The popularity of its Drive Up offering has led to recent expansions, including adding Starbucks to your order and the soon-to-launch Returns feature. According to Mark Schindele, Target’s evp and chief stores officer, “Our journey to expand our fulfillment options starts with making it easier for our guests to shop with us.”
Attributes: Convenience, Simplicity, Ease.
Serving up comfort entertainment: HBO
HBO recognizes Sunday Scaries are all too real and a lot of people dread Sunday night with anxious anticipation for Monday. How do they meet people where they are?
They flip the script. HBO makes Sunday their premier programming block by featuring award-winning shows like The White Lotus, The Last of Us and Succession to deliver much-needed escape, entertainment and social connection.
HBO has been so successful at this that, for decades, HBO has owned Sunday night programming. At a point during the early 2000s (think peak Sex and the City, The Sopranos), the network was so synonymous with the day that they briefly had a Marketing slogan: “Sunday is…HBO.”
The business validation comes in many forms, ranging from trending social stickiness to skyrocketing ratings, even when in competition with tentpole events—The Last of Us brought in a series record 8.2 million viewers when it aired in competition with The Oscars. Viewers look forward to a new episode of these shows all week, and the “can’t miss or be plagued by spoilers” angst is so high, it’s one of the only streamers that have cracked the code on how to set up a calendar block in an age of on-demand, always available content.
Attributes: Immersion, Escapism, Social, Entertaining.
Staying reliable: Costco
Costco has committed to keeping the price of their beloved hot dog and soda combo at $1.50 because, at a time when everything else is getting more expensive, Costco believes you should still be able to get a quick meal at an affordable price. What might seem like something small or inconsequential is actually a statement.
Costco is known for a lot of things (free samples, anyone?), but most of all, it’s known for affordable, low-cost prices. What they’ve done in proclaiming the price of this hot dog will stay is really an acknowledgment that it won’t put the revenue-generating burden on its consumer, who chooses to shop with them because they are price-right.
Last summer, Costco prided itself on a member retention rate of about 93%. Looks like their approach to meeting people where they are is paying off.
Attributes: Comfort, Consistency, Reliability.
No hidden fees, no problem: Airbnb
Airbnb travelers were frustrated by fees they felt were not well disclosed when they booked their travel accommodations, sending their total price much higher than what they had expected. Airbnb then released a new feature, Total Price Display, that prioritized total price over nightly price in their search algorithm so that it’s simpler and clearer than ever to see your pre-tax total.