1. Staffing Target Stores
Viral Marketing:
Changing the Image of Target as an Employer
Expect the Best
Presented by:
Group 4 – Section 007
Drew Cymek, Katie Bennett, Arielle Pressau, Brian Austin

2. Objective
To attract the top candidates for both salary &
hourly in-store positions.
• Leadership
• Desire to work in retail
• Commitment & Loyalty
• Fast, Fun, & Friendly
(Barter, Theresa. Interview. 3 November,
2010)

3. Problem
Many top candidates have a negative perception of
Target as an employer.
People think of
working as cashier.
Comparable to a job
at Wal-Mart

4. Solution
Create a viral marketing campaign to change the
image of Target
• New image of prestige
• The focus will be on salary
associates
• Image will attract hourly
(Kleiman)

5. SWOT Analysis as an Employer

6. In Depth Look at the Problem
PERCEPTION OF TARGET AS AN
Survey 25: EMPLOYER
Mix of students and recent graduates
3 Questions asked:
• What is your perception of a job at
Target?
• What types of positions come to
mind?
• Would you consider applying to Negative Positive
Target? Perception Perception
Participants

7. In Depth Look at the Problem
POSITIONS PICTURED AT TARGET
Of the 25 participants
Other
• 17 – Cashier
Management • 4 – Management
Cashier
• 4 – Various positions

8. In Depth Look at the Problem
Negative perception Prestigious image
• Top talent will not consider • Top talent chooses prestige over
employment (www.recruiter.co.uk) pay (Vlerick Brand Management Centre, 2008)
• Candidates not hired elsewhere • Increases employee morale
will apply – less talented (Pruyn, et al., 2001)
• Retains top employees
(Pruyn, et al., 2001)

9. In Depth Look at Solution
Create a viral marketing campaign to change the image
of Target as an employer from an undesirable job to
a prestigious career.
The Viral Marketing Campaign:
• Focus on viral videos • Have a long-term effect of
the image, as well as
• Use social networking site and immediate ROI
video sharing site
• Create more knowledge of
the benefits and careers
available

10. Viral Marketing
Viral Marketing – strategic use of marketing tactics delivered
through media tools to stimulate spread of a message by
Word-of-Mouth (Deas, et al., 2009)
Viral videos – the use of online videos to spread the viral
marketing message
The focus of the
campaign will be viral
videos

11. Reason for Viral Videos
Create a new image of Target as an
employer
There is no cost to upload
No cost to spread the video
Does not change image as a retailer
Alternatives to change image:
TV advertising
Changing uniforms

12. Reasons for Viral Video
• 5.4 billion viewing sessions in October according to comScore.com
• 68% of college grads watch online video
• 89% of adults viewers share videos
(Dybwad, 2010)
(PewInternet.com) As a video is shared, views increase
exponentially

13. Success of Viral Videos
Old Spice Viral Campaign
Over 160 million views on
YouTube
Evian Viral Video
Over 30 million views on
YouTube

14. Implementation
The strategy of viral marketing campaign will include
using several videos with different focuses to
change the image.
• Humor
• Reality of working at Target
• Diversity
• Aspects of working (fast, fun, friendly)

15. Videos: Humor
Humor is essential to the success of a viral marketing campaign
(Be funny or don’t even try, what makes a video go viral?, www.marketingvox.com, 2010)
Target’s goals of humorous videos:
• Generate initial buzz (Sultana, 2010)
• Begin changing the image of Target
• Provide visibility for other videos
Launch & spread through Facebook
(2 million fans)

16. Videos: Humor
Parodies of existing commercials and viral videos (Scott, 2010)
Apple Target
Reverse of original perception

17. Videos: Reality of Target
“A day in the life of…”
Demonstrates what a
leadership role is at
Target
Current employees
sharing their
experiences

18. Videos: Diversity
Diversity is individuality. Target welcomes all.
Demonstrate Target’s
diverse culture

19. Videos: Culture
Videos highlighting each element of Target’s
culture: Fast, Fun, & Friendly
A face paced environment
A fun experience for
employees & customers
A culture focused on
friendliness

20. Conclusion
Problem: Target’s image as an Solution: Create a viral
employer is not prestigious marketing campaign to change
the company’s image.
Results:
• Videos will promote desired • The image change will have
image long-term effects.
• Top candidates will view Target • Cost effective strategy to
as a viable option change the public perception

21. Works Cited
comScore. (2010, Nov 15). comScore Releases October 2010 U.S. Online Video Rankings. Retrieved November 17, 2010,
from
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/11/comScore_Releases_October_2010_U.S._Onlin
e_Video_Rankings/(language)/eng-US
Deas, T., Elias, T., Malden, S. (2009). Viral Marketing: Industry Insiders’ Insight on the Impact of Diffusion,Variation, and
Selective Retention. Conference Paper—International Communication Association; 2009 Annual Meeting. P. 12, 15,
23. Retrieved fromhttp://proxy-tu.researchport.umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-
tu.researchport.umd.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=45286466&site=ehost-live
Dybwad, B. (2010, April 25). Word of Mouth Marketing – STATS. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from
http://mashable.com/2010/04/25/word-of-mouth-marketing-stats/
Kleiman, R. Recruit the Best Hourly. The Workforce Institute. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from
www.workforceinstitute.org/.../kleiman-recruit-the-best-hourly-06.pdf
MarketingVox. (2010, Oct 15). Be Funny or Don't Even Try. What Makes a Video Go Viral? Retrieved November 17,
2010,from http://www.marketingvox.com/be-funny-or-dont-even-try-what-makes-a-video-go-viral-047891/
Pruyn, A., Smidts, A., Van Riel, C. (2001, October). The Impact of Employee Communication and Perceived External
Prestige on Organizational Identification. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 44 Issue 4, p2. Retrieved
November 17, 2010, from http://proxy-
tu.researchport.umd.edu/login?ins=tu&url=http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-
tu.researchport.umd.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5412303&site=ehost-live
Recruiter. (2010, March 17). A good name is key to job candidates. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from
http://www.recruiter.co.uk/1004707.article?cmpid=REC06&cmptype=newsletter
Scott, Jeremy. (2010, July 23) Viral Video Lessons Round Up: Parodies, Pranks, And Fortunate Timing. ReelSEO: The Online
Video Marketers Guide. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.reelseo.com/viral-video-lessons-
parodies-pranks-fortunate-timing/

22. Works Cited
Sultana, Karl. (2010). Is Viral Marketing Still Effective?Buzzle—Intelligent Life on the Web. Retrieved November
17, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/is-viral-marketing-still-effective.html
Vlerick Brand Management Centre. (2008, Nov 3). Talent chooses prestige over pay. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from
http://www.vlerick.com/en/media/press/releases/9412-VLK.html