Target goes big for Back-to-School...

With Target stores already converting their patio & garden section to Back-to-School merchandise, it's no surprise that they plan to go big this year with their BTS promotions. WWD reports that Target will join the campus crowd with a freestanding glass-enclosed live dorm room custom-built on five college grounds in August and September. Fully-furnished with Target products, students who visit the structures will receive store coupons.

Another promotion - called "BullseyeUniversity.com" - sounds like an online version of “Big Brother". From July 15-18, popular YouTube personalities will co-exist in dorm rooms (furnished with shoppable Target merchandise) and be broadcast live on YouTube. The roommates - chosen based on their online reach and appeal to college-aged students - include Chester See, a producer, actor, musician and entrepreneur; Meekakitty (Tessa Violet), a vlogger, guitar-player and music video maker; Magic of Rahat, YouTube’s premier magician and prankster; Brooke “Dodger” Leigh, a gamer and DIY “nerd-craft”-obsessive, and Clothes Encounters (Jenn Im), fashion vlogger of style musings, tutorials and lifestyle advice. Shoppers can interact with the roommates, who will be gathered in the communal lounge when not hanging out in their own rooms. 

Target will also sponsor after-hours shopping events for incoming freshmen at select colleges and universities across the country. During August and September, about 90,000 students will be conveyed by bus from their campus to Target stores for entertainment, offers and shopping.

And for you DIY types: check out this feature on A Bullseye View with style ideas for your dorm room based on your fashion sense, be it boho, sporty, punk or glam (shown). Keep in mind the article is a couple of years old now - so the exact items featured probably won't be available anymore - but it can still provide some helpful design inspiration.