Marketing

We all know that a catalog company's most valuable asset (other than people, of course) is its housefile — a consolidated database containing each customer's name, address and summarized order information. After all, your previous buyers are what keep the lights burning.

If you're like most retailers, you're probably already familiar with the hardships of selling online. You're most likely well aware of the competitive nature of search engine optimization, the rising price of pay per click (still a great medium when optimized well), affiliate marketing nexus laws and the growing competition that comparison shopping engines are providing. Given this environment, you're also starting to understand the need to explore new options for pushing your brands and products.

rue21 announced it's sponsoring a breast cancer awareness campaign in all stores with "Big or Small, Let's Save Them All" T-shirts in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Jewelry will be sold in all stores with a portion of all proceeds to be donated to A Glimmer of Hope Foundation.

It's no secret that Under Armour is gunning for Nike, or that it considers women to be one of its primary growth markets. But as the athletic wear company is readying its first-ever marketing campaign just for women, it's also looking to broaden its demographic reach. 

RSR Research revealed the results of a new report titled The Local Approach: The State of Localized Advertising in Retail. While retailers struggle to create relevant local experiences in digital channels, they are also challenged to maintain their stores’ relevancy.

General Mills is making a fun-loving reference to every hippie's favorite dessert in a new digital campaign for Fiber One 90-calorie brownies starring none other than Cheech and Chong. 

Department store Bergdorf Goodman is using a shoppable video to increase the hype surrounding its younger 5F collection to increase e-commerce sales. Bergdorf released a video earlier this week featuring the winners of its previous 5F social media contest wearing a slew of top-name designers.

The Kroger Co.'s family of stores, in partnership with key suppliers, has committed $3 million in donations for local breast cancer initiatives across the country to support National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.

Ikea announced that on Oct. 1 its U.S. stores will give away free tree seedlings through its partnership with American Forests. Ikea has been partnering with American Forests since 1998, and through their "Plant a Tree" campaign, they have raised $1.9 million dollars to plant 1.9 million trees.

Watch Milly Santana of XL Alliance interview Lisa Kranc, senior vice president of marketing for AutoZone, about her thoughts on the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit, held last month in La Jolla, Calif.