Dive Brief:
- Target on Thursday announced a holiday campaign, titled “Step Into the Holidays,” that positions the retailer as a hub for effortless shopping experiences, per a company blog post. A separate holiday campaign, unveiled earlier this week, sees the return of fictional store team member Kris K., who last year was dubbed “Hot Santa” by consumers.
- “Step Into the Holidays,” which launches Sunday, promotes Target’s top gifting picks and recognizes the role parents play in the season. The campaign will introduce new holiday characters, including the Get-Ready Yeti and The Gifting Mice.
- The “Kris K. is Back” marketing campaign promotes the joy of the holidays through the lens of the character. The first spot debuted this past Sunday and playfully highlights the character’s holiday wish list. The holiday strategy is informed by insights revealing that consumers are searching for joy as they navigate a tense macroeconomic period.
Dive Insight:
Target is attempting to rise above what many expect will be a tough holiday period with two campaigns that attempt to bring a little joy into consumers’ lives. “Step Into the Holidays” is informed by 80% of parents who say they are the “Chief Joy Officer” of their families, responsible for keeping spirits high.
Creative for the campaign sees consumers step through a magical gondola to the tune of Benson Boone’s “Mystical Magical” to see some of this season’s top gifts from brands, including E.l.f. Cosmetics and Hearth & Hand with Magnolia. The campaign also introduces the Get-Ready Yeti, an 8-foot-tall holiday character. Once Black Friday arrives, the character will transform into the Tinsel Yeti to serve as a holiday hype man and help consumers score the best deals.
Throughout the season, new ad spots under the campaign will introduce additional holiday characters, including The Gifting Mice and Buttons the Gingerbread. The Get-Ready Yeti will also come alive across multiple touchpoints, including in store, in the Target app and through the brand’s Gigglescape plush product assortment. “Step Into the Holidays” was made with partners including Mythology, Superprime, Jamm, EcoSet, PS260 and Heard City. This is the first time Target has created a stable of original holiday characters, per press details.
Separately, Target is betting on a familiar face for the season with the return of Kris K., its festive, “weirdly hot” team member. The fictitious character was successful in grabbing the attention of shoppers last season, having led to over 70 million views on TikTok under the hashtag #TargetSanta.
In “Kris K. is Back,” Target is emphasizing that the holidays should be a joyful period for connection, not a time that feels like a chore. Kris K. features in a 30-second spot that begins as one lustful consumer inquires about what the team member is into, to which he responds by rolling out a lengthy wish list. Kris K. then darts out of the scene to “put someone on the naughty list,” prompting his friend to flirtingly ask, “How do you get on that list?”
The return of Kris K. is inspired by the insight that over half of Americans say they’re prioritizing small moments of joy to help combat the stress of macroeconomic pressures. A sound holiday strategy is critical this season as consumers prepare to slash holiday spending by 10% year over year, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail survey. Additionally, over half of shoppers expect the economy to weaken over the next six months, representing the most negative outlook since Deloitte began tracking economic sentiment in 1997.
Alongside the Kris K. campaign’s first broadcast spot, Target debuted a cheeky video on social media earlier this week featuring a Target shopper who spots the character in store. In a playful nod, the guest is the same individual who called Kris K. “weirdly hot” in last year’s spot. In total, the campaign will include 10 spots spanning broadcast, streaming, radio and social platforms.
The Kris K. campaign also includes a heightened focus on the intricacies of the character, who the brand bills as a football fanatic, avid traveler and amateur DJ. The character will not only promote popular gifts of the season, but Target perks like same-day delivery and its Target Circle 360 membership program. “Kris K. is back” was created alongside Mythology and Hungry Man.
The retailer’s seasonal strategy arrives as it struggles with a turnaround following consecutive quarters of sales declines and declining consumer sentiment. Last week, Target announced it would cut 1,800 jobs. Longtime Target CEO Brian Cornell also plans to exit his role, effective Feb. 1, and will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Michael Fiddelke. Target’s second quarter net sales dropped 0.9% year over year to $25.2 billion.