Marketing Tactics

Scottsdale, Ariz. — With the opening of the first Montana franchise location, Massage Envy Spa now operates in 48 states. Located in Missoula, the new spa is one of the first to introduce the brand’s latest clinic design elements.

With more than 900 franchise locations operating in 48 states, Massage Envy is the largest system of franchised massage clinics in the U.S.

Cincinnati -- Americans are increasing their use of social media for discussions about favorite brands, while slowing down on face-to-face and phone conversations about product likes and dislikes, according to a report by Colloquy, the research arm of LoyaltyOne, a global provider of loyalty and marketing programs.

Social media brand recommendations have grown 4% since Colloquy conducted survey research in 2011 on the word-of-mouth habits of U.S. consumers, while face-to-face recommendations have declined 4% in that time period.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar hit a major milestone in its history on Thursday as the company opened its 8,000th store, in Lancaster, S.C.  

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced a new price match policy that the company said ensures customers pay the lowest price – both in stores and online. Staples said it will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon.com or any retailer who sells products in both retail stores and online under the same brand.

Sandy Springs, Ga. - When Arby’s recently launched a new brisket sandwich menu item, the retailer chose PunchTab to help build a rewards campaign called “The League of Brisket.” The campaign encourages customers to join the league and complete challenges to earn free food and gear, as well as an entry for a chance to win the grand prize of pro football tickets and “the ultimate tailgate party.”

Atlanta - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized The Home Depot with a 2013 WaterSense Retail Partner of the Year award. The Home Depot was honored during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference for its commitment to water efficiency and outstanding efforts to support the WaterSense program during 2012.

Boston – College students most frequently eat snack foods in the afternoon and are frequently replacing meals with snacks. A new study from marketing agency Fluent shows that 75% of college students replace meals with snacks and afternoon snacking is three times more popular than morning or late night snacking.

Other notable findings of the survey college students age 18-25 include:

Indianapolis – Hhgregg opened a new store in Huntsville, Ala., on Oct. 10. The new store replaces a previous location at a different address.

"We are excited to introduce a new, modern store to our customers in Huntsville," said Jeff Pearson, senior VP of marketing for Hhgregg. "We hope that residents will take advantage of special sale pricing on a wide variety of appliances, electronics, furniture and much more."

Following a successful launch in China earlier this year, Hershey is ready to introduce its first new brand to the U.S. market in three decades.