I read over on Sarahs site that she loves target and was encouraging people to let Target know they should have a moms panel, much like Walmart does, to help assist and inform the largest population of shoppers out there…moms. And due to their recent issues with the whole car seat fiasco, it seems smart to have a voice in the population that was so upset.
So I decided to help her and send a letter to Target as well encouraging them to create one. I said there are literally tons of women that would want to be a part of it, including myself, and basically ‘mom bloggers’ could really assist them and would love to see them create a “moms panel”.
This is the letter I just got back. It seems a bit snotty to me. I think maybe they SHOULD get some moms out there. Good thing they have “hired team members and consultants” who get paid to kiss their asses!
Hope its not Motrin’s team…….
~Trisha
Dear Trisha Haas,
While it’s fun to hear about ways you’d like to make Target better,
we must decline your marketing proposal. I’m sorry for any disappointment.
One of the great things about Target is our fun, innovative advertising.
We’re always excited to hear about new ideas or concepts that might appeal to our guests.
However, we rely almost exclusively on our talented team members and hired consultants to
create and develop Target marketing. That’s why we can’t consider your idea.
Thanks for your interest in working with us, and best of luck.
Sincerely,
Pamela
Target Guest Relations
www.target.com
Target already lost me as a customer because of a crappy experience I’ve had with them recently and after reading a few other blog posts about moms who have had bad experiences with Target, I’m glad I’ve made the decision to no longer shop there.
The fact that they first snubbed bloggers and then when they did decide to enlist some Mom bloggers to help them in the PR department they went with these high-profile “famous” bloggers is laughable. Honestly, I prefer the WalMart 11 Moms. They are genuine people who really connect with their readers as opposed to these Target moms who somehow ended up on some kind of pedestal.
Target keeps trying to establish themselves as being above places like Wal Mart, first with these “celebrity” clothing lines and now hiring people like Dooce and Pioneer Woman. The problem with that is that whatever quality points they think they’ve racked up with this stuff are quickly lost by their shoddy customer service.
Well up their’s then!! PUNKS
I posted this on Twitter…Target is the backer of momversations and also christmas wrapped
http://christmaswrapped.com/
So they are doing somethings with Moms and mom bloggers at that.
Still think your letter could have been put better, but I do still love Target…sigh…
I wrote a very short paragraph introducing myself, my site and what we are about, a few sentences. Then i said that it would be a great idea for target to have amoms panel, much like walmart does, to help influence and speak wtih moms and that lots of mom bloggers would be interested, including myself, and i would love to assist in any way i could.
It wasnt really that long, maybe a couple short paragraphs total, if that. I did it in about 2 minutes.
Poorly written, for a start. I don’t think they meant to sound condescending, but they do.
And why couldn’t their marketing team “consider your idea” and why couldn’t you be a “hired consultant.”
Basically, “we can’t consider your idea…because we won’t.”
That was a little rude – they could have been a little nicer about it. I was ready to be a targetmom too!
HAHAHHA. I didn’t write kiss their asses to them, i wrote a very nice interest letter. But yes, I do believe large companies get a lot of ass kissing or things like the Motrin scandal wouldn’t have hit social media so hard. They need to represent a wider audience and not have “yes” men. It does seem smarter to have representation into all areas of targets they are trying to reach. Its nice to see walmart on the forefront of leading this.
Kudos to them.
“kiss their asses!” = Professional?
I think that’s why you got a form letter.
LOL it was probably a copy/paste email. I love your go-getter attitude!!
Did i get the bitchy CS rep? LOL
Brandie, that was very interesting.
So completely different then the response I got! I just blogged it so you could see it: http://journeyof1000stitches.blogspot.com/2008/12/target-moms.html
Also, I replied to their e-mail asking about the difference in responses we got! It will be very interesting to see if they reply back with that one!
oy.
Janine is right in that Target will/did go for the younger crowd with WOM marketing, and it bit them in the bahookie in a big way. In my opinion (which is worth what you pay for it.;) that’s why we won’t see a Target moms team anytime soon.
In 2007, Target ran a Facebook group called the Rounders, college aged influencers. This is the note Target’s SM team (an external agency, I forget the name right now) sent to Rounders members:
“Your Mission: Try not to let on in the Facebook group that you are a Rounder,”
“We love your enthusiasm for the Rounders, and I know it can be hard not to want to sing it from the mountaintops [and in the shower, and on the bus]. However, we want to get other members of the Facebook group excited about Target, too! And we don’t want the Rounders program to steal the show from the real star here: Target and Target’s rockin’ Facebook group. So keep it like a secret!”
Yeah. Ummmmmhmmmmm. Cause THAT’S transparent, Target. So one of the members (a marketing student, no less) went public with it and it was a little tempest (not Motrin worthy, but it still made them look skeevy) and that’s the last we heard of Target and SM. It’s sad, I do think they’re missing a big avenue of opportunity.
Trisha,
I just HAD to chime in. I would love to be a Target Mom too, believe me. A good portion of our income goes right to Target.
Anyway, I had to point you to the post I wrote on the Target billboard ordeal that happened earlier in the year. This is just a link to my post about it; but you have to click over to Shaping Youth’s blog and read about what happened there. Target made it clear back then that they “weren’t interested” in us bloggers.
Anyway, here is my link that link’s to Shaping Youth and the story about the Target billboard:
http://alwaysfashionablylate.com/2008/01/30/some-think-were-not-that-influential/
What’s been so innovative? Their marketing seems to be straight from mkt 101. Sounds like they aren’t open to non traditional thinking…What percentage of their daily shoppers are moms or for that matter just women? Missing the target here…
I think that they are trying to come up with something that is “different” they are in direct competition with Walmart and having “Target moms” would look like they were copying. I work for a non-profit and these companies will not provide grants if the competitor is funding you.
I am sure that they will start a marketing campaign but it will look different from Walmart Moms.
Personally, I think it is great that they responded.
My guess is they won’t consider it because they don’t want to be seen as “copying” Walmart. After all, Target is supposed to be better than Walmart, right? If they “copy” them, they could be seen as lowering their standards. Me thinks Target dropped the ball on this one and realizes that Walmart made a really good move. Now Target is going to have to come up with something bigger and better than just “Target Moms” to knock our socks off.
Now, it’s not my opinion. I think Target Moms would be really cool, and I’d love to be one, if I didn’t have to drive 2 hours to get to a Target. But, I really have to wonder if that’s what some of their advertising gurus are talking about in the boardroom.
Well at least you got a response, i emailed them too. Target snobs, lol.
It’s a form letter. They probably didn’t even read it. And to think I kept the Munster, Indiana store in business up until this last year when we moved.
Ouch. Not the best way to handle it. They could have at least put someone on Twitter to follow the conversation and ask/answer questions.
Dang, I like Target but if they aren’t willing to listen to their biggest customer base (shopping moms) then who are they going to listen to.
I love how it says “sorry for any disappointment”
I mean, i sent them a one paragraph email suggestion, NOT a full on marketing proposal. LMAO
It looks as though their “Guest Relations” could use some improvement, too…
Ok, I can’t let this go…my thoughts…
First, What absolutely bad timing of them to write back to you in that manner – right before Christmas, when we are all spending money. Hello…leave it open ended and then shut us down after Christmas. Bad PR move Target!
Second…They are the major sponsor behind Momversations…I like this site, what they do, A LOT…so I find it odd that Target isn’t AT ALL interested having a mom-centered group. So they want our money but not our minds…nice.
In any case…they need a new PR Team, I’d say!
One more shot at alienating some big retail bucks during a critical holiday season and economic period. Not a smart move Target but it’s your business to run into the ground if you see fit. WalMart already alienated me; you guys are on your way!
Boo!
I agree, sounds very snotty! Made it seem they were above help from mama’s! Clearly they didn’t get the message that we pretty much make the world go round!
Their loss!!
Mahalo Trisha! You rock! I bet we’ll see something in the future..just hope they don’t piss off more of us Moms in the interim. BAD! Target! (as I shake my finger at them!)
Maybe they’d change their minds if moms stopped shopping there. Although it did say they rely on their team members, so what if one of us got a job at Target, then suggested this idea? Then their form letter wouldn’t be relevant.
Sounds like another famous form letter cut and pasted by someone in another country.
blah. thats sad
I love Target.
OMG
What idiots. You would think they would jump on this idea to get moms in support of them over walmart. So Stupid!!
I would go to walmart over target any day!!! Snotty!!! They couldn’t have changed my mind…..a good blog post might have done that =)
Their focus has been on bringing the high-end brands to consumers in an affordable way. It’s just very different than tapping into the mom side of things. If anything, I bet Target would go for the teen to twenty-year olds for WOM marketing. But it certainly is the mom dollar getting spent at Target!
My dreams are dashed! I wanted to be the Target Twenty Moms. Oh well. Kmart?
Uh yeah, that does seem pretty snotty to me!!