After reading Natalie Tang’s post about Target’s expansion and their use of advertisements during the Oscars I wanted to add to what she wrote. As the company gets closer to opening their first retail stores in Canada they are certainly looking to raise awareness. Even though Target is widely known throughout the country, the company is looking to maximize their customer base. In addition to the fact that the theme and the background song attempt to appeal to consumer’s emotions, there’s some reference to Canada such as a maple leaf falling to introduce the ad, a flag moving with the wind and the use of logos to say “Target Loves Canada” which allow Target to actively “target” Canadians as the iconic Target dog travels across the country.

I agree with Natalie regarding their high chance of success, not only because of the brand being known but also because of the close cultural ties between Canada and the US. However, they will face a big challenge with the French speakers who mostly reside in Quebec. This province is culturally different to the rest of Canada and Target seems to acknowledge that. For example, the advertisement that ran during the Oscars is somewhat different for Quebec than the one broadcasted to the rest of Canada. First off there’s no maple leaf falling at the start of the ad and at the end it only presents the Target logo instead of “Target Loves Canada” logos. The background song is also different, it’s a French song called “viendras-tu avec moi?” meaning “will you come with me?” whilst the ad for English speaking Canada features “can’t wait to meet you neighbor.” These key differences might provide some insight into how the company looks to modify its business model to appeal to these very different customers (compared to English speaking Canadians and their cultural ties to the US).

Globe and Mail analysis of English ad. English and French ad versions.