Target Marks the New Year by Offering Parents a Chance to Share Birth Announcements with the World

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- To ring in 2011, Target® (NYSE: TGT) is offering parents everywhere an exciting way to share their big news -- the arrival of a new baby -- with the world through its Big Baby Billboard, an interactive online experience that includes an outdoor presence in New York City and Los Angeles. For a limited time, parents can visit the Target Baby® Facebook page to create a playful digital birth announcement that can be shared online with family and friends. Target will then randomly select birth announcements for display in New York City's Times Square -- the meeting place of the world -- and on a larger-than-life magnetic board in Los Angeles.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101229/NY22625 )

"Technology plays an important role in how Target's guests share and receive information and our Target Baby Facebook page serves as an excellent resource for new and expectant parents," said Will Setliff, vice president of marketing, Target. "We're excited to tap into our guests' online behaviors to provide them with a fun, relevant way to celebrate the birth of their child -- whether that's with friends and family, on an oversized magnetic billboard in Los Angeles or in the heart of our nation's biggest city."

Parents can visit Facebook.com/TargetBaby to create their Big Baby Billboard announcement -- free of charge -- by clicking on the "Share the News" tab and entering information such as their child's name, birth date and birth weight. Using the likeness of colorful children's refrigerator magnets, the innovative application will generate a digital announcement that can be shared via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Once created, parents can submit their child's Big Baby Billboard announcement to be featured in New York City's Times Square or on an outdoor display in Los Angeles.

Target takes over Times Square

In New York City's Times Square, a choreographed series of Big Baby Billboard announcements submitted via the Target Baby Facebook page will be broadcast on the ABC, NASDAQ and Reuters billboards. Coinciding with the celebration of the new year, these 30-second videos, featuring fresh-faced babies and holiday wishes from Target, will air 10 times per hour, starting Dec. 31, 2010 through Jan. 6, 2011.

15 minutes of fame in L.A.

The Los Angeles-based Big Baby Billboard will feature a 25-by-30-foot display at the Hollywood and Highland Center. Shoppers will be greeted by a gigantic magnetic board on which workers will assemble colorful letters to create a billboard-sized birth announcement for each entry selected. Once the announcement is in place, a camera will capture a photo of the board. Photos will then be uploaded to the Target Baby Facebook page where parents can download and print their child's big moment. Baby announcements at the Big Baby Billboard in Los Angeles will be updated every 10 to 15 minutes, generating up to 50 keepsakes every day. The event begins Jan. 1 at 10 a.m. PST and runs through Jan. 5 during mall hours.

About Target

Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,752 stores in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week. For more information about Target's commitment to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.

SOURCE Target