Marketing Tactics

As HSN breaks ground on its fourth Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County home this month, HSNi Cares, the philanthropic arm of HSN's parent company HSN Inc, is set to launch a national campaign June 1 in support of Habitat for Humanity International.

Customers from these brands will have the opportunity to make a donation in support of the campaign when making purchases online and over the phone from June 1-30.

Boca Raton, Fla. - Office Depot and OfficeMax are now offering a single, combined insert in Sunday newspapers representing products and services being offered at both brands’ retail stores. The move marks the first advertisement where Office Depot and OfficeMax customers will see the two national brands together as one.

The insert also features tips on additional ways customers can shop via website, mobile app or via phone.

Irving, Texas - Texas-based lighting retailer IMW Internet Ventures LLC is opening its new online store at CedarParkLighting.com. CedarParkLighting.com offers a variety of lighting solutions and plans to continually update its inventory as new items are introduced.

Austin, Texas - Whole Foods Market earned the top spot in Greenpeace’s annual seafood sustainability ranking of U.S. supermarkets, claiming both the highest overall score and the strongest sustainable seafood policy. Whole Foods Market has been ranked first for the last two years in a row.

Milford, Conn. - The Subway restaurant chain is poised to open about 3,000 new locations worldwide this year. Subway currently has more than 41,000 stores in 105 countries worldwide.

"Location, location, location is still the mantra," said John Devine, director of Subway Real Estate. "We continue to provide our customers with convenient locations to enjoy our great menu offerings. At the same time, we continue to offer landlords and developers a proven, stable and trusted tenant for their real estate."

When industry experts talk about retailers connecting with today’s mobile consumer, they are generally referring to customers who always travel with smartphones and tablets. But there is another type of “mobile” consumer touchpoint retailers should be targeting, and that is the automobile.

New York -- Apple is celebrating its 13th year as a brick-and-mortar retailer. The tech giant opened its first retail store on the morning of May 19, 2001, at Tysons Corner Center, McLean, Virginia. A second Apple store, at Glendale Galleria, Glendale, California, opened a few hours later.

To see an animated map (13 Years of Apple Stores in 60 Seconds) from Retale charting the expansion of Apple stores in the U.S., click here.

Office Depot has integrated its Office Depot and OfficeMax brands by launching on Sunday a single, combined insert offering savings on products and services being offered at both retail banners.

The move marks the first advertisement where Office Depot and OfficeMax customers will see the two national brands together as one.

L’Oréal Paris is bringing the personalized service of a department store to the mass market with its latest in beauty digital innovation — “Makeup Genius.”

Based on the insight that beauty is one of the most “Googled” topics in the world — with about 4 billion searches a year — the group’s innovation incubator decided to respond to the needs expressed by consumers by offering greater customization and interaction with their brand.

Newell Rubbermaid has opened a state-of-the-art design center in Kalamazoo, Mich., joining a growing list of design-driven companies that recognize design and innovation as a competitive advantage.