Digital Marketing

Maryville, Tenn. - Ruby Tuesday Inc. has appointed David Skena as chief marketing officer.

During the past nine years, Skena progressed through PepsiCo Inc. with increasing levels of responsibility, most recently serving as the VP of premium and value brands.

In the chief marketing officer role, Skena will be responsible for developing and implementing effective marketing strategies and initiatives to build brand awareness and customer loyalty through traditional media, digital and social channels, and other innovative platforms.

New York – Even as retail marketing strategies shift in the new digital era, tried-and-true discounts still remain a crucial promotional device. According to new data from marketing personalization provider Sailthru, 97% of retailers use discounting as a pricing strategy.

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. is letting women join the club. More specifically, Nordstrom is now allowing women to apply to its Trunk Club online personal shopper service that was previously only open to men.

Apple CEO Tim Cook says the Apple Watch is off to “a great start,” although the company did decline to provide specific sales figures for the watch in its third quarter report on Tuesday.

It’s the question on every brand’s mind — how do I reach the millennial consumer?

Is it all about social? Should I focus on mobile? Should I allocate more of my advertising budget toward this trendy website?

Austin, Texas – Parents are always telling their school-aged children that character is key, and they also apply a version of that maxim to back-to-school shopping. According to a recent survey by RetailMeNot, parents say their kids want school supplies featuring popular characters from films and TV shows.

Respondents indicated their children want "Minions"-themed school supplies the most (33%) followed by "Jurassic World" (31%), "SpongeBob" (24%) and "Star Wars" (22%).

Charlotte, N.C. – Belk Inc. is getting the vote out when it comes to selecting that certain look. Working with digital marketing provider HelloWorld, Belk is allowing customers to both submit and vote on “looks” such as dorm room, game room and night out, created with Belk merchandise.

While paid search and email marketing still top retailers’ lists of effective customer acquisition channels, social media has moved up the ranks to become an important tool for engaging with and attracting new customers.