Events

Staples' secret weapon this back-to-school season looks to be Katy Perry. The retailer recently aligned itself with the pop mega-star who has the potential to influence the shopping behavior of 50 million Twitter followers and 71 million Facebook fans.

Staples said it will be the presenting sponsor of the North American leg of Perry’s Prismatic World tour when it resumes on June 22 in Raleigh, N.C., and also donated $1 million to the DonorsChoose.org charitable organization which helps fund teachers’ and students’ classroom needs.

Dodgeville, Wis. — Lands' End is launching its "Set Sail" omnichannel sweepstakes. The contest allows customers to play a virtual tic-tac-toe game on Lands’ End’s e-commerce and Facebook pages, with the chance to win gift cards.

One random winner will receive then grand prize getaway, which includes round-trip airfare for four people to Miami and five nights' accommodations. The contest runs June 12-July 12.

Swedish clothing retailer H&M will be celebrating the July 17 opening of its museum-inspired Fifth Avenue flagship store with the help of artist Jeff Koons.

The partnership — H&M’s first artist collaboration — will take the form of a handbag that Koons designed in the shape of his famous stainless steel balloon dog sculpture. The handbag will be sold starting July 17 at H7M stores in New York, Dallas, Chicago and Los Angeles.

The clever marketers at Jack Link’s have outdone themselves, creating a replica of Mount Rushmore out of meat snacks in New York City’s Columbus Circle.

Indianapolis — In a finding that may not surprise some of their elders, Millennials share complaints online two times more than Gen X and three more than Boomers. “The Social Media Behaviors of Millennials, Gen X & Boomers,” the latest study from consultative social media research firm Fizzilogy firm, also explores the social media habits of these three generations.

Key findings include:
Millennials
•    Millennials live-tweet sporting events at more than twice the rate of both Boomers and Gen Xers.

Kohl’s has further endeared itself to residents of America’s Dairyland with a sizable donation to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

New York — Online eyewear retailer is opening its sixth retail location, a 1,050-sq.-ft. store in Dallas. It will open on June 18.

Risk averse retailers were quick to shun Paula Deen after she displayed racial insensitivities last year, but now she is back with a new approach that appeals directly to fans of her brand.

Paula Deen Ventures plans to create an interactive digital experience called the Paula Deen Network that allows viewers to engage and access Deen and her Southern home cooking on a variety of digital platforms. The network will be a paid subscription model and is scheduled to launch this September.