Marketing Tactics

NEW YORK -- Barnes & Noble has announced a partnership with Nickelodeon that will bring the first-ever digital books from the number-one entertainment brand for kids. The books will feature such Nickelodeon characters as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer available in digital format through the Nook Color Reader’s Tablet (www.nookcolor.com) and the free Nook Kids for iPad application (www.nookkids.com/ipad and www.itunes.com/appstore).

WAYNE, N.J. – The Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund has made an additional donation of $500,000 to Save the Children, bringing the Fund’s total contribution to $1 million to support the organization’s relief efforts for children and families impacted by the crisis in Japan.

Target made an original donation of $500,000 to Save the Children earlier this month.

CLEVELAND — American Greetings is making kids' birthday cards extra special with its Surprise Inside line.

Each Surprise Inside card features a surprise gift pouch inside that the child can open to reveal a small toy that coordinates with the card's theme, the company said. A sticker reveals to the sender what the secret gift will be.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.  -- Kenmore announced that it has launched an online reality series, "So You Wanna Be a Designer."

For six weeks the reality show will stream live on Kenmore's Facebook page to show budding designers at work, making their dreams a reality. Through the series, contestants will learn how to navigate the barriers of entering the design world: how to create and launch a brand, and how to price, present and promote designs successfully, among other things.

New York City -- Save Mart Supermarkets saved more than $8,000 on a high-efficiency LED lighting retrofit of store in Ripon, Calif., through a partnership with the EnergySmart Jobs program.

Save Mart is distinguished as one of the first participants in the federally-funded program, which is an initiative of Energy Upgrade California and is administered by PECI, San Francisco. It focuses on creating new jobs through the implementation of energy-saving upgrades that help commercial retailers lower their operating costs.

New York City -- Optimism was in the air at Chain Store Age’s 47th annual SPECS conference, in Grapevine, Texas. Spirits were up, and so was attendance, dramatically so, among both the show’s attendees and exhibitors.

San Diego -- Target Corp. is suing a pro-gay marriage group to get it to stop canvassing outside its San Diego County stores, alleging the group’s activists are driving away customers, the Associated Press said.

Recently I had one of the most immersive, exciting shopping experiences ever. I got to play with a bunch of cool products and to engage with employees and other shoppers who had similar tastes and interests as mine. The experience whetted my appetite for more products and I left totally pumped up about several brands. I told several people about my experience and they wanted to go check it out themselves. 

NEW YORK  -- Barneys New York has announced that Carine Roitfeld will collaborate on its women's fall 2011 campaign. Roitfeld will serve as guest editor and stylist working alongside celebrated photographer Mario Sorrenti and Barneys New York creative director, Dennis Freedman, to create the campaign, the company reported.

According to the company, the company will celebrate Roitfeld's iconic style and will feature looks displayed in the windows at Barneys' Madison Avenue flagship store. 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said it will open a new office in Atlanta, positioning the retailer to more effectively manage nearly 1,600 stores in 20 eastern U.S. states and allow it to focus on opportunities to grow its business in states such as New York.

The new eastern business unit will be run by Rosalind Brewer, president of Walmart East and executive VP of Walmart U.S.