Loyalty Marketing

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us has enhanced its loyalty program with the launch of an all-new integrated, point-based system that delivers streamlined benefits for members, as well as new and existing "R"Uscredit card holders.

OMAHA, Neb. — Country music artist Kellie Pickler has been named the national spokesperson for the ConAgra Foods Foundation Hunger-Free Summer program. The joint effort between the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America helps provide children with access to nutritious meals, especially in the summer.

NEW YORK — American Eagle Outfitters has engaged "real," as opposed to well-known celebrities, as the faces of its new back-to-school campaign.

The "Live Your Life" campaign will feature 15 people -- from fashion bloggers and stylists to musicians and actors -- each modeling a style of American Eagle Outfitters jeans.

The Promenade Shops at Centerra – located in Loveland, Colo. – is featuring a repeat of its “Promenade Kid Days” this summer.

The 2012 iteration offers a lineup of educational and entertaining events for children of all ages, held every other Tuesday through Aug. 14.

Each day features themes with corresponding activities such as horse-drawn wagon rides, mini train rides, face painting, balloon art, painting classes and emergency vehicle tours.

All activities are free and open to the public.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop has launched its GameStock 2012 campaign, which will offer customers six weeks of deals, instant win prizes and VIP grand prizes.

With any purchase or trade throughout the duration of GameStock, customers will receive a game piece containing a unique code. By entering that code at www.GameStop.com/GameStock, customers get the chance to win weekly grand prizes including:

•     Custom Painted Sleeping Dogs Motorcycle

Armonk, N.Y. -- A survey released Thursday by IBM found that chief marketing officers and chief information officers must join forces in order to connect with today’s consumer across new channels including mobile devices and social networks.

You can learn a lot by monitoring consumer conversations in social media. It can predict political elections, the Oscars and even the next reality show winner. If you are a CPG marketer, social media can also be a real-time predictor of your new product’s success.

Retailers are always looking for new ways to reach customers, and the race to get onto Facebook walls and news feeds to increase brand exposure has never been greater.

But instead of shelling out dollars to pay for traditional Facebook ads and online banners, many companies are allowing shoppers to do the grunt work for them in an organic way. One of the latest trends is combining social sharing with gift giving, so consumers can send presents — from gift cards to apparel — to others via Facebook.