Dive Brief:

• Target is running a print-and-digital ad campaign in Vogue’s ad-heavy September issue leveraging Shazam’s new visual recognition technology for a shoppable mobile experience.

• The print ads feature take-offs of classic Vogue pages going as far back as the turn of the twentieth century, using Target products to fashion the images.

• Meanwhile, sound-recognition app Shazam, which unveiled its visual-recognition capabilities in May, will not only reveal Vogue’s original art but also provide a shoppable QR code.

Dive Insight:

Target, like many retailers, seems determined to find ways to connect with its customers on and offline. The retailer previously attempted shoppable screens for television shows, and recently announced it is installing beacons in several stores nationwide. 

These shoppable images for Vogue’s all-important September issue do a world of good for Target. The campaign serves as a reminder that the retailer has often brought high fashion within reach of consumers on a budget. And it’s an experiment in shoppable mobile advertising that sounds like a lot of fun (especially if it performs well on shoppers’ phones).

“This felt like a perfect way to bridge the relationship between Vogue’s history of creating iconic images and expressing that in a way that’s unique to Target,” Todd Waterbury, chief creative officer of Target, told The New York Times. “The ability to be one click away from a product that we sell is essential. We’re always looking for ways to complete that experience in the easiest way possible.”