Social Media

ORLANDO — Walmart is kicking off its official start to the holiday season Friday, Sept. 13, with a no-fee layaway program.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Pepsi is teaming up with MTV to support a performance by pop star Katy Perry at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, from an undisclosed location in Brooklyn Aug. 25. 

Pepsi will also hold a tweet-to-unlock and social voting program where fans can access information and audio samples of two songs from Perry's upcoming album, Prism, available Oct. 22. Participants who tweet #KATYNOW will unlock clues around two of the album's tracks, including the song titles and select lyrics. 

Canton, Mass. – To mark the first anniversary of its mobile gifting/payment app, Dunkin’ Donuts is launching a sweepstakes on Twitter. The sweepstakes, called “DD Mobile Appiversary,” will give 365 consumers a $10 Dunkin' Donuts mGift.

New York -- Express staged a fashion show on Friday in New York City's Times Square, providing the specialty retailer with a promotional platform to preview upcoming collections.

Male and female models showed off the retailer's Holiday 2013 collection, which is not scheduled to hit stores for a few months yet, as part of an ad campaign shoot.

"The Holiday 2013 collection is really about a lot of sparkle, shine, glamour and obviously New York City," said Express president David Kornberg.

New York -- Facebook hired its first-ever chief marketing officer, Gary Briggs, former marketing chief at Google's Motorola Mobility. He replaces Eric Antonow, VP-product marketing, who has been directing the social network’s marketing efforts since 2010.

Los Angeles — Self-proclaimed beauty and fashion junky, Jennifer Geisman, creator of Beautygrl.com, has begun writing a new fashion and lifestyle blog, “Fearless Fashionista,” for four Southern California retail centers, owned and managed by General Growth Properties.

The centers include Galleria at Tyler, Glendale Galleria, Northridge Fashion Center and Otay Ranch Town Center. The blog is available at each center’s website.

BOSTON, Mass. — Brand Networks, a leading integrated social software solutions and digital marketing services provider, has made additions to its executive team as part of the company’s strategy to accelerate expansion. 

Washington, D.C. – Seventy-two percent of online adults in the U.S. use social media. Data from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that Twitter is helping drive this widespread social media use, as the percentage of Internet users who are on Twitter has more than doubled since November 2010, currently standing at 18%.