Digital Marketing

Cincinnati -- Americans are increasing their use of social media for discussions about favorite brands, while slowing down on face-to-face and phone conversations about product likes and dislikes, according to a report by Colloquy, the research arm of LoyaltyOne, a global provider of loyalty and marketing programs.

Social media brand recommendations have grown 4% since Colloquy conducted survey research in 2011 on the word-of-mouth habits of U.S. consumers, while face-to-face recommendations have declined 4% in that time period.

The Hub Magazine has awarded Kmart’s pun-drenched campaign, “Ship My Pants,” best of show honors in its third annual Hub Prize competition. Draftfcb Chicago was the agency for the campaign.

“Ship My Pants prevailed because it solved a problem for shoppers — out-of-stocks — with a truly meaningful promise: If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our stores, you can order the item online, on-the-spot, and have it shipped, free-of-charge, to your home,” said Hub Magazine founder Tim Manners.

Sandy Springs, Ga. - When Arby’s recently launched a new brisket sandwich menu item, the retailer chose PunchTab to help build a rewards campaign called “The League of Brisket.” The campaign encourages customers to join the league and complete challenges to earn free food and gear, as well as an entry for a chance to win the grand prize of pro football tickets and “the ultimate tailgate party.”

Milk-Bone has teamed up with lifestyle technology company Brit + Co. to help launch a new pets destination website at brit.co. To celebrate the partnership, Milk Bone is holding a Halloween "Trick or Treat Best Pet Costume Contest." 

Winnipeg, Manitoba -- Canadian denim company Silver Jeans Co. said it will open its "loft" concept store at Glendale Galleria on Nov. 2 in Glendale, Calif.

"We put a lot of work into making sure the store environment represents our brand," says Michael Silver, CEO, Silver Jeans Co. “We've created an environment that has a comfortable modern feeling but also lets our guests know that we're a historic brand with a rich 92-year history."

San Bruno, Calif. -- Over 35% of respondents received no formal training, and 28% were asked to read a manual or a handbook, according to a recent study of retail store associates by Qumu, a provider of secure multimedia content management and delivery solutions. The survey also revealed that retail employees are looking for improved executive communication to provide them with a greater understanding of company strategy (57%), more connectedness to the company community (47%), and understanding of activity in other stores (46%).

ChapStick has selected Alex Morgan, Olympic gold medalist and member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, as its latest brand ambassador. Morgan will serve as the first brand spokesperson in more than a decade and will appear in national television and print advertising, set to debut Nov. 4.

The product focus for the start of Morgan’s two-year partnership is ChapStick Hydration Lock. 

By Michael Zea, president and CEO, U.S., Aimia
 
Amid weaker-than-expected August retail sales, leading retailers are kick-starting their holiday shopping season by wooing existing shoppers through their customer loyalty programs. Retailers are increasing their investment in the traditional transaction-based loyalty efforts because of the proven success of rewarding customers for their purchases.