On target

I was thinking about Target tonight. Who does their PR? I'd like to sit at their feet for a while. As great as it is to meet my fellow arts PR folks for the first time ("OMG -- you're Jo LaBrecque!?!?! We've been e-mailing since I worked at ______ in 2004!") I think we'd all do well to make frequent visits outside of The Arts (TM) community to learn from successful businesses elsewhere.

(As I write this I have Target's "Good Buy" ad campaign looping through my head:
Hello, hello!"). Tonight Target sponsored the opening night cocktail party, complete with food, beverages, and trapeze artists. (What?? That guy's climbing up a purple ribbon? That's amazing!) I don't know how active Target has been in communities across the U.S. but I know that they sponsor free Fridays at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in Manhattan. It was at a Target Free Friday that I met my husband on a cold January day, by the way. (Um...thank you, Target?)

Contrast Target's image with that of Wal-Mart, for example. Wal-Mart has been blocked from NYC completely. How did Target get in? Strategic sponsorships and community development? I've often wondered. Their image is certainly a healthy one. Shop at Target.  Live a meaningful life with lots of friends and happy families. Do good. Save money. Go see modern art in New York City. Have extremely white teeth. Climb up flowing lavender ribbons. WEE.

Speaking of branding, did anyone other than Mark Pemberton go to the branding panel this morning? I wanted to go so badly but I couldn't understand why it cost another $165 to attend the super secret closed session. What did my conference registration pay for if not to attend relevant, informative panels?

The same goes for "Putting Your Best Story Forward" with Mary Lou Falcone. I was dying to attend that session but the budget wasn't there. Does anyone have CliffsNotes? Trade you a bourbon and apple juice for a photocopy of them! Or perhaps a brain dump over said bourbon and apple juice?

<<sigh>> I guess, even if a) I had been able to shell out the extra cash and b) the session times had been disclosed to the laypeople, I still would have had c) a P.I.T.A. technology problem to deal with back at my booth. IT is great. Except for when it isn't.

posted by Sarah Baird, reporting live, dehydrated, and barefoot from her Eee PC. Thank you, Opera America, for margaritas.