While watching an Aussie Rules Football game (Geelong at Adelaide), I noticed that the stadium had advertising signs for Target stores, with the familiar red and white target trademark. But there aren’t any Target stores in Australia, are there? So why the Target signs?
Some simple Googling reveals that there is certainly Target in Australia. They even have a nifty website featuring a chick in her undies.
From their FAQ:
So there ya go.
Thanks, friedo.
Many of those signs you see on the walls of the stadium, or even the ones you sometimes see painted in the center or endzones of the field itself aren’t really there!
The TV networks use electronic wizardry to insert this advertising as if the sign was actually there in the stadium. But really, it’s just a blank wall there. Or even some other banner, that a local company paid to have there.
For this the networks get paid money by Target (or another advertiser). If Target puts a 60 second ad on the program, many viewers just get up and go to the refrigerator during that ad. But having their name & logo there in the background all thru the game gets them noticed (like you did). As for the network, they can get paid for this ‘background ad’, as well as still selling the regular advertising spots during the game.
And the reason you’re seeing them on an Aussie Rules Football game is because it’s being broadcast on a network that goes to viewers where there ARE Target stores. If the same game was shown on British commercial TV, viewers there might see a Guinness Beer sign where you saw a Target sign.
It used to be a joke when people said you couldn’t believe your own eyes. Not any more!
While you’re right that newfangled technology makes it possible for networks to sneak in background advertising, it’s still pretty expensive, and I doubt a US network would use it in a broadcast of Aussie Football, which is not a particularly popular sport here. It’s generally reserved for major games in the popular US sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey) and the Olympics.
If it helps any, there aren’t any Target stores anywhere near where I live, which is frustrating - and weird, because I’m 20 minutes walk away from the city centre!
I think the nearest Target to me is about 20 minutes DRIVE west.
Annoying, as I like Target. I look forward to returning to Melbourne, where such stores are in logical locations.
Melbourne resident here; there are definitely Targets. We also have K-Mart, but I’m not sure how similar either are to the US versions.
Basically they sell cheap clothes, electronics, books, outdoor gear, lollies and stuff like that, with a whole bunch of cash registers up the front. Is that similar to the US?
K-Mart was founded in the USA in 1899 and was launched in Australia in 1968 as a joint venture with Coles. More information…
Target Australia was founded when Myer bought another Australian retail outlet, but it’s not clear if there’s a US connection beyond the merger between Coles and Myer. More information.