Marketing Tactics

Boston -- Walmart continues to extend its lead and again achieves its price leadership position over Target, in Kantar Retail’s semi-annual pricing study. Target’s overall grocery and consumables basket has been more expensive than Walmart’s since the study was performed in January 2011.

With an overall branded basket 3.8% less expensive than Target’s, Walmart extended its lead over its rival from June 2013 when Walmart’s overall basket was only 2% cheaper than Target’s.

Nike's store in University Village, Seattle, was created as a sanctuary for athletes. The goal is present in every detail in the 6,247-dq.-ft. store, including this quote from company co-founder Bill Bowerman that is painted onto the bleacher board behind the cash wrap: "There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."

Livonia, Mich. – A large majority of consumers consider themselves value seekers, and they are increasingly using the Internet, social media and mobile devices to obtain value. According to the new Valassis Shopper Marketing Report, nearly eight in 10 consumers consider themselves value seekers, self-described as promotion sensitive or price conscious.

Canton, Mass. - Dunkin' Brands Group Inc, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today announced the extension of Chairman and CEO Nigel Travis's employment contract through December 2018. Travis, 64, whose contract previously ran through December 2016, joined Dunkin' Brands as CEO in December 2008.

Deerfield Park, Ill. - Walgreens and Roush Fenway Racing have launched a partnership to stage "The Race Around America" interactive promotion, presented by Balance Financial Prepaid MasterCard from Walgreens. By registering their cards for the promotion, Balance financial card cardholders will be entered in the sweepstakes portion of the omni-channel promotion.  

Thief River Falls, Minn. – Powersports brand Arctic Cat has expanded its e-commerce business by launching an EBay store using the Shopatron Marketplace ship-from-store application. The SaaS solution provides EBay customers with access to a range of official Arctic Cat gear and merchandise and expands inventory to include goods located in stores.

Saturday Night Live alum and “Parks and Recreation” star Amy Poehler will appear in commercials for Old Navy following last year’s involvement with Best Buy.

Ad Age is reporting that along with starring in the commercials, Poehler will help write and direct them. The first ad, said Ad Age, features Poehler as an executive at a law firm interviewing a job candidate but getting distracted by the woman's outfit from Old Navy.

Connecting brands with influential voices via social media is the premise on which Collective Bias was founded. This week the firm strengthened that proposition with several new initiatives to increase the effectiveness of brand’s social shopper marketing efforts.

The next two years will see Kroger elevate the level of competition in north Texas with an ambitious investment program that comes as Walmart accelerates expansion of its smaller format stores.

Calgon is gearing up for spring with new scents, beauty bar soap products, revamped packaging and a new ad campaign.
 
"We are updating Calgon in formula and design in a way that we believe will help to modernize the iconic brand, while keeping the same attributes that women love about Calgon," said Madeline Blaize, director of marketing of Parfums de Coeur. "It is important to us to offer the consumer the latest trends in beauty care while staying true to the authenticity of the 60-year-old brand."