Marketing Tactics

Time is running out for entries into this year's Crash the Super Bowl contest by PepsiCo’s Doritos brand.  From now until November 9, fans from participating countries around the world can submit their 30-second homemade ads celebrating their love of Doritos tortilla chips. 

A strong start to holiday season at Toys “R” hinges on a carefully curated offering of merchandise offered online and in a catalog known as The Great Big Christmas Book being distributed to households this week.

Sears and Amazon.com both recently came under fire for allowing rings decorated with the Nazi swastika symbol to be posted for sale on their third-party seller sites. While both retailers quickly pulled the items down and issued public apologies, they received a large amount of negative publicity and surely damaged their brand image with many offended customers, perhaps to the point of permanently losing some of them.

Washington, D.C. –- Nearly eight in 10 (79%) retailers surveyed will set their standard shipping deadlines for guaranteed Christmas delivery to expire at least a week before the holiday, compared to 74% who said in the 2013 holiday season. In addition, according to Shop.org’s EHoliday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, approximately one in five (21%) will set those deadlines to expire Dec. 19 or later, compared to more than one-quarter who said so last year (25%).  

In announcing its new mobile ordering service, Starbucks referenced a "seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared with significant growth in online shopping" during the 2013 holiday season. Indeed, consumers are increasingly comfortable with bypassing physical stores and purchasing goods online, especially when facing the prospect of holiday crowds and traffic.  

Nashville -- Responding to the Ebola virus that has ravaged West Africa, the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) is launching a major campaign to help fight Ebola in Liberia. Working with its partner charities operating in Liberia, the #RetailFightsEbola campaign is rallying retailers, manufacturers and individuals to provide much-needed medical and hygienic supplies to Liberia.   

New York -- Woolrich John Rich & Bros. announced the opening of its first Tokyo flagship, in the fashionable Omotesando neighborhood. Following the opening of the brand’s first U.S. flagship this September, Woolrich John Rich & Bros. continues its global expansion plan with the new addition in Japan.  

Sears and Amazon.com both recently came under fire for allowing rings decorated with the Nazi swastika symbol to be posted for sale on their third-party seller sites. While both retailers quickly pulled the items down and issued public apologies, they received a large amount of negative publicity and surely damaged their brand image with many offended customers, perhaps to the point of permanently losing some of them.  

Corte Madera, Calif. -- RH (Restoration Hardware Holdings) announced today the opening of its store, RH The Gallery, in West Hollywood, Calif.       With nearly 40,000 total interior and exterior square feet, the space features artistic abstractions and never-seen-before collections of home furnishings in a gallery setting.  

Paris, France -- Digital Social Retail, a division of digital marketing agency Holosfind, is launching a digital convergence platform for the retail industry, integrating innovative technology and centralized management, for real-time streaming of audio and video content and personalized geolocation messaging. After 18 months of development and the signing of a joint venture for the acquisition of technology with the Israeli company Media TV, Digital Social Retail has introduced the Social Retail convergence platform.