Target Skates to Ratings Victory

Proving the muscle of mass retailers to plug entertainment, the one-hour CBS television special “Snowden on Ice”--produced by Minneapolis-based Dayton-Hudson’s Target stores around their self-created snowman character--handily won its time period on Friday, with a 16% share of the viewing audience for the hour. The show, featuring champion skater Ekaterina Gordeeva, attracted an average of 14.7 million viewers. The show was heavily promoted in-store and in advertisements by the discount retailer. It was Target’s first network special, though likely not its last, said John Pellegrene, executive vice president of marketing for Target, who was pleased with the ratings. In Target stores, the $15 Snowden plush toy and $3 beanbag have been the hottest sellers. Target has sold one-third of its Snowden stock and 56% of its beanbag stock, bringing in a total of $4.3 million. The following weeks will tell how well the more than 200 other pieces of Snowden merchandise--including watches, soap dispensers and snow globes--sell.