pay less” part, but knew that they could play up the “expect more” part by adding more of a design to the packaging. Therefore, the up & up brand is born. The packaging for up & up is aesthetically appealing while it avoids looking overwhelming with busy graphics. One of the most admired feature that this packaging contains is the “compare to…” written on the front of almost all up & up products so you can see the value and savings immediately while the products are still on the shelf. The up & up brand also added the information about Target’s five percent giving program to give the up & up brand more value. They did this because they know that their average customer value shopping and buying from a retailer who has an active presence in their community. Target really believes that by adding this new line (up & up) and the new packaging design, they are creating an emotional connection with their patrons. The “new” design and exclusive brand has created a lot of buzz. CNNMoney was one of the first to pick up the story, and reports the new design is typically priced 30% below brand names. During the current economic times, 30% less to pay for pretty much anything is a great way to draw in customers. One employee at Target that works on the sales floor, described the new design like this: “Previously where you would have found bottles with similar packaging and coloring to that of