In many ways, big-name providers lead experiential marketing. Target’s mascot is well-known, and the brand’s presence is undeniable. If you haven’t heard, the company has a dog for a mascot—and it’s about to experience an identity boost.

Bullseye: The Target Dog

Bullseye is target’s red-circled eye dog. It’s been seen before in-store and on-air advertising. Unfortunately, Bullseye hasn’t experienced much attention until recently. While a large component of Target’s branding strategy, Bullseye has taken some time to influence the brand’s diverse consumer base.

Now, however, Bullseye is getting a brand makeover. Known for being “scrappy and fearless,” Bullseye’s resurgence is more than a potent one. Target’s recent slump can be attributed to the 2008 recession, but its industry reemergence definitely calls for increased market presence and a new, sophisticated identity. Bullseye’s place is one anchored to marketing promotions. He’s been featured in live, digital and even print formats. Target loves Bullseye, and the customers do, too.

A Larger In-Store Role

Bullseye is reaching new heights across 1,400 Target stores. Partially geared towards Target’s younger market, Bullseye, as a marketing mechanic, features interactive in-store offers. Replicas of the mascot are currently available near select Target discount sections, prompting a picture—or two—with one of consumerism’s most-identifiable pup.

A Bullseye Christmas storybook app for children is included, too, wrapping up his cuteness across multiple buyer platforms. Target’s “Bullseye benches” accompany the aptly renamed discount section: “Bullseye’s Playground.”

Growing Competition and Bullseye’s Place

Currently, growing competition is impacting consumer segments hungering for discounts. Ross Stores and T.J Maxx pose quite a bit of competition—competition only rivaled by titans such as Target. Zara and H&M, too, have closed the “discount gap,” creating additional competition while accommodating for nearly $3 billion in the early 2000s. Such competitors aren’t alien to other brands, yet Target’s competitive strategies are certainly behind Bullseye’s reappearance.

Target’s newest marketing maneuver intends to re-ignite the brand’s magic. The push, directed by chief executive Brian Cornell, has spiked Target’s digital advertising gains by 60 percent. Target’s media spending has always been notable, and Bullseye will only increase the wave. Early indicators depict Target’s Bullseye-blitz, stating the brand stands as a top-10 YouTube-viewed advertising force. Bullseye, currently, is right on the money.

As Google searches surge with Bullseye-related questions, and as target revamps one of its furriest marketing mascots, consumers need only hop into the brand’s discount section. It’s there for a reason, after all.