Marketing Tactics

Staples has kicked off a nationwide tour called "Refresh. Recharge. Refuel." The tour aims to encourage office workers across the country to take a break from the daily grind by visiting a large-scale, popup break room stocked with free snacks, coffee and other beverages.

As part of the tour, Staples will host public break room events in 10 major U.S. cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Port Washington, N.Y. – Spending during the total back-to-school season (nine weeks ending Sept. 6, 2014) on traditional supplies increased 2% from 2013, with e-commerce acting as a key catalyst at more than 20% growth during the same time period. According to new data from The NPD Group Inc., most back-to-school shopping occurs at retail brick-and-mortar stores (88%), but 2014 online sales claimed an estimated $33 million previously held by brick-and-mortar retailers.

As part of its new ad match campaign, Family Dollar plans to match the price on any local competitors' printed advertisement starting tomorrow.

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open a new store in Hawthorne, California, in Los Angeles County, on Oct. 11. The store is located in the Hawthorne Town Plaza.

This new opening is part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

The makers of Adams flea and tick control brand have chosen Cheryl Knapp’s English Bulldog Ducky as the grand prize winner of its Smart Pets Contest.

Knapp won the choice of $15,000 cash or a smart car plus smart pet bragging rights. Stardom for the clever canine begins today as a close-up of Ducky flashes from a digital billboard 23 stories above New York's Times Square.

Amazon’s new “Wish List” deal with Twitter continues the evolution of Twitter from a channel for passive promotion to a channel for interactive customer engagement. By allowing consumers to directly add items they see in tweets to their Amazon Wish Lists without leaving Twitter, the arrangement both turns Twitter into an active platform for peer-to-peer, unpaid marketing and also helps keep Twitter users on Twitter for longer periods of time by extending its functionality.

Alpharetta, Ga. - McAlister's Deli has signed an agreement with new franchise group MidSouth Hospitality Inc. to open 10 locations in Middle Tennessee. Led by McAlister's veteran Charles Corley, MidSouth Hospitality will be opening its first McAlister's in early 2015.

The newly formed company plans to open a total of 10 new restaurants during the next seven years.

HoneyBaked is wasting no time in preparing for the holiday season by adding more than 10,000 part-time employees to its current workforce — a 600% total increase in its workforce across 400 stores nationwide.