Focusing on All Customers
The departure of Rick Gomez (Chief Commercial Officer) and the retirement of Jill Sando mark a definitive break from the previous administration.
Gomez, was the primary architect of Target's purpose-driven marketing, to the point that he seemed to almost willfully lose the thread on what it means to be a mass merchant. "Purpose is everything," he once offered to the general bafflement of investors. "We don't think of ourselves in the business of selling stuff... we think of ourselves as bringing joy to all families."
Target has always, always, been in the business of bringing joy to families by offering clean discount stores selling surprisingly upscale clothing and accessories. Everyone who respected the space and the mission was welcome. That's how Target attracted a higher-end customer.
As my dad used to say, "rich people like deals too, they just won't go to a dump to find them."
Fiddelke is bringing a sense of urgency to getting back to that very basic, politically neutral mission.
If the new leadership can ensure that mothers never have to buy clothes off a "filthy rack" and that human interaction returns to the checkout, Target may finally recapture the affluent suburbanite who has drifted toward the consistency of Costco.
