Marketing Tactics

All good things must come to end — including, after nearly four years, my contributions to this column. “Retail Rap” will soon be forging on without me. This is the first of two final columns I’ll be contributing, and I’ll beg your indulgence if I wax nostalgic at times in this, column number 99, and in my last submission two weeks from now, Retail Rap number 100.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- Norman de Greve will join CVS Health as chief marketing officer, effective July 15. In this role, de Greve will be accountable for marketing strategy across the enterprise.  

Currently, de Greve is president of the Boston and Detroit offices of the DigitasLBi marketing agency. de Greve has experience in cross-channel communications planning, brand campaigns, media, loyalty and analytics.

In addition to his 14 years at DigitasLBi, de Greve spent time in management consulting.
 

New York - Consumers are continuing to abandon national food, beverage and household brands. According to Deloitte's annual American Pantry Study of more than 354 brands across 34 product categories, nearly three in four (73%) consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories show an overall decline in their brands' "must-have" status, meaning that shoppers would purchase whether on sale or not.

Deerfield, Ill. - Mondelez International has renewed its global strategic partnership with Facebook, with a focus on creating and delivering creative video content and driving impulse snack purchasing online. Through this partnership, the companies will work together to leverage and innovate around video consumption and mobile commerce.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will no longer sell merchandise featuring the Confederate flag in its stores or online. The retailer is removing the flag, long a source of controversy due to its connections to slavery and use as a symbol by white supremacists, in the wake of a racially-motivated mass shooting at a historically black Charleston, South Carolina church.

San Francisco – In its latest step toward becoming more of a commerce platform, Twitter is testing two new ways to make finding content about products easier. The first pilot is of a new way to surface and organize relevant Tweets about products and places on dedicated pages.

These pages will feature images and video about the product alongside information such as a description, price, and an option to buy, book, or visit the website for more information. Twitter is starting to experiment with a small number of products and places.

Disney and Ralph Lauren are among the iconic American brands consumers consider the most "patriotic," according to a new survey.

Shopper marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi X has promoted one of its senior executives to be its next president.

Staples is getting an early start on back-to-school season with the debut of new products and promotions.

The retailer wants to help parents get their kids ready for the new school year with the hottest trends ranging from the latest graphic or camouflage patterns in new colors, to products that provide a life-changing impact or exclusive products that were designed with the help of students.

Whole Foods Market is kicking off summer with a slew of promotions designed to appeal to the shopper who keeps a healthy lifestyle.

From June 24 to June 30, the retailer’s Whole Body departments will host events, classes, demonstrations and promotions* to showcase Whole Foods Market’s large selection of active living products—from protein powders and superfoods to sun-care and reusable water bottles.