Marketing Tactics

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. plans to open two new stores in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Mentor, Ohio. Both stores are scheduled to open March 27.

DSW Rewards is a free loyalty program in which customers earn certificates toward future DSW purchases and receive special member-only offers. Customers can also participate in a Shoe Lover community on Facebook to receive exclusive offers and giveaways.

Personalized weather provider Poncho has developed an innovative way to monetize its content through a shopper marketing initiative with the Duane Reade division of Walgreens.

In a pilot program with Duane Reade, users of the Poncho service who sign up to receive weather updates tailored to their preferences via text or email will also receive promotional incentives from Duane Reade. The program is targeted to New York metropolitan area consumers where Duane Reade’s more than 250 stores are concentrated.

Miami – Burger King Worldwide Inc. is reportedly planning to introduce a mobile payment app. According to the Wall Street Journal, Burger King will launch the smartphone app in select markets starting in April 2014 and will offer it in all 7,000 U.S. stores within a few months of initial rollout.

Most American’s missed seeing amputee Evan Strong win gold at the Paralympics in Sochi as Russian aggression toward Crimea and the Ukraine overshadowed the games. However, Strong gains another type of notoriety this Spring when he becomes the first para-athlete to grace the front of a Wheaties box.

New York -- Duane Reade and Poncho, a personalized weather-forecasting service that sends users relevant weather updates tailored to their preferences via text or email, are teaming up in a pilot program targeted to the New York Metropolitan area consumer. Poncho users will receive their regular weather updates with select alerts featuring coupons for Duane Reade products that will help them battle the elements and their allergies.

Cranston, R.I. – During the 2013 holiday season, Alex and Ani turned to EBay Enterprise, an EBay Inc. company, to help drive sales and achieve higher ROI through its Facebook ads. Between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, the company’s Facebook ads drove $1.6 million

North Wilkesboro, N.C. – Lowe’s is partnering with lawn product provider Scotts and digital agency HelloWorld to run an online promotion tied to the NCAA “March Madness” college basketball tournament. By utilizing the rich engagement platform of HelloWorld, participants fill out a form to register and select who they think the final four teams in the tournament will be.

Pop star Robin Thicke will help Express commemorate the grand opening of what promises to be a stunning 28,000-sq.-ft. flagship location in New York’s Times Square on March 25.

The fashion forward operator of more than 600 predominantly mall-based stores is looking to make a splash with the Times Square location company chairman and CEO Michael Weiss billed as “Express on steroids.”