Marketing

Beyonce and Pepsi are reaching out to football fans to participate in a unique crowdsourcing initiative for this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.

Super Bowl XLVII is scheduled for February 3 in New Orleans and Beyonce is the featured entertainer for the Pepsi sponsored half time show. What’s different about this year’s event is the beverage brand and entertainer have issued an open call for fans to submit a poses that will be used in an opening video that welcomes Beyonce to the stage.

London -- A report released Thursday by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Path Intelligence showed that U.K. consumers stepped up their pace of holiday shopping over the week ended Dec. 23.

The Path Index—which melds shopping-center footfall and the time spent per visitor into a shopper-hours index—rose by 7.9% from the prior week to its highest reading of 2012 at 151.3 (January 8, 2012 = 100) for the period ending Sunday, Dec. 23.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — It’s not the latest iPhone or the newest Tablet, but Staples is touting a breakthrough in binder design for the New Year.

The Staples Better Binder boasts removable FileRings which the company contends make it the first such product to offer a feature that allows users to detach the rings from the shell for easy filing.

NEW YORK & LONDON — Nook Media, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, has teamed up with Pearson, a leading global learning company, to accelerate customer access to digital content.

At the back of the new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Reading, Pa., is a self-serve café setup with a sign that proclaims: “The Pot’s Always On. Have a free cup of coffee on us, and if you like, use two sugars … it’s been a pretty good year!”

From the sounds of things, there hasn’t been a bad year since the first Ollie’s opened in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1982.

With sales of spices and seasonings on a steady upswing, the 123-year-old McCormick & Company has opened its first-ever retail location. More than a traditional retail outlet, the 3,818-sq.-ft. McCormick World of Flavors is a destination that aims to build brand excitement and demonstrate the company’s leadership in flavor. It showcases McCormick’s complete family of products and brands, which run the gamut from Old Bay to Thai Kitchen.

Generally speaking, I’m not big on trend forecasts. Maybe it’s because there are so many of them, particularly at this time of the year. They all seem to blend together into a mass of predictions and statistics.

El Dorado, Ark. -- Murphy Oil USA announced Wednesday it has entered into an agreement with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for 200 new fuel stations in the midwestern and southeastern U.S.

According to the agreement, Murphy Oil will build more than 200 new fuel stations at existing Wal-Mart Super Centers over the next three years.

Steven Cosse, president and CEO, Murphy Oil Corp., said the agreement with Wal-Mart is a significant step forward for the pair’s long-term relationship.