Retailer Campaigns

Menlo Park, Calif. – Facebook has released a new update designed to help make brand promotion through contests easier to handle. Brands can now create a contest and control it through their Facebook business page timelines.

However, personal profile timelines cannot be used to back up a brand promotion contest. Facebook has removed the requirement that promotions on Facebook may only be administered within apps. With the change, promotions may now be administered on page timelines and in apps on Facebook, but not on personal timelines.

Deerfield Park, Ill. – The Walgreen Company won a North American Innovation in Loyalty Marketing award at the recent Colloquy Loyalty Awards. The award recognized Walgreens’ achievements with its Balance Rewards program.

Colloquy cited achievements such as obtaining 72 million members between its September 2012 launch and May 2013, as well as producing a year-over-year sales increase of 4.3% and year-over-year average basket size increase of 4.7% in May 2013.

Hill's Science Diet has embarked on a Vets Know Best tour as part of a marketing campaign showcasing the brand’s revamped formulas and packaging for many of its pet foods. 

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R’ Us is opening Trick ‘R’ Treat “Bootiques” inside Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com. These in-store shops feature a broad assortment of Halloween costumes, accessories, candy, gear and more.

New York -- Brand marketer mobile budgets surged 142% between 2011 and 2013. The 2013 “Marketer Perspectives on Mobile Advertising” study from IAB and Ovum also shows that three-quarters (74%) of 300 surveyed brand marketing executives who currently use mobile advertising expect that their companies’ mobile advertising spend will increase in the next two years.

Toys ‘R’ Us has opened Trick ‘R’ Treat “Bootiques” inside Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com. These in-store shops feature a broad assortment of Halloween costumes, accessories, candy and gear.

Katy, Texas -- Academy Sports + Outdoors will open its first Memphis-area store on Sept. 27, in Collierville, Tenn. In conjunction with the opening, Academy has signed a multi-year partnership with The University of Memphis and its athletics multimedia rights holder, Tiger Sports Properties.

The new 73,000-sq.-ft. Collierville store will be Academy's eighth store in Tennessee.

As part of its efforts to strengthen its digital footprint, Walmart has launched its first-ever original reality series developed specifically for the Web. 

The new weekly Web series highlights 20 finalists in the Walmart Get on the Shelf contest, which encourages entrepreneurs to present products to Walmart customers.