Media Advertising

LeBron James has teamed up with Sprite to change the game off the court for four people via a social media contest.

Unleashed by Petco is taking over the reins of the largest surfing dog competition in the United States. Fifty dogs are expected to participate in this year's Surf Dog competition, which will be held July 13 in Imperial Beach, Calif., adjacent to the pier.

Lowe’s hosted the competition for the past eight years. Unleashed by Petco is ready to take the helm and take things to “the next level.”

Westlake Village, Calif. - Senior retail marketers report that 38% of their total marketing spend is now devoted to digital. According to a research study released by Conversant, nearly 20% of retail marketers reported that digital accounts for 50% to 75% of their total marketing budget.

The new study found strong retailer interest in personalized marketing and advertising. Eighty-six percent of senior retail marketers said that individualized messages can be more effective than mass messages.

Alpharetta, Ga. – Three-quarters (74%) of businesses report that the time spent on social media has increased since last year, and 54% report that social spending has increased. According to a new study from Social Media Marketing University (SMMU), top social media expenditures include internal staff compensation (37%), social advertising (18%), external staff compensation (10%) and content (7%).

Other notable findings include:

• 60% report that content development requires the bulk of the time dedicated to social.

Dodgeville, Wis. – Lands’ End is running an omnichannel swimsuit promotion called the “Lands’ End Getaway Tour.” From May 17 through June 7, the Lands' End Getaway Tour will make stops in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Toronto, Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin, with personalized fittings and consultations.

In addition, Lands’ End is offering a website with videos on how to create a professional swimsuit fit experience and swim style tips from Glamour.

American Express has revealed the winners of its “Epic Everyday Getaway” contest. More than 7,000 Americans submitted snapshots and selfies along with a short story describing their favorite every moments with the aptly named hashtag #EveryDayMoments.

Each winner and a guest will get their own “VIP” treatment when they head to New York June 18-21, for a three-day trip that includes:

GNC’s profit slid in the first quarter, but although the company said that severe weather during January and February affected its financial results, it also pointed to an “unusually significant amount” of negative media as a driving factor for the dip.

Dayton, Ohio -- Retail design and brand strategy firm Interbrand Design Forum announced that Ryan Brazelton has returned to the company as a senior director of design.  

Most recently Brazelton worked for Aveda as global design director. In that role he oversaw store design, packaging and the development of corporate collateral, in addition to campaign design across all forms of media. Prior to that, he served as design director at Fitch. Brazelton was previously with Interbrand Design Forum for six years as the group leader of graphic design.

Indianapolis -- Appliance, electronics and furniture retailer Hhgregg has embarked on a brand transformation across all customer touch-points, including its 228 store locations and online presence, in an effort to boost its shopping and purchasing experience.

One topic that’s been on my mind lately is the growing Hispanic market in the U.S., and what its clout and purchasing power will mean for retailers — and, subsequently, for retail real estate — in the years ahead. “Emerging” is probably too mild of a word to describe the Hispanic market — exploding might be more accurate.