Brand education effort continues

Target is making a lot of the right moves with the launch of its new up & up brand by communicating with consumers through a mix of floor graphics, shelf talkers, side panels on end caps and ads that began appearing in its circular in late June. Those tactics are effective at increasing awareness that the Target brand has changed to up & up, but education efforts so far have yet to explain why the change was made. In fact, it’s been just the opposite with ads touting, “same great quality, same great price.” If the quality and price are the same, what motivation do existing Target brand customers have to buy the new brand, and why would customers who weren’t buying the Target brand give up & up a shot, since it is the same as brand they weren’t buying to begin with? Attractive packaging, an interesting logo and promotional efforts will garner attention for up & up, but without some sort of claim around “new and improved,” existing and new customers have no more incentive to purchase the new brand than they did the old one.