Target Rebrand
New brand creative to reinvigorate the Australian retail chain
Target is Australia's largest and oldest department store chain founded in 1926. It has 302 stores and employs 16,000 people with annual sales of AUS$3bn, and is owned by the Wesfarmers Group. When I joined Target our shared ambition was to rejuvenate the brand through better relevance with its customer base, given that the brand had once been the go-to store for Australian families but was no longer that place.
My vision was to deliver a creative plan that was anchored in brand strategy and aligned to the business plan. I would do this by ensuring world-class creative standards across all channels. To do this, I had to identify and develop creative talent which is not as widely available in Australia as it is in the rest of the world. Identifying and retaining this talent would be crucial in delivering the brand positioning required.
We started by refreshing the existing brand identity, making it softer and less 'shouty'. Next, we undertook an overhaul of existing processes and a review of all creative suppliers. With the 90 strong internal design team, evaluation of capability was needed and was done through performance management and reward. The Brand Design department was born. Deliverables included: brand guidelines to ensure a consistent brand look and feel across all channels, campaign concept creation, new website and digital platform design, catalogue re-launch. A Digital Asset Management System was on-boarded with the new production partners, cutting weeks off the programme of brief to delivery, and saving millions of dollars in the process.
The new brand creative first entered customers' homes through online platforms, catalogue and TV ads.
Below left: a slideshow featuring the new back-to-school campaign, including catalogue, in-store treatment and digital channel. Click the arrows to view the images.
Below right: the Back-to-School TV that featured this campaign creative.
Below is a slideshow of the Father's Day campaign creative. Click the arrows to view the images.
The catalogue is still the most important and successful marketing channel in Australia. When I joined Target, it looked dated and poorly designed. Below are a few examples of the new look catalogues that showcased best in class photography and art direction, and page layout design.
One of the key contributors to change was a new approach to photography to create world-class images through imaginative art direction and by partnering with new up-and-coming photographers. Below is a slideshow of some of my favourite photos. Click the arrows to view.
When it comes to photography, I like to be hands-on to inspire the team with my passion and energy. Click the link below to view a time-lapse video of the summer shoot.
