Social Media

New York -- Fashion designer and retailer Kenneth Cole is partnering with the Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots on the launch of a limited-edition capsule shoe collection arriving in stores for the holiday season.

To promote the launch, a designated area in front of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street in Manhattan) will encourage passersby to try and win a pair of Kinky Boots tickets by following @kennethcoleprd and @kinkybootsbway and Instagraming a photo of their "kinky" shoes using #KCKinkyboots.

St. Louis – Fancy Feast Gourmet Cat Food is launching a Pinterest sweepstakes called “Cheese Affair Pin to Win.” The contest, promoting the company’s new line of cheddar cheese-flavored products, offers cheese-themed prizes including a trip to New York to attend an event hosted by cheese expert and author Liz Thorpe. Consumers are eligible to win prizes by pinning certain cheese-themed images from Fancy Feast on their Pinterest boards during certain time periods through Aug. 11.

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Retailers are eying mobile devices as the best route to make the most of their digital marketing campaigns.

According to the latest research by Shop.org/Forrester, in the study “The State Of Retailing Online 2013: Marketing & Merchandising,” 87% of online retailers either already have implemented or are planning to implement mobile email optimization in 2013, and seven in 10 will optimize paid search for smartphones and tablets (71% and 73%, respectively).

Hilton Head Island, S.C. -- Shelter Cove Towne Centre, an outdoor mall now under construction, has taken a bold step to engage the surrounding Hilton Head Island community — both residents and visitors. It has set up shop on a crowd-sourcing website called Popularise and asked Hilton Head residents to suggest tenants for the 290,000-sq.-ft. property.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Ahead of the 84th Major League Baseball All-Star Game in New York, Pepsi has announced a national partnership with New York Yankees All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano.

Cano will be officially welcomed as Pepsi's latest brand ambassador in a tribute spot that will run during the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday, July 16, on Fox.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Home furnishings retailer West Elm is heading to the Midwest and getting set to open its first-ever retail store in St. Louis, Mo., Thursday, July 25.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Branded footwear and accessories retailer DSW recently leveraged social media to hold a contest encouraging existing and potential consumers to vote for nonprofit organizations nominated by DSW employees.

As part of the retailer's Shoe Lovers Care Leave Your Mark program, DSW employees nominated nearly 200 nonprofit organizations for the opportunity to win a grant. Finalists were selected by DSW and then presented via social media for public voting, which wrapped up in late June 2013.

Toano, Va. – Lumber Liquidators is launching a blog designed to promote the retailer’s “Lay It Forward” philanthropic program. The blog will share inspirational stories of the various charitable organizations Lumber Liquidators supports through Lay It Forward and also allow visitors to make donations.