The Softer Side of… Shopko?

Shopko, a department store chain with approximately 135 stores throughout the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States, recently shed its very masculine image in favor of one that softens perceptions about the retailer and appeals to its primary customer base — women (much like the Sears campaign of yesteryear). Shopko provides “quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services” — which at quick glance is not what the old identity communicated.The old Shopko brand, if anything, evoked Wal-Mart’s “Buy American” promotional campaign of the 1980s and 1990s (back when Wal-Mart actually bought and sold products that were made in America) through its patriotic use of red, white and blue color scheme.