Marketing Tactics

Trendy teen retailer Hot Topic is banking on the popularity of the upcoming animated movie The Book of Life to drive sales of an exclusive merchandise offering inspired by the 20th Century Fox and Reel FX Animation Studios film.

The movie arrives in theaters October 17 and Hot Topic in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has introduced a graphically-stunning limited-edition collection of fashion apparel inspired by the fantasy-adventure film.

As more retail promotions migrate online, RetailMeNot has introduced two new products poised to disrupt the traditional print circular.

The new offerings are branded as RetailMeNot Circulars and RetailMeNot Showcase and are part of the company’s portfolio of solutions designed to help retailers and brands increase sales and grow awareness.

New research from an organization called the Luxury Institute found that half the executives in a recent survey are spending at least 30% of their marketing budget on digital methods with an even larger percentage concerned it isn’t enough.

The opportunity to be discovered and appear in a national TV ad later this year are being used to entice Kohl’s shoppers to submit videos singing the hit song “Let it Go” from the Disney movie Frozen.

Kohl’s and Disney created the digital campaign called Sing Your Heart Out and are giving fans of the movie Frozen until September 29 to submit videos of themselves singing the song Let it Go for a chance to be included in a Kohls holiday commercial that will air during the 2014 American Music Awards.

The worldwide introduction of 250 new items in the couldn’t help General Mills overcome other challenges that caused sales and profits to decline during the company’s first quarter.

Total company sales during the quarter ended August 24 declined 2% to $4.27 billion and earnings per share fell to 55 cents from 70 cents last year with the U.S. retail climate causing much of the company’s difficulties.

Firearm safety is taken seriously at outdoor retailer Gander Mountain where the company is giving away 50,000 trigger locks in a unique promotion.

The trigger lock giveaway is a significant commitment, considering the devices retail for $9.99, but the cost of goods could be more than offset by an increase in traffic ahead of the fall hunting season. The trigger lock giveaway begins this Friday September 17 and runs for three days to coincide with what the company is calling its biggest hunting sale of the year.

Philadelphia -- The Mills announced plans for a multimillion dollar renovation of Franklin Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in the Philadelphia region. The redevelopment will transform the center into a completely new shopping experience, and the name of the property has been changed to Philadelphia Mills to herald the transformation.

Dallas -- Epsilon, an Alliance Data company, has signed a multi-year agreement with Sephora to provide targeted email marketing services focused on driving sales and creating a more personalized experience for customers across Sephora's omnichannel marketing platforms.  

Under the terms of the deal, Epsilon will provide a full suite of permission-based email marketing services including account and campaign management, strategy and email delivery.

New York -- ICA Sweden has signed a licensing agreement with Starbucks Coffee Company to open Starbucks retail stores in the grocery store channel in Sweden. The cafés will be operated by ICA according to the Starbucks licensing concept and under the Starbucks brand.

Initially, the plan is to open three Starbucks retail stores during 2015. These will then be evaluated before a decision is made on the possible establishment of more cafés.

Target has entered the “top toy” fray with a list filled with familiar brands, exclusive offering and boutique products designed to inspire creative play and reinforce Target’s differentiation.