Target Back-to-College Promotion

Target retained Grand Central Marketing to manage a back-to-college promotion targeting college students at 13 universities, including MIT, Arizona State, Texas A&M and the University of Colorado. One afternoon in each market, buses adorned with the Target bullseye logo ran free roundtrip service from the campuses to local Target stores, introducing college students to the "Fun, Fast and Friendly" shopping environment at Target. GCM student promo reps played trivia games and gave away Target gift cards and coupons on the buses. Campus reps pre-promoted each event day through the distribution of posters and flyers and spread word among the students to help increase participation.

In each market, the promotion was a tremendous success. Over 9,000 students rode the buses over the course of the 13 events. Participating Target stores reported sales increases across the board, ranging from 7% to 35%. The sales at one store were up by more than $60,000 for the day, and increased by 12% for the week.