Marketing Tactics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Grocer Food City has inked a partnership with the University of Tennessee Medical Center to expand the Healthy Living Kitchen — a move that is expected to result in a significantly greater reach for Healthy Living Kitchen programs and educational efforts at schools, community events and Food City supermarkets throughout the region.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Building on its valued customer program, Harris Teeter is offering shoppers a way to link coupons to the program's card.

Harris Teeter's e-VIC program now gives customers the opportunity to link valuable manufacturer coupons directly to their VIC card. When e-VIC members receive their e-VIC e-mail, they can browse the list of e-VIC coupons any time, and link the coupons by clicking the “Save it” icon on any of the displayed coupons.

LONDON — Image-conscious women don't "dress their age" until they reach 70 years old, according to new research carried out by the retailer Debenhams, a department store group that has a strong presence in such categories as women's clothing, shoes, children's wear and beauty.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Target -- or at least what the company was willing to share with CNBC camera crews -- will be available for viewing in a few days. The financial network is set to air the one hour show, “Target: Inside the Bullseye,” on Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. EST and again at 10 p.m., 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. The program will also re-air on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Can’t wait until Thursday to watch the show? Here’s a few clips:

Target remains aggressive in its marketing efforts to educate shoppers about the 5% REDcard, and this week ran a spread ad in its weekly circular. The ad is compelling with  distinctive red dots in offset type calling out “5% off” and educating consumers about the program’s design in a way that can’t be matched by extensive in store signage dedicated to the program.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Building on its valued customer program, Harris Teeter is offering shoppers a way to link coupons to the program's card.

Harris Teeter's e-VIC program now gives customers the opportunity to link valuable manufacturer coupons directly to their VIC card. When e-VIC members receive their e-VIC e-mail, they can browse the list of e-VIC coupons any time, and link the coupons by clicking the “Save it” icon on any of the displayed coupons.

LAS VEGAS — Polaroid and its creative director, pop sensation Lady Gaga, unveiled a new line that is truly expressive of Lady Gaga's artistic vision.

The Polaroid Grey Label initially will feature a trio of products that include:

•The GL10 instant mobile printer, available in May at a retail price of $149.99, gives users the instant printing experience with Polaroid's Zink Zero Ink technology, making photo printing mess-free. Polaroid also will roll out Zink photo paper for the printer as well;

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Addressing customers' demand for affordable and nutritious meal options, Fresh & Easy is expanding its popular Eatwell line.

Building on the success of the Eatwell line, which launched last year, are such meal options as steak and spinach salad, spicy tomato chicken pasta and garlic alfredo salmon. The new meals range in price from $2.49 to $4.99.

Each Eatwell meal contains no more than 25% of the daily values for calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium (based upon a 2,000-calorie diet).

NEW YORK - After coming off a strong November, U.S. retailers found their momentum largely waned in December, with sales impacted by a still-cautious consumer, early discounting and a blizzard that crippled the Northeast in the days immediately after Christmas. But while many chains missed Wall Street’s heightened expectations for December, the retail industry still turned in its strongest holiday performance since 2006.

Transaction marketing gained widespread acceptance among retailers in 2010, as they began to recognize marketing in the electronic banking channel as a far more cost effective way to encourage repeat business, increase the average transaction sizes and drive same-store sales. It enabled retailers to overcome the marketing waste associated with other channels -- like Groupon -- and consistently provided compelling and measurable return on their marketing investment.