Marketing Tactics

Indianapolis – The Finish Line Inc. finished ahead of Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2016. Net income rose 29% to $13.73 million from $10.65 million in the prior year period.

A higher gross profit, as well as significantly lower impairment and store closing charges, drove the increase in net income. Net sales grew 9% to $443.39 million from $406.53 million. Same-store sales at the Finish Line banner increased 5.5%.

Washington, D.C. – Americans are feeling patriotic as July 4 approaches and putting their wallets where their feelings are. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) 2015 Independence Day Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than 156 million consumers, or 64% of those celebrating, are planning to take part in the July 4 holiday by attending a cookout, picnic or barbecue, spending an average of $71.23 per household, up 4% from $68.16 in 2014.

Bloomington, Minn. – Malls have long been physical spots for consumers to socialize, and Mall of America is trying to extend that social aspect into the digital space. The 500-plus-store, nearly five million-sq.-ft. shopping center is using the Geofeedia location-based social media monitoring platform to actively engage customers and gain better understanding of what they are discussing and doing while visiting the mall.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Johnny Rockets is expanding into Poland, with its first Polish location expected in Warsaw in early 2016. The casual dining chain has reached a development agreement with HDS Polska Group to build and operate 10 Johnny Rockets restaurants during the next 10 years.
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HDS Polska Group is a subsidiary of publicly-traded company Lagardere Services that operates a network of more than 800 outlets in the Polish market including convenience stores, coffee shops and full service restaurants.

GameStop is kicking off summer in a big way with a five-week Twitter contest aimed at increasing customer engagement.

The contest, called #SummerAtGameStop, is a five-week contest series designed for gamers to share their personal stories on how video gaming brings fans together to create unique friendships and lifelong relationships. The program encompasses five themed weeks: Never Met, Romance, Reunited, Game Night, and Rematch.

Bass Pro Shops will soon be fishing for new customers in Florida, as the retailer has set a date for its opening in the Tampa Bay area.

According  to WFLA in Tampa, the retailer says it will open its doors at 10501 Palm River Rd. in Tampa on July 29.

One of the world's biggest fashion retailers says the strong U.S. dollar hurt profits in the second quarter, but the company is moving ahead with plans to increase investments and even launch a new brand in 2017.

Nielsen knows what makes brand marketing effective and now the company is applying its consumer communications expertise to the world of packaging.

Nielsen Design Navigator is the name of a new creative enablement tool the company contends helps marketers improve the in-market effectiveness of package design.

Nielsen is known as a leader in marketing effectiveness, innovation forecasting and in-market success but the introduction of the Design Navigator is new territory. Why the company has made the move is understandable.

Talk about a perfect storm. As if the role of the CMO isn’t changing fast enough in all industries, the retail industry itself is undergoing major disruption and rapid transformation. As a result, retail CMOs certainly have their work cut out for themselves.

While by no means a comprehensive action plan, this article addresses five key imperatives that sit squarely in the eye of this storm.

New York -- The world’s largest online retailer will soon be driving around and selling product out of a truck — a truck that looks like a giant Amazon package.