Branding

Target, Costco Wholesale and Gap are among 15 retailers recognized on the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 "World's Most Ethical Companies" list. The other retailers honored were Safeway, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks Coffee Co., Patagonia, Wegmans, Marks and Spencer, Best Buy, eBay, Timberland, OfficeMax, Petco, and Ten Thousand Villages. Ethisphere evaluates hundreds of companies, naming only those that surpass their industry peers to the "World's Most Ethical Companies" list. The 2012 list features 145 companies in more than three dozen industries that show leadership in promoting ethical business standards.

Greg Rivera, president and co-founder of Mishka is featured in the next Grovo Expert Series giving viewers an inside look at  how his T-shirt company quickly grew into a global streetwear brand with stores through blogging, social media and viral branding. 

Overstock.com has acquired the naming rights to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for a reported $7.2 million. The Coliseum is now known as Overstock.com Coliseum. The six-year deal covers the stadium facility that is home to both the NFL's Oakland Raiders and the MLB's Oakland Athletics.

The art of brand building still remains a mystery to many companies. During these tough economic times, business leaders are searching for ways to grow their brands, expand their reach and influence their bottom lines.

Daily-deal giant Groupon intended to increase awareness among the millions of viewers watching Sunday night's Super Bowl XLV. Some industry experts believe the commercial may have been a misfire.

About a decade ago, businesses became aware of the magnitude of challenges associated with doing business in China and other emerging markets. For the most part, the customers with whom they'd be doing business with were still "the usual suspects," so the challenges were mainly around operations and logistics.

Using a multi-store e-commerce strategy can significantly increase customer acquisition, loyalty and conversion rates. Leading online retailers are currently benefiting from an effective multi-store ecommerce strategy, now is the time to learn how.

Sears Holdings and Sonic Solutions have partnered to launch an instant access movie and television series download service for Sears and Kmart customers. The RoxioNow-powered Alphaline Entertainment service will offer customers the ability to download movies and television shows on the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray. Sonic and Sears are collaborating to embed the service through a chip, which will be included on portable media devices, Blu-ray disc players, mobile phones and high-definition television sets. "Collaborating with Sonic provides a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to launch digital services for customers seeking even faster

I love products that make me stop and think; products that halt me in my tracks and cause me to say things like, “What's that?” and “Just how did they do that?” Then, upon studying it further, “Well, now that makes perfect sense. I wonder why no one ever thought of it before?”

Astute merchants watch and monitor the way their customers buy and use their products, and continually adapt their offer accordingly, quenching their customers’ need for their merchandise in unique formats.