Marketing Tactics

GameStop Corp. is launching an omnichannel campaign to raise funds for a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many of the retailer's customers.

Photo: Neal Davies, president and CEO, Effie Worldwide, (left) and Amy Hahn, senior VP of marketing, Ahold, (right) present an Effie Award to Matthew Parry, senior director of marketing at Walmart and Haley Prowell, associate marketing manager at Walmart.

Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Walmart and CVS Health were among this year winners of Effie awards, which recognize excellence in shopper marketing.

This week I’d like to discuss the re-emergence of skyline signs, but first allow me to offer a quick thank you to the entire Chain Store Age and SPECS Show teams for executing a trade show I won’t soon forget.

Of course, I’m talking about last week’s show at the beautiful Hilton Anatole in Dallas, #SPECS2016.

The pace of expansion slowed at Shoe Carnival in 2015 but the company produced respectable growth against a challenging prior year comparison that has it poised to achieve a major milestone in 2016.

Harry & David is using social media to bring consumers back to the fun of a childhood Easter egg hunt.

The specialty gourmet gift retailer is hosting a social media giveaway called the “Eggciting Hunt Sweepstakes” through April 15 with hundreds of dollars of gift cards as prizes. Participants register online and then are sent on a hunt for clues to find virtual eggs on Harry & David’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Specialty apparel retailer New York & Company plans to convert even more of its nearly 500 stores to an outlet format following a strong finish to the year.

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of our daily lives. Movies, books, music, news, religion and art are all imbued with the stories we tell each other–and the stories we tell ourselves.

Even the spaces and places that we work, shop, eat and play are “speaking” to us – and through us – defining our dreams and desires, informing our values, and even shaping the contours of our hidden prejudices and deepest fears.

New store expansion and expectations for same-store sales growth are in store for Michaels Companies in 2016, according to CEO Chuck Rubin.

Rubin sounded an optimistic tone about Michaels’ future following the release of fourth quarter results he characterized as “strong” and attributed to an improved shopping experience, increased customer communications and trend right holiday assortments.