Retailer Campaigns

A one-of-a-kind interactive holiday adventure awaits families in several malls across the country. General Growth Properties (GGP) today unveiled Adventure to Santa, a DreamWorks DreamPlace holiday experience that starts with Shrek, ends with Santa and blends storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

Sam’s Club has joined the ranks of other retailers this holiday season with a pre-Black Friday-themed promotion occurring mid-month.

On Saturday, Nov. 15, Sam’s Club will host a one-day-only Holiday Savings Celebration featuring Black Friday pricing on featured technology, toys, apparel, jewelry and home goods items. Starting at 7 a.m. and exclusive to Sam’s Club members, families can fill their baskets in-club or online with top holiday picks while getting ahead of the typical Black Friday frenzy, according to Sam’s Club.

The Houston suburb of Richmond is home to Sam’s Club’s 80th location in Texas following the opening of a new unit there on Thursday, Nov. 6.

Sam’s Club now operates 20 clubs in the sprawling Houston market and the 80 clubs the retailer operates in Texas account for more than 12% of the 643 Sam’s Clubs in operation nationwide as of September 30.

Emeryville, Calif. –- Jamba Juice Co. has successfully optimized a campaign leveraging Fishbowl’s Promotions Manager solution, which enabled Jamba Juice to create optimized and reliable (one time use per code) promotions, distribute them both directly and through Groupon, then authenticate and track the performance in real time, capturing the underlying transaction data.  

Dallas -- FedEx Office is collaborating with marketing execution firm InnerWorkings Inc. to expand the range of professional print products through FedEx Office retail locations. By combining FedEx Office printing & logistics capabilities with InnerWorkings’ streamlined production platform, the retailer will be able to offer printed items such as signs and banners, flyers, posters, brochures, displays and branded merchandise.  

New York & Company has devised an interesting sweepstakes-based approach to ensure customers are lined up when its stores open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

The operator of more than 500 stores said the first 200 shoppers to enter its stores beginning at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving will be entered to win $100,000 in the company’s first ever Win Big in New York sweepstakes. In addition to the $100,000 grand prize winner, each store will also have one $500 prize winner.

American Eagle Oufitters has turned an April Fool’s joke into a business opportunity by launching its first-ever clothing line for “dogs and their owners,” American Beagle Outfitters, for a limited-edition Holiday 2014 release.

Plano, Texas -- The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. will open stores and begin its Black Friday sale activities at 5 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day. The company announced its plans via a tweet on the official JCPenney news account.   This start time is an hour earlier than the 6 p.m. Thanksgiving opening time of competing department stores Macy’s and Sears, and three hours earlier than the 8 p.m. opening time Penney used for Thanksgiving 2013.   

Big Lots celebrates families and mothers in particular through its national holiday television and online campaign launched on Nov. 1.

The campaign features four original songs - one in Spanish - which are intended to inspire sing-alongs.  The spots feature a singing trio that includes "America's Got Talent" finalist Deanna DellaCioppa, a Boston native who has performed with Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. 

In this campaign, Big Lots emphasizes a special role mothers play in celebrating the holidays. 

Discount online shopping site Overstock.com has lowered prices on books and is offering a 15% bonus to loyalty members in what CEO Patrick Byrne is calling a price war with Amazon.

"We will analyze the results and cost benefits of this price war against Amazon and decide how long to continue the promotion. Right now it's scheduled to last through Cyber Monday," said Byrne.