Digital Marketing

Phoenix – TV personality and fashion designer Kelly Osbourne is joining the omni-channel marketing campaign to promote PetSmart’s new “Pet Expressions” line of grooming services. Osbourne will serve as a “trend spotter” and also offer tips and advice on pet grooming.

The Pet Expressions campaign will include videos and postings on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rakuten Marketing experienced strong results for the first quarter of 2014 across all of its digital marketing channels.

The company especially highlighted the double-digit growth that advertisers realized through its affiliate, mobile and search marketing technology and services. Additionally, the company signed several new advertisers throughout the quarter that were either new to Rakuten Marketing, or have expanded their existing investments with the company to include additional marketing channels.

RetailMeNot has some interesting plans in store for mall goers following an agreement with General Growth Properties allowing it to serve as the mall operators preferred digital coupon provider.

Plans call for RetailMeNot to test new marketing formats and beacon technology in select malls that will allow RetailMeNot mobile app users to be served hyper-targeted offers. In addition, the company said it will work with General Growth Properties on various undefined initiatives to enhance the shopping experience at its 120 malls, increase traffic and drive sales for tenants.

New York -- Sunglass Hut has debuted a new retail brand, Shaded, in the form of a freestanding, open-air kiosk. Targeted at Millenials, the format puts an emphasis on interactivity, with a built-it photo booth that allows for on-the-spot photo taking and photo sharing. (See photos here.)

Barneys New York has launched an iPad app that offers consumers improved shopping functionality as well as relevant and exclusive content.

New functions on the app include a Personal Shopping scheduling tool, which Barneys touts as the first of its kind for a luxury retailer. Created in partnership with mobile development and design firm Fueled, the app is now available for complimentary download through the Apple iTunes store.

Austin, Texas - RetailMeNot, Inc. has reached a strategic partnership agreement with General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP), a real estate investment trust focused exclusively on owning, managing, leasing and developing retail properties throughout the U.S. RetailMeNot will be the preferred digital coupon provider across GGP malls.

Kroger is inviting customers to celebrate Earth Day by looking to the sea — and to the future of seafood — through a video series designed to inform customers about the company's work to source sustainable seafood.

"We know that our customers value our commitment to sourcing sustainable seafood," said Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, Kroger's director of sustainability. "We continue to work with fisheries and our supplier partners to ensure that Kroger's seafood is fresh, delicious and available for future generations."

Atlanta - InReality, a customer experience strategy and design firm, is offering a retail customer experience measurement tool called Reality Gap Analysis. Reality Gap Analysis delivers a quantifiable assessment of the gaps between a brand's self-perception and a customer's reality.