Target's "ubiquitous bull’s-eye logo" is now featured on Wrigley Field's outfield wall, a marketing move that "represents a whole new ballgame," according to Thomas Lee of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The Target logo is on "maintenance doors located amid the ivy that clings to the famed outfield brick wall, a key part of Target’s multiyear marketing deal" with the Cubs to promote its new CityTarget store. Target's relationship with the Cubs "goes back to 2011, when the team hired the retailer’s commercial interiors arm to design and furnish office space a few blocks from Wrigley Field." Target officials "wanted to position the CityTargets as neighborhood stores that could convey a sense of community and urban identity." Chicago-based retail consultant Brian Kelly said, "Wrigley Field is an icon in the community. Target is trying to establish a hometown relationship by using a hometown icon." Target in addition to the logo "gives away prizes at each home game, and also hosts a Back-to-School Day where fans under 12 receive a free Cubs/Target branded back-to-school gift" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/20).
ENOUGH WRANGLING OVER WRIGLEY: A CHICAGO TRIBUNE editorial states the Cubs "got pretty much everything they wanted" at a "crucial Plan Commission meeting Thursday, making it a lock that the City Council will approve a Wrigley Field renovation plan soon." Chicago Alderman Tom Tunney's "last-minute appeal for a 10-year moratorium on inside-the-park billboards got no traction, and it's easy to see why." The business of the Cubs "should not be hamstrung for a decade." Tunney has a "stronger argument against the pedestrian bridge" the Cubs plan to build from Wrigley to a nearby hotel as part of their $500M renovation plan. The city "shouldn't sign over public air rights for an advertising vehicle connecting two private buildings." There is "nothing left in discussion that's a deal-breaker," and it is "in Chicago's interest to break ground on this project now" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/22).
