Digital Marketing

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney announced that it is launching a new philanthropic initiative that invites customers in over 1,100 stores to turn small change into “pennies from heaven” by rounding up their purchases and donating the difference to afterschool programs. Serving as the company’s signature cause-related event, pennies from heaven will be held four times a year starting July 31 through Aug. 27 during the Back-to-School season.

New York City -- Best Buy has launched the first campaign under the new partnership between mobile shopping application ShopSavvy and vertical ad network Longboard Media.  

The campaign features targeted and location-based feature offers, local store inventory and branding content delivered when ShopSavvy users scan relevant products with their smartphones at Best Buy locations.

WASHINGTON — NRF reported that total back-to-school spending on grades K to 12 is expected to reach $22.8 billion. According to NRF’s 2011 Back-to-School survey conducted by BIGresearch, families with children in grades K to 12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, within a few dollars of last year’s $606.40 average. 

NEW YORK — Gilt Groupe, an online retailer that specializes in selling sought-after brands at discounted prices to its 3.5 million members, has partnered with Banana Republic to offer its members exclusive access to select pieces from the retailer's upcoming "Mad Men" collection.

Washington, D.C. – Back-to-school sales are expected to be flat this coming season, according to the 2011 Back-to-School survey, issued Thursday by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGresearch. The study showed that families with children in grades K-12 will spend an average of $603.63 on apparel, school supplies and electronics, a few dollars short of last year’s $606.40 average.

New York City -- Athletic apparel, footwear and accessories marketer Under Armour has opened its first European outlet store, in Madrid, Spain.

NEW YORK — Aeropostale announced that it has launced a rewards program for its children's retail brand, P.S. from Aeropostale. 

New York City -- A survey released Tuesday by Deloitte found that 87.7% of shoppers believe prices in food stores are escalating and 74% say the size of some packaged goods is smaller.

According to Deloitte’s new “2011 Consumer Food and Product Insight Survey,” thanks to higher food prices and rising gas prices, 72.7% of consumers are making fewer trips to the grocery store to save money and 40.8% are purchasing fewer items overall.

Baltimore -- A white paper released Tuesday by marketing communications firm Vertis Communications, entitled “power2thewomen2.0: the Shopping Trend Revolution Continues,” revealed that women wield formidable purchasing power, controlling approximately $5 trillion in spending annually, but that how they interact with retailers and marketers differs greatly.

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Addison, Texas-based Coyote Management, L.P. and Garrison Investment Group, through their affiliates, acquired Chapel Hills Mall on June 1, and since have made changes that include a new ad campaign themed “Where to Shop.”

Launched July 1, the campaign offers the message: ‘Shop here because we have what you need’ and is being communicated through radio, television, newspaper, direct mail, in-mall signage, wall graphics and interior and exterior banners.