Target Cartman

A two-day sale with a very special character

Yes, The Target Black Friday advertising campaign. Black Friday is a hard time to get anyone’s attention, with retailers competing to make their sales and discounts the ones people act on. Target wanted to build excitement around its two-day sale while expressing the fun, design-conscious personality that made the brand recognizable.

 

The work came from the team at BBDO, where Eitan was an associate creative director at the time. The challenge was to make the sale feel like Target across a broad campaign, giving people something to enjoy as well as a reason to shop.

Industry

  • Consumer Goods
  • Services

Services

  • Animation
  • Writing
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Meet the shopper who would go to any length

The team created Cartman, an intrepid little shopper whose determination to reach the sale gave the campaign a story to follow. He was introduced in four television spots, each showing the lengths he would go to in pursuit of his destination. The character brought a sense of fun to the invitation and gave the work a recognizable presence that could carry into other formats.

Cartman also appeared in print, in building projections, in the subway and on YouTube, taking his mission into the places people encountered the campaign. He gave people someone to follow through all that Black Friday noise.
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Cartman went wherever the campaign did

At the end of the films, viewers were directed to Target’s website, where an online game continued the adventure across more than twenty chapters. That extension gave the campaign room to move beyond a short appearance in an ad and into something people could play.

Cartman connected the different parts of the work, from television and outdoor appearances to the longer experience online, so the campaign remained recognizable as its format changed. The sale was the starting point for four films, an online adventure and appearances around the city. For a sale that lasted two days, Cartman certainly got around.
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