Thursday, February 16, 2006

Thanks, but I think I'll take the subway.

Double-Decker buses are fashionable. Target is fashionable. And, British fashion designer Luella Bartley is fashionable. So we're all synced up here. But, well,
Britain
+ Double-Decker Bus + Target = This.
At least, that was my first thought.
(click photo, taken on Bond St.)

20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, but they're also giving out target-branded Kevlar jackets, so it's all good.

11:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thats my bus route!

I so miss the routemaster busses. Such a pity they decided to do away with them and replace them with the ugly 'bendy' busses.

12:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ha, I had similar thoughts while carrying a jaunty Target shopping bag during that sniper thing a few years back.

12:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, I don't know if it's all that bad...

3:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

man, i loved it. I <3 the collection...went to buy bright and early right when they opened at 10 am. How can you beat a cute hearts and skulls tote bag for $20 bucks. You can't. That's why I'm on the bus.

3:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sure beats going underground or the super crowded MTA buses. I've always thought they should bring over the double decker.

4:23 PM  
Blogger copyranter said...

The above 2 anon-a-posts are obviously by toadies who work for Target or their affiliated PR/ad agencies. So, just ignore them. Thank you.

4:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"man, i loved it. I the collection...went to buy bright and early right when they opened at 10 am. How can you beat a cute hearts and skulls tote bag for $20 bucks. You can't. That's why I'm on the bus.

Sure beats going underground or the super crowded MTA buses. I've always thought they should bring over the double decker."



Major metropolitan city on edge. Previous terror threats. Red bus already bombed in London. Yeah. That sounds like a good media buy and brand tie-in.

I'm thinking Miller & Bud should start sponsoring AA - only the domestic meetings of course. After all, it's untapped territory.

But that's just me.

;-p

4:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

this toadie actually works for a non-profit org in midtown. i am neither a blogger, nor an "other", thus am "anonymous".

the entire concept is catchy: the double decker, the collection, the fact that it's mobile, and you don't need to go into the Bronx or Brooklyn to access the nearest Target.

4:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"the entire concept is catchy: the double decker, the collection, the fact that it's mobile, and you don't need to go into the Bronx or Brooklyn to access the nearest Target."

Normally, admirable goals for a brand. But there is such a thing as bad timing. That Target and the agency that sold them on the idea don't both see that means either they are clueless, or worse, they knew it could offend some people but didn't care.

5:02 PM  
Blogger copyranter said...

The fact that they're selling stuff from the bus is quite nice. But, the overall concept is still quite queasy. Sorry, it's how it hit me.

5:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh, see, you're just encumbered by a soul AND a conscience.

shed those, and then you'll see how truly aweseom it is.

5:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous here. Copy, do you not take planes to travel? you shouldn't take the subway either. if you're so afraid of bombings, you really shouldn't leave your seat... ever. your london bombing argument is such a weak cop-out! you can do better than that! i don't think that the people of new york are going to see the bus and immediately think "terrorists" or "london bus bombing of 2005". it works exactly because there is no frame of reference here in the states. people are going to see it as a foreign novelty. it's brilliant.

5:27 PM  
Blogger copyranter said...

I take the subway every day. And sorry again, while personally I would ride this pretty bus all day if there was a reason for me to, putting targets on a red bus from London is not brilliant. What, you think New Yorkers don't still have a "frame of reference" (that's some fancy words) from a bombing that happened only 7 months ago? Please. But thanks for reading and thoughtfully critiquing.

5:48 PM  
Blogger ElMachino said...

Brilliant? Perhaps. Then I can't wait for the rickshaws. Now that'd be a novelty worthy of an imperialist retail juggernaut.

5:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sweet. We could have Google brand the rickshaws.

;-p

6:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Since we're calibrating right and wrong, a cure for AIDS or cancer is brilliant, not a red bus with Target logos.

Actually, I'm surprised Branson didn’t think of this first. Would've been perfect for Virgin Mobile. He gets more PR, [like he needs it] gets to play up on his brand's UK heritage and sells some phones along the way to boot, mate.

Plus, no messy underlying bomb references. Everyone’s happy and we aren't having this discussion.

Now that’s brilliant.

;-p

6:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe I can get a free ride across town by 'just browsing.'

11:33 AM  
Blogger LisaBinDaCity said...

That's just all kinds of wrong.

8:47 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So after writing Target Corporate to suggest maybe someone missed the mark re: appropriate placement, I get this today:


"Dear ,

I’m sorry to hear you’re disappointed with our advertising, but I hope you’ll accept our apologies.

Great products. Great value. That’s what you’ve come to expect from Target, and we want our advertising to send the same message. We try to represent our merchandise in a manner that’s reflects our company philosophy and image as a family-oriented store.

Your feedback is a big help to us; so we’ll be sure to let our advertising executives hear what you have to say.

Have questions or want more information? Give us a call at (800) 440-0680, or visit us on Target.com. You can also drop by the Guest Services Desk at any store. Either way, we’re all here to help!

Thanks for shopping with us. We hope to see you again soon at Target.

Matthew
Target Guest Relations

________________________

’Great products.'

New Target tagline:

“We’re always selling.”

10:57 AM  

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