Target says thrift is the new rich
Posted by Brent Dixon on February 9th, 2009
These Target spots came on last night during the Grammys. Man, I like them a lot:
They promote living well through frugality at a time when everyone’s feeling the weight of our whacked-out economy. As one YouTube commenter put it:
“Bad economy doesn’t have to mean life is going to suck, just means we need to be more creative.”
At the same time these spots position Target as the jumping off point for that kind of creativity. Agency Peterson Milla Hooks did a great job of wrapping an important message up with on-point positioning.
These commercials highlight what we probably all have noticed – the general consumer mindset has changed. Maybe not to the extent yet that it should be, but the “uncool” stigma attached to thriftiness is fading fast.
These are great spots. I appreciate how subtle they are about it instead of leading with the usual, “In these tough times…”
I do wish, however, it hadn’t taken The Greatest Depression Ever™ to make thrift this popular and stylish.
Right message at the right time. And, done with great production – film, music and talent. Love these spots.