Marketing Tactics

By Brian Smith, BizBrag

New York -- Target Corp. has joined the growing ranks of retailers who will open earlier on Thanksgiving this year. The company said it is making the change in response to competitive pressure and demand from shoppers.

Target stores will open on 8 p.m. on the holiday, an hour earlier than last year. Stores will remain open throughout the night and close at 11 p.m. on the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29.

West Orange, N.J. — Retro Fitness and Chipotle have signed long-term leases at West Orange Plaza in West Orange, N.J., according to Levin Management, which represented the landlord in the transaction.

Retro Fitness took 14,115 sq. ft. and was represented by Katz & Associates. Represented by Winick Realty Group, Chipotle leased 2,557 sq. ft.

Post Foods' Honey Bunches of Oats has enlisted pop duo Domino Saints for its latest ad campaign geared toward Hispanic markets. The pop duo from San Juan, Puerto Rico, collaborated in the exclusive "Smile While You Shake It" music video.

Inspired by samba beats, the song and signature dance incorporate the cereal box and breakfast utensils as percussion instruments. National bilingual media, social media and website (bunchofbeats.com) encourage consumers to upload their own versions of the dance, share them digitally, and be eligible to win prizes.

Procter & Gamble Canada has announced that Emmy-nominated actress Christina Hendricks will host the fifth annual P&G Beauty & Grooming Awards Dec. 2.

Best known for her portrayal of “Joan Holloway” on AMC’s series “Mad Men,” the former model will grace the stage as P&G celebrates the best Canadian editorial and creative talent in beauty, fashion and grooming. Hendricks joins Nia Vardalos, Queen Latifah, Kim Cattrall and Rob Lowe who have served as previous hosts.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Belk stores will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. From 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 28 through 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, stores will offer more than 350 early bird specials while quantities last The promotion will feature hundreds of special deals in every department.

The first 250 customers at each store at the 8 p.m. opening on Thanksgiving will receive a free Belk gift card with a value ranging from $5 to $1,000, and with a guaranteed $1,000 gift card winner in each of the company's 301 stores.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack will open its newest Houston location as a concept store on Nov. 9. All concept stores in the company's portfolio feature an upgraded shopping experience, which showcases the company's new look, and incorporates interactive areas designed to help shoppers improve their technology profile.

Some features include:

Santa may need to send his suit to the dry cleaners next week after Belk gets a jump on Christmas by hosting an event called Santafest on Saturday, November 16.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based department store chain operates 301 stores in 16 southern states, more than half of which are located in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. It can be quite warm and humid in the Southeast well into November with hurricane season not officially ending until November 30.