Marketing Tactics

NEW YORK — Saks Fifth Avenue plans to launch a new ad campaign encouraging new and existing customers to “discover” what the specialty retailer has to offer via catalogs, direct mail, press initiatives, in-store events, digital marketing, social media and visual displays.

Called “Look,” the ad campaign positions Saks Fifth Avenue as more than just a place for shoppers to buy things they want or need but as a showroom where potential shoppers can search for what is new. 

CINCINNATI — Bounty Select-A-Size has teamed up with the Cincinnati Reds as part of a promotional campaign. The company will have 40 Bounty Clean Crew members on hand at every Reds home game to help clean up messes around the park while touting the efficacy of its paper towels to baseball fans.

NEW YORK — As part of its American Icons campaign, Macy’s will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the drive-in theater by providing customers with a free showing of “The Smurfs” in pop-up drive-ins at select Macy’s stores and existing drive-in theaters nationwide.

Home Depot has plans for a major hurricane preparedness initiative this year, but the program doesn’t begin until nearly two months after residents of storm prone areas should already have plans in place.

Hasbro will be developing toys and physical games based on the globally popular Angry Birds brand as part of its expanded licensing agreement with Rovio Entertainment. 

Hasbro will develop the upcoming game Angry Birds Go!, scheduled to release this year, and will continue to develop and expand the collaboration with Angry Birds Star Wars from Rovio Entertainment and LucasFilm.

STAMFORD, Conn. — With the housing market rebounding and home improvement on the upswing, GE Capital Retail Bank is looking to help contractors with a new business-building program called “Think Outside the Toolbox.”

NEW YORK — Bowing to pressure from the Partnership at Drugfree.org, fashion retailer Urban Outfitters has agreed to pull merchandise made to look like prescription pill bottles, including prescription label flasks and pint and shot glasses, from its shelves.  

New York -- David’s Bridal has entered into a partnership with American designer Zac Posen to launch 'Truly Zac Posen', a collection of bridal and other special occasion dresses. The collection will debut in February 2014 in select David’s Bridal stores and online.

New York -- Gilt, the popular online retailer of  discounted high-end designer apparel and accessories, will open its first-ever brick-and-mortar location, a pop-up store in Shelbyville Road Plaza, Louisville, Ky.    
 
“GLI welcomes the first Gilt.com Designer Outlet to the Louisville business community,” said Greater Louisville Inc. CEO and president Craig J. Richard in a press release issued by the online retailer. “The exciting new concept store is a unique addition to our local retail market.”

Chicago -- Eli’s Cheesecake, which sells cheesecakes and other baked goods from a retail store in Chicago as well as an e-commerce site, uses emerging social media tools to meet traditional marketing goals. At the recent Internet Retailer conference in Chicago, Debbie Marchok, VP of marketing for Eli’s Cheesecake, reviewed how the retailer meets the four traditional marketing goals of attention, interest, desire and action with social media.