On ‘Target’ with the New General Market

As we closed this issue of Drug Store News, with our massive special report on the New General Market consumer, major news broke that once again underscored how much the world has changed, and how the best brands change with it.

By now, no doubt you’ve seen this picture. Some might call it the tweet heard around the world. One thing is for sure: The executives in Minneapolis heard it loud and clear.



“Over the past year, guests have raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender,” Target noted on its Bullseye blog earlier this month. “We heard you and we agree.”



News that Target would axe “Boy’s” and “Girl’s” signs in the toy, bedding and entertainment aisles fed a firestorm of both applause and criticism for the retailer, and “blew up” Ohio mom Abi Bechtel’s twitter account, as the hip kids say these days.



“If you’re offended by a gender-based sign at a retail store, you’re probably a miserable tool with too much time on your hands,” tweeted one hater.



The reality is, Target made a decision, if you’re offended by it: Tough.



When you read this issue of DSN, you will understand that the New General Market is ALL ABOUT inclusion; not exclusion. They are not big on labels. They are a psychographic, not a demographic. And they want to be “talked with,” not “talked at.”



And regardless of where your politics lie, you have to see it as a masterful piece of brand-building in this age of the New General Market consumer.



“This isn’t about political correctness,” noted Rob Gregory, chief revenue officer for the social media site WhoSay, in an article for AdWeek. “What it’s really about is the illumination that social media brings to a brand’s true intentions.”



Boys will still be boys. Girls will still be girls. And the kids who want to play with Legos, Barbie or G.I. Joe — and the parents who want to buy them for their kids — should still be able to spot them in the store without the signs.



Target used the power of social media to become illuminated about the New General Market.