NEW YORK — Target is welcoming holiday shoppers into the Academy of Giftology for a holiday campaign debuting in early November. The holidays are a key moment for retailers and Target is trying to keep up momentum for a turnaround plan that is starting to produce results.
Its latest seasonal effort, which was previewed at an event for press and analysts Tuesday, centers on a school with courses catering to different needs for gift-givers who are seeking more meaningful presents rather than just the cheapest ones. A Kidology Lab highlights trending toys while a Department of People Who Want Nothing works to identify what the most tight-lipped friends and family actually desire.
The idea comes to life in glossy ads for streaming and linear TV and social-first and creator-led content that the brand sees as important elements of its consumer outreach. Aspects of the academy’s design, such as plaid gift-wrapped decor, will also be reflected in Target stores, tying the ad creative closer to the brick-and-mortar experience.
“It was really important that we started with the store as our center place because that's the most important marketing vehicle, honestly, for our guests to engage with our brand,” said Target Chief Brand Officer Michelle Mesenburg. “It’s where they spend the most time, where they’re most immersed in our brand. It's also where a lot of our content creators and partners spend their time and create their content”
Gift-giving orientation
The big-box retailer enlisted “Hacks” co-creator and executive producer Lucia Aniello to direct the campaign content, which stars actor and comedian D’Arcy Carden as a humorous Chief Giftologist who guides people through the academy and is joined by a number of other faculty members.
Comedian and “Hacks” writer Pat Regan serves as the Last-Minute Gift Guidance Counselor while actor Jasmine Ashanti is the Head of Giftonomics, a role that instructs consumers on finding greater value for their shopping hauls. Rounding out the cast is actor Leith Burke as a Giftletics Coach and actors Veronica Osorio and Fernanda Romero, both of whom feature in Target’s Spanish-language marketing.
The lead spot, “Orientation,” sees Carden provide an overview of the Academy of Giftology while a series of additional ads dig into the specifics of various departments and specialities within the fictional institution, as well as perks for Target customers. The ad themed around toys will run earlier in the season to capitalize on a big-ticket item for parents and emphasizes that members of the Target Circle loyalty program can get up to 25% off popular products.
The full media plan spans broadcast, streaming, audio, out-of-home and social. Target also tapped composer Joshua Moshier and vocalist Kotomi on an original song, “Gift It Your All,” a new approach for its holiday marketing. Indie agency Mythology helped develop the “Holiday Academy of Giftology,” with production handled by Hungry Man.
Target will not be bringing back Kris K., a hunky version of Santa that generated social media chatter for the brand in recent years, for the 2026 holiday season, a spokesperson told sister publication Marketing Dive.
Creators across the board
Organic social content will provide a prelude to the campaign and hone in on individual characters’ personalities and interests, Mesenburg said. Target’s social content will also promote real-world activations like an Acts of Giftness initiative.
The holidays will also be a proving ground for Target’s revamped creator strategy, including a Club Target program that exited beta testing in May. Club Target is aimed at aspiring small and mid-sized creators on TikTok and Instagram and uses a gamified model to give out rewards to accounts that participate in weekly challenges, drive noteworthy engagement and generate revenue via affiliate links.
Target runs a separate program with creator platform LTK focused on professional influencers. In addition, Target executives pointed to the founders of brands it sells, such as Khloe Kardashian, as another creator lever to pull around the holidays.
“We're able to amplify, again, your neighbor or the person that has 20 million followers along the way, and part of that success has been the great founder brands that we're creating, incubating, and [helping to] build out the communities,” said Mark Weinstein, who joined Target as chief marketing and guest experience officer from Hilton last month.
Platform-wise, Target is focused on TikTok and YouTube, where it is making a heavier push this year, according to Mesenburg.
“Creators [are] super important, I would say across the board,” Mesenburg said.
