Digital Marketing

New York -- A report released Thursday by Deloitte found that consumer spending posted an increase in March, reversing a trend of declines.

The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index climbed higher in March, marking only the third monthly increase over the past 12 months. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. revealed Thursday that it is leading a $16.4 million investment round in online men’s apparel brand Bonobos. The announcement follows last year’s purchase of online private sale site HauteLook, giving Nordstrom another leg up in the e-commerce arena.

Nordstrom is selling the Bonobos label's clothing at its stores and online. Bonobos is the largest apparel brand launched on the internet in the United States.

Dallas -- The Container Store said Tuesday it has enlisted Epsilon, a subsidiary of marketing solution-provider Alliance Data Systems Corp., for comprehensive data and database marketing services.

The services are designed to fuel marketing efforts to acquire and retain customers and increase sales.

By Steve Friedman, [email protected]

If you’re like me and watch more TV than you should, you’ve probably seen the unusual new Target commercials with the hot air balloon. These “Color Changes Everything” spots feature a troupe of lively individuals landing in a hot air balloon (which, when seen from above, sports a gigantic version of the distinctive Target bullseye logo) and cavorting through an urban setting in acrobatic fashion, magically transforming the clothing, accessories and household goods of the people they encounter into stuff that is brighter, hipper and generally cooler and more fun.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has awarded five small businesses $50,000 in free advertising and cash as part of the “Give Your Small Business the Push It Needs” contest. 

Selected from hundreds of video entries submitted on Staples’ Facebook page (facebook.com/staples), each of the five small businesses will receive a total of $50,000 in local cable television advertising and cash in their home markets.

The winners include:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Walmart Foundation has joined with The Band Perry, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and four of the nation's largest food companies — General Mills, ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods and Kellogg Company — to fight hunger this spring. At an event in Nashville, leaders of this effort launched a campaign that will enable millions of Americans the opportunity to get involved by shopping at Walmart or visiting the company's Facebook page today through April 30.

New York -- Facebook will purchase the photo-sharing application Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Monday. The deal, which is the social-networking company’s largest acquisition to date, is expected to close later this quarter.

Instagram was named iPhone app of the year in 2011.

Facebook will acquire Instagram's entire team as part of the deal.