Marketing Tactics

Being a celebrity athlete creates all sort of opportunities to leverage one’s likeness through licensing deals, oftentimes in ways that are inconsistent with the image and accomplishments that propelled the athlete to greatness.

Bethesda, Md. -- Archiecture and design firm Streetsense said Monday it has created an all-new interior design scheme for La Madeleine French Country Cafe, a national chain of French-themed fast-casual restaurants.

A 1,194-sq.-ft. restaurant using the new prototype design is now open at Northpark Center in Dallas, while another is under construction in Tulsa, Okla. La Madeleine also has engaged Streetsense to design two new stores planned for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, one in Tysons Corner, Va., and one in Silver Spring, Md.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — With Christmas less than a week away, CVS Caremark is reminding shoppers that they can find gifts and deals at their local CVS/pharmacy.

Omaha, Neb. -- There is a heartwarming story playing out  at Kmart stores  throughout the Midwest: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers'  layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts, especially toys and children’s clothing, that the families might otherwise have a hard time paying, the Associated Press reported.

WASHINGTON — AAA forecasts 91.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the 2011-2012 year-end holiday travel season, a 1.4% increase over the 90.7 million people who traveled one year ago, the travel organization announced earlier this week. This year’s expected year-end holiday travel volume is the second-highest in the past decade and represents 30% of the total U.S. population.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart said Friday that, on the fifth day of its "12 Days of Giving" Facebook campaign, it is awarding $130,000 to 13 nonprofits that are helping restore communities after natural disasters. Communities in Alabama, Connecticut, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming will receive contributions from Walmart Foundation, the retailer’s philanthropic arm.

Over 12 consecutive days, Walmart will award a total of $1.5 million to 145 organizations.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that its Shaun White home line will debut at Target stores and Target.com the week of Dec. 26. 

The debut home line is a limited time only collection that includes bedding, lamps, wall decals, curtains, storage bins, a skateboard rack and piggy banks, the company said. Items will be in stores through June 2012. Priced affordably, the collection ranges from $9.99 to $89.99.

Walmart's social media shopping platform, Shopycat is using the services of ifeelgoods, a company that provides marketing and technology solutions for digital goods incentives, to provide Facebook credits as reward for key customer actions. 

Through its partnership with @WalmartLabs, Walmart's social media arm, ifeelgoods is providing technology to encourage customers to use Walmart's new ShopyCat social gift finder, ifeelgoods reported.