Marketing Tactics

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Kathy Ireland has put her name on a new line of office furniture for Bush Furniture. The Kathy Ireland Office line will be available in retail stores as early as this fall.

Each of the four collections in the line - New York Skyline, Volcano Dusk, Sonnet and Grand Expressions – includes coordinated home office furnishings and storage accessories, creating a complete work-and-play environment for people in business and their families. 

Shopper marketing conversations these days may be dominated by digital strategies, but the time worn free-standing insert continues to dominate as the distribution vehicle of choice when it comes to coupons.

FSI’s accounted for 89.6% of the 167 billion coupons distributed during the first half of the year, versus 87.3% for the same period the prior year, while digital coupons accounted for less than 1% of total volume, according to the U.S. mid-year 2011 Consumer Packaged Goods Coupon Facts Report released by NCH Marketing Services Inc., a Valassis company.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop announced that it is now offering customers the ability to purchase digital PC games at their local store and access the titles immediately at launch. This service is available exclusively at GameStop and customers can use any form of accepted payment to make their purchase. "Deus Ex: Human Revolution" is the first of what will soon be many titles to support this new purchase method, the company reported.

Walmart said it will donate $20 million to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to provide for free admission for the next five years. The expansive world class facility scheduled to open Nov. 11 in Bentonville, Ark. was founded by the Walton Family Foundation in 2005.

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  — The Walton Family Foundation revealed Wednesday that it will donate $50 million to Teach For America, a commitment that stands to nearly double the size of the organization’s teaching ranks.

The charity that was created by the founder of Wal-Mart Stores will mete out half of the funds over a three-year period, and will increase the number of teachers to 15,000 by 2015. The remaining half of the donation will support the training of existing Teach for America instructors in seven communities.

Retailers who release monthly sales next Thursday will offer fresh insight and hard numbers on back-to-school shoppers’ early season spending behavior and that’s a good thing because so far opinions offered by forecasters are all over the place.

Back in early July, Customer Growth Partners said seasonal sales would grow by 6.2% to $467 billion, the most since 2006, despite economic headwinds.

NEW YORK — Inflation-related concerns will prompt back-to-school shoppers to utilize certain shopping tactics, including smartphone and social network use, to save this year.

Newark, Calif. -- NewPark Mall, in Newark, Calif., has opened an in-house cultural arts center, the NewPark Mall Cultural Corner.

The just-opened cultural center, located on the lower level near Sears, provides exhibit space for the work of local artisans, including painters, sculptors, photographers and digital artists.

NewPark Mall is anchored by Macy's, Sears, J.C. Penney, Target and Burlington Coat Factory. It is owned and managed by General Growth Properties, Chicago.