The Partnership that Will Destroy a Millennial Girl's Budget

If there are two things we can count on, it's that there will always be a crowd of young women in any given Target store, and that HGTV will maintain a following dominated by the same demographic. Recently, a partnership was announced between Target and Fixer Upper stars, Chip and Joanna Gaines, that immediately stirred up excitement and anticipation. The new product line will be called Hearth and Hand with Magnolia and will feature home/lifestyle designs created by the pair of brands. The launch is projected for the beginning of November. Fixer Upper fans and Target fans alike are eager to get their holiday shopping started with this exclusive line.

Not only am I one of those millennial girls impatiently awaiting November 5th, but I'm also impressed with the marketing behind the idea of the partnership. Without a doubt, Chip and Joanna Gaines have some raving fans who don't consider themselves loyal Target shoppers. And surely there are Target fanatics who have never sat down to watch an episode of Fixer Upper. 

What this partnership is doing is two-fold. Those people who are both Target and HGTV addicts are very pleased with both brands and they aren't holding back on the praise! There has been a measurable increase in buzz surrounding them ever since the announcement. But beyond that, Target and Chip and Joanna Gaines have combined their pools of consumers. Those who don't shop at Target but love the Fixer Upper stars are likely to drop in and check out the collection. Target will gain customers it otherwise might not have been ale to reach! Those who shop at Target regularly but don't tune in to HGTV for Fixer Upper will be exposed to the brand during the launch in November. If they like the products, they might have a newfound interest in Chip and Joanna's show! The couple will likely gain viewers they wouldn't have been able to reach without physical proof of their design style and taste located in Target stores. 

So the countdown begins...38 days until my bank account is drained and my budget is history! 

In the Box Marketing

Out of the box...

It's usually those extra creative ideas that grab attention and get consumers hooked on a product. Ironically, the strategy I'm interested in is the exploding market for boxed delivery services. All kinds of companies have taken an "out of the box" idea, packaged it in a box, and delivered it to the doorsteps of consumers who love a good monthly service. We've got monthly subscriptions for boxed meals, pet toys and treats, clothing, international snacks, jewelry, and so much more!

Is this market expanding so rapidly because of the convenience it offers consumers? Is it the excitement of receiving packages? I think it might be a combination of the two.

Why spend hours planning your meals for the week, deciding what ingredients you will need, and shopping in the busy grocery stores that are probably sold out of something essential? Boxed meal delivery services like Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and Home Chef capitalize on appealing to our desires for convenience and for saving time. They emphasize how easy it can be to provide quick, easy, balanced meals for you and your family when you subscribe with them, and they offer opportunities to invite your friends to the service and earn free meals.

Any why go visit a physical store where you have to wait in lines and push through crowds? Monthly services like BarkBox and Rocksbox will use some preferences you provide in order to fill a box with pet toys/treats and jewelry, respectively. Every month, you can look forward to that package arriving at your house. The contents of the box are designed to fit your personal tastes and styles, but you never know ahead of time exactly what will be inside. It's like receiving a special gift every month!

In a generation where receiving mail other than bills is a rarity and where time is more scarce and valuable than ever, any company that gets on board with boxed delivery services is bound  to have some success. It's now a thrill to receive packages and a stress reliever to find anything that helps save time for family, friends, adventure, etc. I believe the lifestyle of convenience will increasingly dominate the market, and it will become ever so important for businesses to gear toward it.

Prank Marketing Is Not All Fun and Games

I've always loved a good prank. I grew up watching TV shows centered around these elaborate plans. I follow accounts where friends or couples compete relentlessly to present the other with the best scheme. It's an addictive thing- watching something happening to someone else and thinking, "I would be SO angry or embarrassed if someone did that to me," and yet finding it hilarious at the same time.

It's no wonder brands would eventually think to infiltrate the market with this funny way of entertaining and grasping attention. Continually pushing pranks further and further to test boundaries, it was only a matter of time before a precedent was set. The 2009 marketing campaign of Toyota represents what going too far in prank marketing looks like, and it stands as a guide for other brands toying with the idea.

The Toyota strategy was a scheme to gather the personal information of unknowing individuals. People were encouraged to prank their friends by granting Toyota access to their email addresses along with other private information. The friends would later receive an email urging them to take a personality test. However, to get the final result, the participant had to agree to the terms of service, which discretely included giving permission to be contacted across all mediums. Over the next five days, they would receive emails, phone calls, and texts from a mysterious individual somewhere else in the world. The messages were harassing in nature and often inflicted fear on the people being pranked. At the end of the fifth day, they would receive a final email explaining the joke and that it's intention was to market the new Toyota Matrix. The mysterious person who had been scaring them was Toyota all along.

While some people did find this funny, many were angry. Amanda Duick, a self-proclaimed victim of the prank, felt she had reason and power to sue Toyota. Her lawsuit addressed the issues of emotional distress, negligence, and false advertising. Because of the prank, she believed she was being stalked and that her safety was threatened. It seems Toyota crossed the line with this strategy. They lost a $10 million lawsuit and cast a dark shadow on the concept of prank marketing, ensuring that brands to follow would certainly be more cautious.

Chick-fil-A: A Permanent Fan Favorite?

What's your favorite fast food restaurant? I'd feel pretty confident guessing it's Chick-fil-A. This famous chicken chain has secured countless titles including "Number One in Customer Satisfaction" and "America's Favorite Chain." How have they managed to remain so unrivaled despite all of the competition flooding the market for chicken? The obvious- they deliver consistently high quality food, they have mastered customer service, and the restaurant environment is welcoming and clean. But what's more intriguing is their ability to hold their high position in the minds of consumers even when faced with controversy surrounding the company's values and beliefs.

In 2012, Chick-fil-A expressed that the values they were founded on include an opposition to same sex marriage. As an openly Christian company, this should not have come as such a shock to the public, but the response was rage and uproar. There was never a comment made that would suggest the company thinks less highly of this particular community, or any implication that service would be different or withheld. Nonetheless, protests were strong and a very large portion of the country was fueled with anger. As would be expected, Chick-fil-A took a dip in overall popularity while this was dealt with, but was STILL considered the most favorite chain in several studies. How did it survive being in the shadow of one of the country's most controversial and emotionally-powered issues of the time??


I think it is owed to their fearlessness in projecting their beliefs. Corporate Chick-fil-A had to have known that an announcement about their stance on gay marriage would hurt their public image. But they spoke on the subject anyways because their values are more important to them than profit, and that's an admirable quality to many people. As an employee of Chick-fil-A during this time, I was able to witness first-hand the overwhelming support that balanced out- and even surpassed- the number of people who were protesting and angry with the company. Consumers flooded each store on Chick-fil-A appreciation day, setting records in the midst of all of the controversy. Refusing to leave their beliefs out of their brand image and marketing strategies proved beneficial in this case, rallying support and an even more loyal fan base than before. Chick-fil-A survived something that should have destroyed it. They're a permanent fan favorite, it seems!

Hello Fresh Definitely Knows Its Target Market

Hello Fresh has rapidly gained attention in the culinary world. Of all boxed meal delivery services, Hello Fresh seems to come up in conversation most frequently and certainly has a significant base of raving fans! So in a generation of immediate gratification and the need for ease in every activity, how have they managed to stand out against the many other popular boxed meal delivery services? Their marketing strategy. They know who they are targeting and how to reach and influence them most successfully.

Hello Fresh is aware that they appeal to a younger crowd- the trendy, busy bunch of people. The ones who spend a lot of their time online and bouncing back and forth between different social media platforms. So of course they have been successful by deciding to use social media as their main marketing tool.

They recruit bloggers and other influential people online to promote their brand via blog posts, discrete plugs, and beautiful images of their products. When people see these posts, often accompanied by #freshfriends or #hellofreshpics, they are first and foremost drawn to the product. If they haven't heard of it before, they might do some research. If they knew of Hello Fresh before but are now seeing it promoted by someone whose opinion they trust, the brand has just gained some valuable credibility. Beyond brand attention, the social media hashtags give other Hello Fresh users, those who have not even been recruited to represent the company, the opportunity to post their own images and join in on the conversation.

Hello Fresh reaches and draws in new people at an exponential rate because social media promotion creates the perfect environment for targeting the correct market for their brand. Every post strategically draws on the ability to multitask, eat healthy, save time, and spend more time with loved ones- all prayers answered for the young generations! They've even managed to to get their new users involved in promotions... follow this link to get $40 off your first box!!
https://share.hellofresh.com/x/WP3zVm