If you didn't already know that Target Corp. owns the naming rights to Target Field, there's no mistaking it now.
Towering over the Minnesota Twins' ballpark is a 37-foot billboard dedicated to Bullseye, Target's beloved dog mascot. The billboard is actually on nearby Target Center but is meant for Target Field audiences.
Since his debut 13 years ago, the English bull terrier has become the retailer's ubiquitous spokesman, appearing in television commercials and print ads and at Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York.
Produced by Maple Grove's Top Line Advertising, the giant Bullseye (his tail alone measures 14 feet) will observe Twins games indefinitely. In time, Target officials hope the dog, which will be lighted at night, will be a iconic part of the Minneapolis skyline in the manner of the Grain Belt Beer and Gold Medal Flour signs overlooking the Mississippi River.
"Everyone fell in love with Bullseye after first debuting in a 1999 Target commercial -- and that love has never stopped," said Shawn Gensch, Target's senior vice president of marketing. "Bullseye has a huge following. Now, with this sign, Bullseye is bigger than ever." THOMAS LEE
