Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image. ~ David Ogilvy
This year Target is employing a new holiday promotion strategy, teaming up with Neiman Marcus to offer exclusive high end merchandise. As Laura Heller of Forbes notes the holiday collection is a result of Target’s year-long shift towards multichannel retailing. And as indicated by Vanderbilt University’s Marketing Professor Steven Posavac during an interview with Nightly Business Report’s Tom Hudson, Target is getting the better end of the branding deal. There’s a potential upside for Target, appeal to shoppers’ luxury aspirations, while there’s an inherent downside for Neiman Marcus, a loss in brand exclusivity.
Target is venturing that the Neiman Marcus collection will drive momentum forward from the early days of the Black Friday start to the final days of the Christmas shopping season notes Thomas Lee of the Star Tribune. In addition, according to Target’s Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Jones, the future lies in creating content that will enthusiastically be shared by brand evangelists. Further, Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren recognizes the rise of the omni-channel consumer in his recent interview with Ruben Ramirez of NBR, which makes the case for appealing to shoppers online. YouTube’s Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday 24 Collection video is one such example of shareable content, which by the way shows the designers are poised to benefit from their association as well.
So, what do you think of Neiman Marcus and Target’s collaboration? How do you interact with retailers? Share your thoughts about your favorite brand partnerships.
Vanaja R.
Copyright © 2012 My Marketing Nirvana. All rights reserved in all media.
My "Marketing Nirvana" 
Nancy Arter
/ Wednesday, December 12, 2012I agree — I think Target gets the better end of this deal. However, I would think that there ARE many more Target shoppers than Neiman Marcus shoppers — so perhaps what will come out of this is a “medium” brand that Target can sell, while keeping the really high-end items at Neiman Marcus so that exclusivity perception stays put.
It’ll be interesting to see how this works out for both retailers.
I really like Bloomingdale’s online presence. I never used to even think of them — as I just assumed that their pricing was out of reach. But they have an awesome online presence and great sales. Now that I have started shopping on line with them, I get special offers geared towards my interests — they are very creative in their online efforts. I interact with them almost exclusively online and am really enjoying the new relationship with them!
nrvana
/ Thursday, December 13, 2012Nancy, thank you for your brand insights and the scoop about Bloomingdale’s online presence! The site is hip, modern, and well organized; looking forward to adding the retailer to my shopping mix:)
shobhasky
/ Monday, December 10, 2012The collaboration should work well for both, especially for Target. Their consumers most likely will feel they are benefiting from the esteemed value of Neiman Marcus.