WANTED: a Tourism Campaign that Works

FOUND! 

(Just beyond the cheese curtain).

Travel Wisconsin’s “HAVE YOU SEEN” campaign is brilliant.

Why?

It’s deceptive (but in a good way)
Advertising where you least expect it. By attempting to mimic the form of a homemade ‘Wanted’ / ‘Lost Dog’ sign, TW immediately peaks audience curiosity and gains attention.

It’s cheap (relatively speaking)
Baring the mark of an entry-level Lexmark. In opting for low-res photo finishing quality on paper no sturdier than what you’d use at home, Travel Wisconsin captures (and capitalizes on) the grassroots effort motif perfectly.

Beyond raw materials, TW pays virtually nothing for placement! By trading looming billboards and boring bus skins for paper pin-ups, the only deployment cost Travel Wisconsin incurs is the hourly fee shelled out to the guy with the staple gun.

The pull-through is cool, too.
After grasping your attention on paper, the website that awaits those that answer the CTA is astounding!

Maybe it wasn’t a matter of choice. With this robust of a web build-out, maybe the ‘HAVE YOU SEEN’ campaign HAD to be low-budget! TravelWisconsin.com’s “Fall Color Report” is an interactive web designer’s dream! Daily updates on the status of fall foliage by county, complete with social media-enabled photo sharing functionality? Bravo.

If you can’t beat ‘em, follow ‘em.

My walk to work takes me up Chicago’s famed Michigan Avenue.

I pass Grant Park and The Chicago Institute of Art, say “hello” to the faces of Crown Fountain and wave to Cloud Gate, (aka “the Bean”).

With each new block I pass dozens of tourists all smiling ear to ear as they snap and pose with our city.

It’s an inspired way to start your morning, so long as you can learn to hurdle over the slow walkers and lost meandering types.

But it’s a different story come fall.

Since Labor Day there has been a significant drop in tourism foot traffic on the streets of Chicago.

Kids are back in school and the days are drawing in.

As families shift their focus from full-fledged “vacation” to “weekend getaway,” Travel Wisconsin knows it’s time for B-string destination states to kick their promos into high gear.

WANTED: Chicago-made Money in Wisconsin

While the Windy City boasts architectural marvels, world-renown shopping and all the hustle and bustle that goes with city life, Wisconsin knows it can be fatiguing. What Chicagoans need most is a break from it all; the chance to get lost in the splendor of autumn.

Perfect timing, creative execution, and flawless follow-through, Travel Wisconsin; nicely done!

We’ll be venturing up 94 soon. :)

cityTarget concept ushers in new era of Big-box Retailing

CHICAGO - The doors on the historic Sullivan Center at the corner of State and Madison are back revolving.

Shuddered since Carson Pirie Scott’s exit in February 2007 – Target announced its tenancy early last year, spending much of the past 16 months rehabbing 124,000 square feet of floor space.

"Hello" right back at cha!

It’s the company’s first store in the Loop and first inside a national landmark – added to the city’s historic registrar in 1975, the 113 year-old Sullivan Center is a staple along the loop’s retail corridor.

With a grand opening date set for Sunday, I had an opportunity to sneak inside cityTarget - State Street’s NKOTB - yesterday afternoon.

::trying to conceal giddiness::

small is BIG (again)

Scaling back on the Big-box concept is all the rage right now.

Let’s face it; the balance between brick-and-mortar and online sales has reached maturity. In the physical realm, multi-channel retailers face slowed foot traffic and mounting overhead.

Urban (return) flight

Latest US Census data reveals urban living is up 12% since 2000 – faster than its suburban and rural counterparts with a combined growth rate of 9.7%. Not only are more people opting to live downtown but more attractive people.

We’re of course not referring to physical beauty – we’ll leave that observation up to you – rather, the notion of growth in key demographics – college-educated and well-paid, sophisticated next-gen families who are tired of spending weekend afternoons in the ‘burbs carting up essentials.

Here to stay

The Chicago store joins two other premier cityTarget concepts opening this week (LA and Seattle). With two more slated to join the fold in October, (San Fran and a second in LA), it’s more than a pet project for Target.

The retailer is hoping to join other industry pioneers like Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Home Depot already on the shrink-to-fit, urban-bound bandwagon.

Now for our take –

Target was my first employer, so I like to give ‘em a hard time.

1^st vs. 2^nd floor balance feels a bit off

Twenty years ago retailers liked to put the detergent in the back corner of the store.

Why?

It forced interested parties to traverse the entire floor; increasing the likelihood of impulse buys.

Well those tricks don’t fly today and they certainly don’t fly downtown.

The urban shopper is pressed for time (or at least he pretends to be). Shopping lists are for spur of the moment one-offs; their collection needs to be quick and easy.

She may be Target’s little sister but cityTarget is still a big girl (not ‘fat,’ as my mother would say, just ‘big’). Product organization needs to better promote efficient shopping.

It’s perfectly understandable to have greeting cards on the first floor – bath essentials and pharmaceuticals, too.  But candles and school supplies? Men’s and women’s activewear!?

Take a note from your neighbor just up the block – the first-in-class Walgreen’s flagship at Randolph and State. The bulk of cosmetics and home accents have been pushed upstairs, dedicating much of the first floor to grab-and-go food items, MTO counter space, and liquor.

cityTarget needs to implement two (more) distinct shopping tracks:

• Floor 1 – quick and easy essentials organized and stocked for shoppers that are looking to get in and out on their lunch breaks. 
• Floor 2 – intended for the casual, browsing shopper – all home décor and clothes, wider ranges of the essential product lines.

Are people going to buy bikes and free weights downtown?

By no means does this store feel cramped (and I walked the sales floor for the first time among herds of lethargic, starry-eyed gawkers). Still, with a wall of bikes and shelves of free weight barbells, you’ve got to wonder if some departments could stand to be scaled back further.

It’d be interesting to learn the breakdown of shoppers who drive vs. walk vs. arrive via public transit. I can’t imagine many patrons walk out with a bike, free weights or big screen TV’s.

No doubt still testing the product portfolio, it will be interesting to see how/if the product mix of the cityTarget concept changes much in the next few months/year.

cityTarget hits the next-gen retailing Bullseye.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t close with an accolade that overplays the obvious.

All in all, cityTarget is awesome. It’s the best of Target where you need it. The interior feels familiar but strives to pay homage to the architecture and unique needs of the people it surrounds. We’ll be regular patrons.

Is that the Most Recent Stock Photo You Could Find?! – Monday Gripe

I’ll admit I can be exceptionally bitchy on Mondays – and I’ve really nothing new to blame.

Like a dessert tray in the buffet of life, the weekend was pulled away before I could get my fill. As with the bulk of my 9-to-5 cohorts, I resent being shackled back to my office chair.

And so, things that might go unnoticed on [anything-but-Mon]day can really set me off.

This week’s culprit:
CONAN on TBS

Now, I’ve got nothing against Conan. There’s an authenticity in his self-deprecating humor that I find refreshing. And although I’m not a frequent connoisseur of Late Night, he’s always reigned supreme in my book. (It also doesn’t hurt he proved a significant contributor to some of the best years of my all-time favorite franchise, The Simpsons).

Well, today marks the start of a short, five day run of taping for CONAN here in Chicago. To drum up local excitement, (and no doubt glue more butts to seats), promos like this have been circling the Loop for weeks:

Now Conan looks good; his expression is authentic.  And the copy isn’t bad either – perhaps a bit over-hyped (even for sarcasm).

But that skyline…

I mean, could they not find a more recent picture? I’ve only lived in Chicago a year but even I can tell there are several key players missing. Where’s Trump Tower? How about the other half of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building? Is that even half the towers now occupying Lakeshore East!?

The shot selected has to be at least 6-7 years old.

Why does it matter?

It’s a local promo – I’d be less likely to rant if this was a national promotion and Chicago was secondary to the message. But Second City is the whole point and the ad is running here. Get it right.

Stock photos are a dime a dozen – You can’t tell me more recent shots of the skyline aren’t available. The variance in price between this and something current would be nil. Do your research.

It just feels disingenuous.

Details matter when you’re playing on someone else’s turf.

It’s as if Team Coco doesn’t take Chicago seriously; like they don’t feel they need to get to know/respect our city.

Care enough to get the details right.

::gripe over:: - :)

Hop off the subway and buy your groceries -- before ever coming up for air...

As we discussed last month in a separate review, online grocery shopping and home delivery services are still in their infancy. But regional leader Peapod is stepping up their promotional efforts with the installation of a massive, visually stunning campaign right here in the heart of Chicago.

Located inside the heavily traversed passageways of the CTA Lake St. Station – a Red Line subway stop serving the upper right quadrant of the Loop – the interactive promotion is both equal parts brand-building and revenue-seeking.

While Chicago is Peapod’s largest market, the online grocer first tested the virtual store campaign in Philadelphia train stations last month.

A Real Game-Changer for Advertising in Public Spaces

The nearly 60-foot tunnel was transformed into a virtual supermarket aisle overnight.

By more closely resembling traditional store aisle/shelf layout, the campaign does little to put would-be customers at ease with the very different buying experience presented to them on the web.

It does however articulate the hip/fresh energy of the brand itself.

Ad copy encourages smartphone users to scan and buy from an assortment of Peapod’s best sellers.

Two bonus incentives are designed to:
          a. attract new customers - $20 off first orders 
          b. earn their repeat patronage – Free shipping for first 60 days

But let’s face it; is anyone really going to buy from the ad?

It’s estimated that some 17,000+ passengers trudge through the Lake St. Station every day. Would you come to a screeching halt and start pointing your phone at a sticker; all the while immersed in a sea of fast-moving commuters and starry-eyed tourists?

So, no –a few may buy, but not many. But that’s not the point.

Although fundamentally both brand awareness and retailing, we don’t think anyone at Peapod is looking for the campaign to become a legitimate channel of distribution.

The installation is really all about generating buzz and encouraging online trial.

During the campaign’s 12 week run, it will coyly tease CTA train-riders; many no doubt over-worked and stretched for time.

Day in, day out – in its own omnipresent way – the promo will challenge city dwellers to re-envision their grocery-getting routine. With Peapod, you’ll no longer need to find the time or energy. You won’t have to brave inclement weather or lug heavy packs of soda and awkward shaped sacks of dog food.

Simply download the app or login online, build, save, and send grocery lists, and be dressed when the delivery guy comes a knockin’!

"Transfers Available via Peapod 'Virtual Store'"

Novelty Coke Machine Boasts Over 100 Choices…

Do you remember mixing soda fountain flavors as a kid? You’d scamper over to the self-serve machine, determined to fill your cup with equal parts Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, and, if you were feeling really adventurous, Pink Lemonade.

Oh, you still do that as an adult? I’m not the only one? Phew!

You’ll be happy to know that Coca-Cola has made soda-mixology a whole lot easier (all the while maintaining perceptions of our maturity).

Introduced back in 2009, the Coca-Cola freestyle machines are finally beginning to surface in select fast-food chains and drugstores.

Yay!

How can the machines offer so much variety?

Instead of drawing its ingredients from bulky 5-gallon boxes of syrup, Freestyle breaks tradition and employs compact flavor cartridges. The machine builds beverage selections using micro-dispensing and PurePour technologies originally developed to deliver extremely precise doses of drugs. The process blends the highly-concentrated ingredients with water and sweetener at the point where the beverage is dispensed. Genius.

What’s Available?

What isn't!?

As you can see, all colors of soda, energy and fruit drinks, waters, and seltzers. If you want it and Coke owns it, it’s here.

Pros:

For users – Freestyle offers novelty and a break from the mundane.

Tired of regular Diet Coke? How about infusing it with lime, vanilla or orange? By all means, get creative – pair original diet with varying parts of raspberry and vanilla.

For Coke – Freestyle offers real-time data and field reporting.

The machines are RFID enabled. Chips detect when ingredients are low and radio suppliers to refill. Freestyle also transmits daily reports including brands/flavor combinations sold, foot-traffic trends, troubleshooting information and service data.

Cons:

Ooh, a long line! Try again later. Like any new technology, there is a learning curve to get through before efficiency can be achieved. The machine, albeit intuitive, can be intimidating to first-time users. The selection process can be time-consuming as new users combat information overload.

More than Just a Pretty Face…

Seriously, I love this thing...

Sure, the machines are sexy and fun to use. And yeah, they are more efficient and easier to maintain than traditional soda fountains. But what Coke is really banking on is their ability to see into the future; crystal balls for the beverage industry, if you will.

With so many choices and combinations, Freestyle is field research!

Its ability to log and report consumption trends back to corporate serves as an R&D primer to product development. Data trends may help identify the rising popularity of certain flavor pairings or totally new genres (coconut water, anyone?). And so, rather than strict product distribution, Freestyle is a vital tool in Coke’s ability to sustain its competitive advantage.

What will your favorite flavor combo be?

Manicures and Made-to-Order Sushi…at Walgreens?

Believe it.

CHICAGO -- Today marks the grand-opening of a new “flagship” location for the nation’s largest chain of drugstores. Chicago-based Walgreens has returned to the corner of Randolph and State, a location where it operated a store between 1926 and 2005. The 2-story, 27,000 square foot concept boasts an exclusive collection of innovative offerings unexpected at a drugstore.

Erik Unger / Chicago Business

"This store brings together our most innovative, forward-thinking initiatives under one stunning roof," said Walgreens President and CEO Greg Wasson. "Just as we did with our store here in the 1920s, we're again offering the ultimate in service, convenience, assortment and community pharmacy. Customers will be delighted by a drugstore unlike anything they've ever experienced." (source: BusinessWire)

Innovations include:

Food and Drink

Food offerings can feel like an afterthought at traditional drugstores. At Walgreens’ “Up Market,” there are hundreds of fresh food items designed for life on the go. With made-to-order Smoothie and Sushi bars, self-serve frozen yogurt, and Baristas brewing exclusive State & Randolph brand coffee, the new Walgreens feels more like a boutique grocer.

Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune

And with a sheik, modern wine room boasting more than 700 labels, patrons have at their fingertips everything necessary to get the party started.

Self-taken. I find the wine conveyor belt at the top entrancing to watch...

Health and Beauty

The new store debuts “LOOK Boutique;” a concept boasting on-site beauty advisors and dozens of niche cosmetics, skin and hair care brands not typically found in drugstores. Additional prestige comes from an on-site manicurist and eyebrow-shaping station. And at the “Virtual Makeover” kiosk, Walgreens gives customers the ability to “try on” new cosmetic shades and styles virtually.

Jose M. Osorio/ Chicago Tribune

Pharmacy and Clinic

Encouraging greater interaction between pharmacists and patients is an on-going trend. Here, it’s taken to a whole new level. Armed with iPads and virtual health apps, the new pharmacy makes navigating a wide range of health and wellness products, services, and resources easy. The pharmacist is pulled from behind the glass and seated at a welcoming, “Ask Your Pharmacist” desk. The enhanced, open space now includes consultation rooms, “Express Rx” kiosks for fast checkout and even a multi-purpose area for hosting health-oriented community events.  The “Take Care” clinic is equipped to handle immunizations, basic diagnoses and treatments.

Erik Unger / Chicago Business

There’s Already One on Every Corner...

The market for drugstores in the U.S. has reached maturity. To grow same-store sales without cannibalizing traffic at next-closest locations requires the drugstore concept to be reimagined. By enhancing both the breadth and depth of products offered, drugstores must show patrons that they’ve grown to carry more than mere ‘essentials.’

Walgreens focused last month’s holiday commercials on generating precisely that type of awareness. The 30-second spots explored the notion that Walgreens was a less-crowded and -hectic, yet viable holiday shopping alternative to big box competitors like Wal-Mart and Target.  

From drugstore to “daily living” destination

The store at Randolph and State definitely raises the bar for drugstore retailing and sets Walgreens apart from its competitors. And although I wouldn’t expect the concept to be rolled out on a large scale, it remains a physical manifestation of Walgreens intent to expand beyond the traditional perceptions of what a drugstore can be.

The new flagship store is certain to erode market share from boutique retailers and grocers alike, as well as area fast-dining establishments and stat care units.

Are you intrigued yet?

Self-taken. I wonder why "CVS" isn't on the list? They have quite the presence here as well. ;)

If you’re planning a visit to the Windy City this year, be sure to swing by the new store! It’s right next to Macy’s!