Marketing Tactics

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us chairman and CEO, Jerry Storch, is making the rounds this week, as his company prepares for the holiday and questions remain on the status of it's IPO.

NEW YORK — Macy's on Sept. 12 will debut a new fashion line from Nicole Richie. The Nicole Richie for Impulse collection will include 1960s and 1970s influenced silhouettes, prints and fabrications and be sold at approximately 100 Macy’s stores and on Macys.com/impulse.For the first time, Macy’s Facebook fans will be the very first to shop the collection at facebook.com/macys before it hits stores Wednesday.

With the political conventions coming to an end, it’s clear now that election season is in full swing. And, while I don’t pretend to know what the long-term implications of an Obama re-election or a Romney win would mean for our economy or our country, I do think that what happens on Nov. 6 will almost certainly have an impact on our industry — particularly, shopper sentiment and ultimately holiday sales.

New York -- Michael Francis, who was ousted as president of J.C. Penney Co. in June, is going to Gap Inc., according to Ad Age.

Francis will serve as a marketing creative advisor for Gap, and join the chain in the advisory role on Sept. 16, the report said.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that it is offering a deluxe edition of Taylor Swift's upcoming fourth album, "Red." The deluxe edition of the album is available only at Target, and includes six bonus tracks (three new songs and three remixes). The exclusive edition of “Red” will be available for pre-order on Sept. 16, and at Target stores and on Target.com starting Oct. 22.

SAN FRANCISCO — Old Navy is getting in on the Fashion Week fun with a New York City event designed to celebrate fashionable women of all shapes and sizes.

On Sept. 14, women are invited to "strut their stuff" and model Old Navy's rockstar skinny jeans on the jean-shaped runway at Bryant Park.

Everyone who struts their stuff on the jean-shaped runway will walk away with a free pair of rockstar jeans. The colored denim line, available in 31 shades, retails for $34.50.

New York -- Hollister has fired three male models it flew in for the grand opening store of its first store in South Korea after the models mocked Asians in photos and on their social media accounts, according to various media reports.

New York -- There is a new opportunity for retailers to market beyond the technology savvy and often male consumer pool to a larger group of less technology informed with customer service programs that provide basic device educational training around devices and product bundling to ease the buying experience,  according to a survey by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG).