Digital Marketing

Quincy, Mass. -- Online grocer Peapod.com has joined the “farm box” movement that many local farmers markets and supermarkets are now promoting.

The company unveiled its Local Farm Box service, whereby customers in New York City; New Jersey; Eastern Massachusetts; Rhode Island; Pennsylvania; Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Virginia; Illinois; Indiana and Wisconsin will have the option of adding a box of produce from local farms to their virtual grocery cart.

Barnes & Noble is debuting a strangely appropriate omnichannel promotion for a retailer who might wish it could go back to an era in which bookshops were more relevant.

Toronto – Canadian Tire Corp. is rallying around a flag that contains no controversy with a new omnichannel promotional campaign. To celebrate the upcoming July 1 Canada Day holiday, Canadian Tire has posted a promotional video on YouTube using the hashtag #FlyYourCdnFlag.

Canadian Tire is encouraging consumers to post photos and videos on social networks such as Twitter, YouTube and Instagram using the #FlyYourCdnFlag hashtag.

Save Mart Supermarkets is revving up its marketing efforts with a multi-year agreement to co- sponsor the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.

Save Mart Supermarkets’ status as either title or co-title sponsor of the annual Cup event in Sonoma is one of the longest runs in all of NASCAR Cup racing. The new agreement is for five years, extending through 2020. First partnering with the raceway in 1992, Save Mart will celebrate its 25thanniversary as a race sponsor in Sonoma in 2016.

Port Washington, Wis. -- Allen Edmonds, the 93-year-old premium men’s shoe brand, is embracing the digital age.

The company is offering its first-ever “Factory Seconds” flash sale on its web site. The seven-day-long sale starts June 26 and ends on July 2.

Talk about a perfect storm. As if the role of the CMO isn’t changing fast enough in all industries, the retail industry itself is undergoing major disruption and rapid transformation. As a result, retail CMOs certainly have their work cut out for themselves.

While by no means a comprehensive action plan, this article addresses five key imperatives that sit squarely in the eye of this storm.

Grapevine, Texas – GameStop Corp. is giving gamers a chance to share stories of how video games have enhanced their personal lives via social media in a five-week contest running through July 27. The contest, called #SummerAtGameStop, encompasses five themed weeks of Never Met, Romance, Reunited, Game Night, and Rematch.

Bloomington, Minn. – Malls have long been physical spots for consumers to socialize, and Mall of America is trying to extend that social aspect into the digital space. The 500-plus-store, nearly five million-sq.-ft. shopping center is using the Geofeedia location-based social media monitoring platform to actively engage customers and gain better understanding of what they are discussing and doing while visiting the mall.