Sales & Marketing

San Francisco – Williams-Sonoma Inc. has shuffled the positions of several top executives. Chief strategy and supply chain officer Dean Miller has been named COO, and chief marketing officer Pat Connolly will assume the position of chief strategy and business development officer.

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. plans to roll out the digital experience management platform from Qubit. Qubit's technology helps marketers gain a deeper understanding of customer data to optimize the customer experience based on insights and intelligence.

Pop singer Cody Simpson has become the latest artist to join the American Rag “All Access” campaign, which kicks off July 28 and continues through November. American Rag, available only at Macy’s, launched the program in February, and features exclusive music, videos, online sweepstakes and in-store appearances from some of today’s “rising stars.”

PepsiCo announced that James Schiro has resigned from the company's board of directors for health reasons, effective immediately.

Schiro is the former CEO of both Zurich Financial Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He was elected to PepsiCo's board of directors in 2003 and served as the company's presiding director from May 2010 to May 2013. Most recently, Schiro served on PepsiCo's nominating and corporate governance committee and its compensation committee.

Time Inc.’s ALL YOU media property is looking for individuals worthy of the distinction of being called “America’s Smartest Shopper,” and is relying on a range of digital methods to aid in the search.

Dallas -- Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurant, Inc. has launched its first multimedia brand advertising campaign with the new company tagline, “We Speak Barbecue.” The new campaign uses both music and visuals and includes multiple 30-second national television spots, radio advertisements and a digital campaign.

Atlanta – A variety of costs drove net earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2014 at Aaron’s Inc. down 67% to $8.5 million from $25.9 million in the same period a year earlier. Expenses related to Aaron’s April 2014 purchase of lease-to-own company Progressive Finance Holdings, as well as advisory and strategic costs and costs related to store closures, impacted net earnings.

DreamWorks Animation makes its official foray into the retail space with the launch of DreamPlace, a state-of-the-art reimagining of the holiday retail experience slated to be unveiled at select GGP and Forest malls this holiday season.

DreamPlace is a 2,000-sq.-ft. holiday cottage and combines the latest technology with magical storytelling from creative minds behind such hit franchises as Shrek, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon. DreamPlace reimagines one of the signature moments of childhood – meeting Santa Claus.