Success Story
GetIntoTheGame.com (Target Corporation)
Target Corporation is a growth company focused exclusively on general merchandise retailing. Target's principal operating strategy since 1962 has been to provide exceptional value to American consumers through multiple retail formats ranging from upscale discount and moderate priced to full-service department stores.
The Challenge
Target's platform game division was relaunching its Web site (GetIntoTheGame.com) at the same time game publishers and hardware manufacturers were releasing new products in advance of the Christmas season. Target sought to solidify their position as one of the top five video game retailers in the United States. Sponsors funding the Web site had specific expectations set by Target regarding the number of registered members and unique visitors projected to visit and interact with the Web site. W3PR had four weeks to develop an Internet marketing campaign designed to meet sponsor's expectations.
The Objectives
The objectives for GetIntoTheGame.com were to increase unique visitor traffic and grow the registered visitor database with the lowest possible expenditures for paid advertising while still meeting sponsor expectations.
The Strategy
Based on our experience with Internet gaming, W3PR created a balanced Internet marketing mix using as little paid advertising as possible. W3PR researched Internet gaming venues and conservatively estimated the volume of registered members and unique visitors that could be guided to Target's GetIntoTheGame site using Grassroots and Viral marketing activities. Recommendations were made to ensure that each unique visitor received a valuable incentive to register improving the Web site's conversion-to-register ratio.
W3PR simultaneously calculated the Internet advertising budget required to attract the number of remaining visitors expected by sponsors.
Services provided included:
- Strategic Marketing Consulting (including development of a Traffic Forecast and Internet Advertising Budget)
- Search Engine Optimization and Submission
- Viral and Grassroots Marketing
- Pay-Per-Click Advertising Planning, Management and Optimization.
The Results
W3PR successfully relaunched the Web site, exceeding sponsor expectations while minimizing the total campaign budget. The campaign exceeded total monthly unique visitor and database growth projections by 10 percent and 50 percent, respectively. The campaign results were considered outstanding by the sponsors, who have agreed to continue funding the Web site for the next year.