Marketing Tactics

New York -- Talking mannequins almost steal the show at the exhibition, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk,” which opened recently at The Brooklyn Museum in New York City.  

New York -- The 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will step-off at 77th Street and Central Park West on Thursday, Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. Started in 1924 with only about a dozen elements, the 2013 line-up of wonder features 15 giant character balloons; 37 large scale, novelty/ornament balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 30 floats; 1,600 cheerleaders and dancers; 900 clowns; 11 marching bands; and a host of celebrity performers.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores joined the growing list of national retailers whose stores will open on Thanksgiving Day.

Kmart, which has opened Thanksgiving Day for 22 years, this year will be open for 41 straight hours, starting at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day to 11 p.m. Black Friday.  Sears will open at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Convenience store operator Wawa is expanding through Florida with a fresh, new prototype whose palette, materials and textures complement the look and feel of the Sunshine state. The use of warm colors and abundant natural light enhance the store’s inviting, upmarket vibe.

The prototype reflects the language and style associated with Floridian architecture. Exterior elements include pastel colors, clapboard siding, pitched roofs and front porches that reference historic south and central Florida building types.

Mini catalogs help offset increased costs of mailing, without sacrificing circulation

In the largest price increase since 2007, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is proposing a rate hike of 5.9%, a move that has catalog mailers scrambling to assess the impact of such an increase and also evaluating less expensive alternatives. The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has up to 90 days to rule on the proposal, with the price increase going into effect as early as Jan. 27, 2014.

In August, women’s specialty apparel retailer Coldwater Creek, which operates 402 stores in 47 states, announced it had landed Deborah Cavanagh as its new chief marketing officer. She is charged with leading the multichannel brand’s marketing and creative services. One of Cavanagh’s first orders of business? To re-engage the Coldwater Creek core customer, as well as connect with new ones.

Santa Clara, Calif. — Westfield Valley Fair celebrated its official grand re-opening with the debut of a multi-million dollar dining terrace and a fete for its expanded luxury collection in partnership with DuJour Magazine.

The remodeled 23,000-sq.-ft. public dining terrace caters to fast casual dining and entertainment programming. Shoppers can select from 18 eateries and enjoy comfortable lounge seating or an alfresco patio complete with fire pits and sculpture. 

New York -- Starting in November, J. Crew consumers can take advantage of MasterPass at checkout, a digital wallet service enables shoppers to use any payment card or enabled device to unlock a simplified and speedier checkout experience whether they’re at home, in a store or on the go.

Wakefield, Mass. – Most consumers in the U.S., U.K., and Australia are not using mobile technology for holiday shopping this year, but many will use mobile devices for product research and in-store showrooming. According to results of the 2013 Holiday Preferences Study from SDL, the majority of consumers in the U.S. (64%), U.K. (68%) and Australia (67%) are not using a tablet or smartphone more this year to purchase gifts.

Seattle -- Zoomingo, the personalized shopping discovery app that helps shoppers find the best deals in their local stores and malls, announced an agreement with Simon Property Group, the largest mall operator in the U.S., to market the Zoomingo app for the upcoming 2013 holiday shopping season.