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Comedian and actress Kristin Wiig reprises her famous Saturday Night Live character, Target Lady, in Target’s national ad campaign for its new membership program.
Wiig’s character, which she created at improv and sketch comedy group The Groundlings and later became a fixture of SNL in the early 2000s, was a dim-witted and quirky Target employee with a bowl haircut and a great passion for her employer. Her small talk and enthusiasm for Target often baffled or irritated customers.
Now Target Lady is back, sharing her excitement for Target Circle, the retailer’s paid membership program that will launch on April 7.
12 spots starring Target Lady will run across TV, social media and digital platforms.
In one, the character has a realistic dream in which she realizes all the deals customers can score at Target. In another ad, she explains the “weird” things she does with peanut butter to a woman in the checkout line.
Former SNL writer James Anderson, director Tom Kuntz and Wiig created the campaign, with the latter ad-libbing a handful of lines that appear in the final scenes. The soundtrack is “Baby I’m a Star” by Prince and the Revolution.
The campaign’s debut also coincides with Wiig’s upcoming return to SNL, when she will host the show for the fifth time on April 6.
“Target Lady is incredibly special to me because it’s one of the characters I created at The Groundlings and ended up on SNL. She loves Target! I mean, who doesn’t?” Wiig said in a statement. “It was so fun to bring her back after all this time, and we had so much fun imagining the world Target Lady sees inside the store today.”
Along with the ads, the retailer will run its promotional event Target Circle Week from April 7 to 13, featuring deals for members including up to 40% off hundreds of seasonal items and a 10% off Target GiftCards deal.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking with guests about what they love about Target Circle, and we can’t wait for members to experience even more ease, savings and personal touches every time they shop,” Cara Sylvester, executive vice president and chief guest experience officer of Target, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to launch Target Circle’s next chapter with Kristen Wiig as the Target Lady during Target Circle Week, and, since there’s no cost to join, all guests can save even more with their personalized deals.”
