Company nicknames: Is Tar-Zhay French for Target?
Posted by: in Marketing and AdvertisingFiled under: Consumer experience, Competitive strategy, Wal-Mart (WMT), Marketing and advertising, Target Corp. (TGT)
This post is one in a series on prominent company nicknames. See all 25, and share your thoughts and memories about Tar-Zhay below in the comments.
Have Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) shoppers all of a sudden become French citizens? In the last decade or so, I’ve heard many, many people refer to the discount retailer as “Tar-Zhay,” instead of the boring “Target.” Where did that pronunciation come from, you ask?
There are opinions all over on this one, but one strikes me the best. Target, despite its discount niche, has also become a favorite destination for fashion-savvy consumers who might otherwise shop at high-end boutiques — except for the fact they want a good deal. The French accent is a way of poking good-natured fun at the apparent sophistication of Target’s deal-seeking shoppers.
In fact, Target carries much of the same discount, commodity stuff we purchase at other retailers, but markets that merchandise in a cheerful and upscale way. The shopping experience, is clean, bright, and cheerful. Just look at the gleaming floors in your local SuperTarget and the white and red colors that make it seem like a test for the senses rather than a dull retailer. Bonjour, Tar-Zhay practically flows off the tongue, as a result.
Due to the retailer’s successful positioning of its upscale retail experience compared to larger competitor Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), it has competed on the same ground in a very determined way. Unlike most competitors who have challenged Wal-Mart’s self-imposed status of retail king, Target has marketed itself alongside the Bentonville behemoth with aplomb.
In the process, its enlightened retail shopping experience must remind many of us of shopping in the ritzy streets of a Paris clothing store. Hence, we make our way to Tar-Zhay for those well-marketed (but discount) clothes, food, and houseware products. Target, no. Tar-Zhay, yes.
I highly doubt Target’s corporate folk are pining to disassociate the company’s actual name with a take on it that sounds like an upscale retail destination in Europe. So as long as people are willing to trek to Tar-Zhay for their goods, it’s highly doubtful the company will care.
Achat à la cible aujourd’hui? That is, shopping at Target today?
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