blog two / wal-mart vs. target

so / the other day, I made my first trip to wal-mart. and survived.

it wasn't that bad. or maybe, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I was actually pretty proud of the fact that I never had been to a wal-mart.

never had the need to go to wal-mart. 

or the desire. there was always the better alternative [target].

I like target. love target. target is cool.

wal-mart is not cool.

but yesterday, the need to shop for inexpensive food items [to make my own lunch] was absolutley neccessary and since there was not a target nearby / it was time to go to the nearby wal-mart. yay.

wal-mart vs. target /

its interesting just how different the two are / you'd think they would be more similar because the basic target audience is sort of the same / they offer low-prices on everyday items / BUT the type of people that shop at each place is SO different.

target seems vastly superior and more sophisticated than wal-mart.

not only in the shopping experience but in the branding.

there is a certain level of sophistication that goes into the target brand. into its advertising. into the environment.

into the product displays. and yet, it still also retains a certain level of "friendliness" in the shopping experience.

there is really absolutely nothing sophisticated about wal-mart.

although, there is something to be said about their new marketing campaign ... a little more universal.

but the thing is ... wal-mart seems to be very secure in the idea of just who their target audience is ...

they do not seem to be interested in attracting a wider range / they seem pretty happy at the type of shoppers that shop there.

target, on the other hand is more of a melting pot / a nice mix of different classes.

young, old, affluent, students, poor, middle-class, families, singles, etcetera.

a lot can be said by just comparing their logos /

target: clean. minimal.

wal-mart: clunky and "horse-y" [and the recent re-design did not help.]

I found the selection of soups at wal-mart to be sub-par.

in both the brands available and the way they were displayed.

at target, the campbell's soup collection is in a pretty cool plastic dispensor case / the whole lot of flavours / sub-brands / traditional cans and microwavable versions ...

at wal-mart / the five different brands of soup were all thrown on a couple of shelves / mismatched [that is except for the top ramen and cup o' noodles, which were all neatly stacked along the bottom shelves in boxes] ...

and finally / the last comparison between the two ...

the smells when first walking in.

wal-mart /

"warehouse-y" ... like things in storage. a little bit stale and cold. 

and the smell of mcdonalds.

target /

sterile. department store-y. starbuck's coffee. and popcorn.

target wins.

but, wal-mart isnt that bad. I did get a big bag of fritos for only $1.77 ... great deal : )

blog one / 23

ok.
my first blog.
the premiere issue. my maiden voyage per se.
so, after flying the jolly roger and weighing anchor ...
away we go.

why all the hate on michael jordan and his hall of fame speech?
I thought it was really, really good.
very honest. funny. he allowed us all a glimpse into the real mike.
and its ironic, that after all the years of his critics, media and other jordan-haters asking him to be more "open" / to take a "stand on issues" / to not be so safe or so "vanilla" ... that when he does hold no punches and is honest, he gets criticized for that ...

I found his speech to be moving and funny and revealing.
I loved that he called people out and talked trash and provided reasons for his competitive nature and all the things said or questioned of him, that helped fuel the fire from within.

I love magic johnson and both he and larry bird may have saved the NBA when they made their mark in the 80's but MJ revolutionized the game of basketball. R E V O L U T I O N I Z E D. not only the way the game is played but marketed ... and how the game is viewed.
and B R A N D E D.

the "jumpman" jordan logo ... one of my all-time favourites.
its nearly perfect in its visual strength and messaging and in its beautiful simplicity.
and all the amazing wieden-kennedy commercials ...
and the shoes ... "its gotta be the shoes..."

but besides the basketball and the branding /
the thing about MJ that inspired me the most was his passion. his will. his work ethic. and the high-expectations he had of himself and those he worked/played with.

so ... all you jordan-haters, please stop calling him arrogant and save that for another guy from chicago, an a**hole named kanye.