#platformnews

Target Launches Digital Design Tool for Designing Dorm Rooms

What happened:

Target is helping first-time college students furnish their dorm rooms with an online platform that plots out a decorated room using a variety of the 400 products in the system’s catalog. Which is based on the students’ Facebook likes and interests, color palettes of their Instagram photos, and a quiz. 

Target is hoping the promotion will appeal to digitally plugged-in millennials who have grown up saturated with social media, by curating the images they like, and helping them with seeing a completed room ahead of purchasing the products in store. The back-to-school season is typically second only to the holidays as its customers’ biggest spending spree of the year.

Why it matters:

Target is evolving college back to school shopping, which has traditionally been rooted in store planning and shopping, to be online first prior to purchasing the products in store.

This approach of providing personalized content is showing how brands are working to stay relevant with their target and offering a customizable utility, with a clear purchase opportunity, as a way to move them down the purchase funnel.

Pinterest Unveils “Cinematic Pins” And Targeting Abilities

As part of an extensive new ad product roll-out, Pinterest introduced a new form of paid pin called “cinematic pins.” At first glance, they appear to be moving gifs with text copy to support. However unlike a gif that either auto plays or requires a click to begin, the motion of cinematic pins is activated by scrolling down. Pausing scrolling in terms pauses the video, immediately drawing the user’s eye. Pinterest now also provides the ability to target users based on age (providing clear access to the coveted millennial user), and deeper more specific interests such as gardening, street wear, healthy cooking, etc.