Marketing Tactics

New York -- Facebook will purchase the photo-sharing application Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Monday. The deal, which is the social-networking company’s largest acquisition to date, is expected to close later this quarter.

Instagram was named iPhone app of the year in 2011.

Facebook will acquire Instagram's entire team as part of the deal.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Walmart Foundation has joined with The Band Perry, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and four of the nation's largest food companies — General Mills, ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods and Kellogg Company — to fight hunger this spring. At an event in Nashville, leaders of this effort launched a campaign that will enable millions of Americans the opportunity to get involved by shopping at Walmart or visiting the company's Facebook page today through April 30.

Armonk, N.Y. -- An IBM analytics-based forecast released Thursday expects that sales of home furnishings in the United States will shoot higher in the second quarter, with in-store sales increasing nearly 8% to $23.2 billion and online sales increasing 28.4%.

Combined in-store and online sales of home furnishings are expected to grow 16.6% in the second quarter.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has committed $15,000 in cash and gift cards to assist the Texas communities impacted by recent tornados. Cash donations will be distributed to The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. In addition, Target has donated gift cards to other local nonprofit organizations for essentials such as water and food.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club is offering free screenings for brain health at all of its stores that operate pharmacies this month, the retailer said Friday.

The company, which has performed more than 1 million health and wellness screenings at it stores since 2011, said it would offer the screenings on April 14 for members and the public, including a memory test and educational materials on Alzheimer's and dementia provided by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, as well as body mass index, blood pressure and glucose tests.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. said Thursday it has selected Grey New York as its lead advertising agency of record, concluding a review process that first launched last November.

"We're thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with this team as we continue transforming our brand, with a sharp focus on building consumer awareness of our wireless offering and driving traffic into our stores," said Jim Gooch, president and CEO of RadioShack Corp.

Washington, D.C. -- Douglas Development said that J. Crew and yoga and spinning studio The Art of SpYn will open at its Penn Quarter property, in Washington, D.C.

J. Crew is slated to open in August and The Art of SpYn is scheduled to open this spring.

Is Walmart’s private brand White Cloud toilet tissue too good? That’s the question the company has to be asking itself about the product’s specifications after seeing recent test results from Consumer Reports.