Marketing Challenge

For years, Target has lead the industry with its innovative gift cardsófrom the first card made from rubber (a rubber ducky) to the first bubble-wand card, to the first card with a built-in video game. These uncommonly cool designs help keep gift card sales high at Target, and keep the retailer a giant step ahead of the competition on creativity and style.

For Winter 2008, Target wanted to Wow! guests once again with a brilliant gift card that would create enough buzz to virtually market itself.

Campaign Objective

ï Design a new, highly notable gift card, that would create maximum buzz and drive sales.


Target Audience

ï Target core guests: moms with kids living at home

ï Teens and tweens


Creative Strategy

To get the buzz on, we had to concept a new gift card with design as pioneering as any weíd ever done in this category. Our end result, the digital-camera gift card, was indeed forward-thinking.

ï Card ìpackagingî had to make the concept ultra clear to guests and their kids and help upsell other gift cards.

ï We highlighted the novelty and entertainment value of the card (Hey! Iím going to use my camera to buy a camera!*) to show that the days of two-dimensional gift cards are gone forever.

ï We also drew attention away from the premium price of the camera by promoting the extras, including a USB cord, driver disk software and a voucher redeemable in-store for 40 free prints.

ï Finally, we balanced the groundbreaking technology of literally turning a camera into plastic currency with a simple, streamlined design that suggests the camera is even easier to use than disposable ones.


Evidence of Results

ï The digital-camera gift card was the main feature in 11 out of the seasonís 21 Target gift card editorial placements, including WCCO-TV News.

ï Target Community Relations chose to give five thousand free digital-camera gift cards to K-12 students as part of its 2008 Field Trip Grants program.

ï The card was the subject of intense discussion and scrutiny among bloggers, including Gizmodo, as well as in national media.

ï A core group of gift card collectors and aficionados chose the card as a must have.

ï Once again, Targetís long-standing reputation as the leading innovator in the gift card market was confirmed.

* Source: ìCard Tricks,î New York Times Magazine (online), Dec. 21, 2009.