• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, November 12, 2007

Target is taking a unique tack in luring holiday shoppers into its stores by offering outrageous prizes when they purchase an exclusive qualifying product with their Target REDcards.

The effort, "Wow or Never," features 20 exclusive gifts ranging in price from $15 to $649 and fabulous prizes, from an African safari to a new Maserati. Qualifying items will be available only from Nov. 25 through Dec. 1, while supplies last.

For example, consumers who purchase an autographed Nascar collage for $129 will be eligible to win a trip for two to Daytona where they will sit trackside in the owner's pit box, take a Garage Tour on Nextel Cup Race Day and take home two customized Target pit-crew fire suits.

A black Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT awaits the winner among those who purchase a 14-piece Bialetti Monaco cook set for $55.

Patricia Edwards, retail analyst with Wentworth, Hauser & Violich in Seattle, tells Marketing Daily that, which she was flummoxed by the news of Target's holiday marketing strategy, it is a "cool idea" and one that no other retailer had come up with.

Consumers have been trading down, Edwards notes, putting department stores under a lot of pressure, "which is good for Target. But people still want to buy the good stuff, and this is a way to combine both. My father's a huge Nascar fan. If I could take him to Daytona, well, he'd think that was pretty good."

She likened the strategy to a lottery, adding that it gives the holiday shopper "a sense of adventure. It's really innovative, and it will stand out. I hope the economy is such that it works for them."