Comments on: TargetMoms and Walmart Moms

By: Step Ahead » Blog Archive » Target and Moms, Not a Match Made in Heaven

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:59:23 +0000

[...] turns out Target summarily dismissed their pitch to create a mom panel with one [...]

By: AprilTara

AprilTara — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:28:42 +0000

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.

By: Mom Blogs at MomDot » Wait a Minute. There IS a targetmoms Panel…

Mom Blogs at MomDot » Wait a Minute. There IS a targetmoms Panel… — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:49:27 +0000

[...] Pioneer woman twittering and in forums and leaving comments on blogs…kwim? And whats with the snotty email that I got and the nice one everyone else got. Was my customer service rep trying to get fired today and I was [...]

By: JNBP

JNBP — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:33:58 +0000

Well up their’s then!! PUNKS

By: Sarah at Ohana Mama

Sarah at Ohana Mama — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:54:34 +0000

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…

By: Trisha-admin

Trisha-admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:43:54 +0000

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.

By: Candace

Candace — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:29:02 +0000

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.”

By: Stephanie Elie

Stephanie Elie — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:55:59 +0000

That was a little rude – they could have been a little nicer about it. I was ready to be a targetmom too!

By: Trisha-admin

Trisha-admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:48:36 +0000

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.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:43:15 +0000

“kiss their asses!” = Professional?
I think that’s why you got a form letter.

By: TresCoutureClarissa

TresCoutureClarissa — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:33:07 +0000

LOL it was probably a copy/paste email. I love your go-getter attitude!!

By: Trisha-admin

Trisha-admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:05:20 +0000

Did i get the bitchy CS rep? LOL

By: Trisha-admin

Trisha-admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:05:05 +0000

Brandie, that was very interesting.

By: Brandie

Brandie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:48:33 +0000

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!

By: Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting

Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:56:19 +0000

oy.

By: Rock and Roll Mama

Rock and Roll Mama — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:43:43 +0000

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.

By: Amy M.

Amy M. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:37:00 +0000

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/

By: Linda S

Linda S — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:26:57 +0000

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…

By: Renée aka Mekhismom

Renée aka Mekhismom — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:26:35 +0000

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.

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:30:02 +0000

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.