Scholastic Promotes “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows”
Scholastic recently turned to id29, a creative agency in Troy, NY to develop promotional materials for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Doug Bartow, Art Director and Principal at id29 said, “We developed a design aesthetic and five words -There Will Soon Be Seven - that really resonated with Scholastic.
id29 designed print ads, point-of-purchase, and exhibitions that heralded the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Barbie Doll Boutique Opens At FAO Schwarz
Mattel and specialty toy retailer FAO Schwarz have opened “styled by me™ Barbie® doll,” a 1,500-sq. ft. retail experience at the retailer’s Fifth Ave. flagship store, where girls can customize their own Barbie® doll.
Two large Barbie® doll styling stations, complete with eight interactive touch screens guide girls through a design process to personally select a doll, fashions, accessories, a doll case and even a gift for themselves. Girls can choose from among seven Barbie® dolls and friends featuring different skin tones and hair colors and styles, as well as from a “closet full” of fashions and accessories. Girls can debut their newly styled doll in a “fashion show,” in which each customized Barbie® doll will “walk” down the miniature runway.
Richard Dickson, Sr. V.P., Marketing, Mattel, said “We’ve created an unparalleled retail experience based on the fashion heritage of Barbie and the personalization that today’s girls love.”
Polar Frog Kiosk Targets Airport Travelers
Polar Frog Digital, Scottsdale, AZ, has placed its custom DVD burning Kiosks in airport shops around the nation.
Polar Frog Digital’s innovative Manufacturing On-Demand solution is made possible through MediaIgloo, which allows customers to browse from thousands of movies from a local source library and customize their own DVD within minutes. Polar Frog Digital has licensed content from more than 50 studios and currently offers more than 5000 DVD titles.
Todd Rosenbaum, CEO, Polar Frog Digital ,said, “We offer the conveniencce of virtual inventories without traditional distribution costs.”
www.abovealladvertising.net
American Greetings Displays Pretty Freekin Scary Line
American Greetings will be introducing its teen/tween property, ‘Pretty Freekin Scary’ in Wal-Mart stores for Halloween.
Tamra Knepfer, SVP, Consumer Products, American Greetings Properties, said, “With its eerie themes, the Pretty Freekin Scary merchandise should be a natural choice for Halloween shoppers.”
The Pretty Freekin Scary accessories line will consist of more than a dozen items and will be displayed on Wal-Mart endcaps. Among the fashionable accessories are bracelets, a reversible wrist cuff, and a beanie knit hat. Additional items include: a bobble head, plush doll, a paper lantern with light, a clear giant sticker, a magnetic memo board, a cell phone/mp3 case holder, a keychain and a journal.
Wal-Mart will also be offering a Pretty Freekin Scary greeting cards line for the Halloween shopping season.
‘Crunch Cards’ Displays Edible Greeting Cards For Dogs
Developed by a Veterinarian, Crunch Cards® - Edible Greeting Cards for Dogs, offer retailers a bite out of the $38 billion dollar pet market as well as excellent incremental sales opportunities.
These patented edible cards are from Crunchkins, Inc., which says it has a potential market of 60 million dogs in the United States.
Point-of-purchase displays help promote these “Doggielicious!” cards at retail.
‘Press Play’ Listening Parties Held In Sephora Stores Across The Country
Sean John Fragrances, a division of Estee Lauder Companies and Bad Boy Records recently partnered with Sephora to host simultaneous listening parties in cities across the country to celebrate the new limited edition fashion fragrance, Unforgivable Multi Platinum, by Sean John.
The parties featured music from Sean “Diddy” Combs' latest album "Press Play" as well as music from other artists mixed by well known DJs. For the first time ever, a promotional CD containing two hits “Come to Me” (featuring Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussy Cat Dolls) and “Last Night” (featuring Keyshia Cole) were packaged with 3,000 bottles of Unforgivable Multi Platinum and made available exclusively in Sephora stores nationwide.
Safeco Launches Teensurance Technology To Get Young Drivers Off To Good Start
Safeco has launched Teensurance(TM) powered by Safeco, which bundles an entire suite of technology and services designed to create a safer environment for young drivers, while offering new levels of comfort for parents. Using a GPS-based device, the Safety Beacon, and online tools to reinforce good driving habits, Teensurance gives parents tangible assurance about their teen’s driving behavior by delivering real-time notifications.
Safeco customers with auto insurance policies can register for Teensurance and access a secure Web portal with materials and services to help them establish a safe driving plan with their teen. Safeco will offer subscribers access to Teensurance’s online services and roadside assistance for a limited-time introductory price of $14.99 a month, which includes installation of the Safety Beacon into the teen’s car.
Seagate Recovery Services And Staples Make It Easy To Recover Lost Data
Seagate Recovery Services and STAPLES Business Depot in Toronto are offering the new Easy Tech service, which reduces business and consumer risk of permanent data loss by putting Seagate’s advanced in-lab recovery technology to work for STAPLES customers.
Paul Steele, V.P., Sales & Marketing for Seagate Recovery Services, said, “Staples’ strong presence among business clients enables us to effectively generate awareness of our services across the country.”
“The STAPLES Easy Tech Force will be able to conduct data and flash camera card recovery service assessments and provide price quotations on all brands of hard drives and digital media,” said Paul Stire, Technical Services Manager for STAPLES Business Depot. “Plus, the customer is provided with on-line tracking information to track their case’s progress. If no data is recovered then there is no charge to the customer.”
Super Rich Plan To Increase Spending, According To Elite Traveler Survey
According to the 2007 Elite Traveler/Prince & Associates Spending Survey, the Elite Affluent - those “super rich” consumers whose household net worth tops $10 million - will be increasing their travel spending significantly this year.
Beneficiaries of their dollars include luxury cruise lines and resorts, high-end watchmakers and manufacturers of designer apparel, accessories and electronics. According to the survey, spending across 17 luxury categories will increase to $622,202 per household during the summer period.
“This survey underscores the spending power of the Super Rich and also reflects that this segment is not impacted by the ups and downs of the overall economy. In fact they are enjoying a very robust period,” said Douglas Gollan, President and editor-in-chief of Elite Traveler. “Unlike Mass Affluent consumers who may splurge and charge up credit cards to buy jewelry or watches for the holidays, it is interesting to see that the Super Rich spend money on virtually every type of luxury good and service on a continuous basis.”
American Express Travel Agent Poll Finds New Trends In ‘Girls-Getaways’
The popular “girls-getaway” has gone upscale and extends beyond the traditional weekend escape, reveals a new poll of American Express Travel agents.
The poll, which found an increase in “girls-getaways” according to two-thirds of agents, also found that women traveling together are seeking more active and luxurious vacations. While spa, beach and shopping vacations still dominate as favorites for “girls-getaways,” agents say women are increasingly taking cruise, culinary, city and active vacations that include golf (36%), skiing (33%),scuba diving and biking (20%). While away, women are splurging on customized tours and experiences (42%), traveling first or business class (36%), and staying in private villas (20%). In order by ranking, agents cited the most popular “girls-getaway” destinations as: the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Canada and South America.
Technical Savvy & Increased Purchasing Power To Drive Teen Market
Beyond $200 Billion by 2011
The market for products bought by and for the 25.6-million-member teen market will experience a slight growth spurt, increasing from $189.7 billion in 2006 to $208.7 billion in 2011, despite an estimated 3% decline in the 12- to 17-year-old population in that same period, according to “The Teens Market in the U.S.,” report from Packaged Facts.
Teen spending money, accumulated through paying jobs, allowances from parents, “as needed” money from parents, and monetary gifts, will increase an estimated 3.5% annually, raising the aggregate teen income 14.4%, from $79.7 billion in 2006 to $91.1 billion in 2011. The amount of money families spend on teens for food, apparel, personal-care items, and entertainment is expected to grow 7%, from $110 billion in 2006 to $117.6 billion in 2011.
“Teens living in 2007 have never known a world without personal computers and the Internet,” said Don Montuori, Publisher of Packaged Facts.”Teens are in the vanguard of the digital revolution, and they’re helping to change the way marketing executives approach the American consumer.”
www.creoh.com
What Brands Are Teens Talking About?
The brands that teens talk about most positively are completely different than those receiving positive mentions in the general public’s conversations, according to the study, “Hot Brands in Teen Conversations,” from TalkTrack(TM), the Keller Fay Group’s measurement program for Word Of Mouth Marketing.
The five brands with the largest number of recent “netpositive” mentions among teens were iPod, American Eagle, Dr Pepper, Chevrolet and Nintendo. In contrast, the top five WOM brand all-stars among the general public are Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Wal-Mart ,Sony and Toyota.
Other highlights of the study are that: Teens have 145 WOM conversations per week-more than twice as many as the general public (71). Although most of these WOM conversations (63%) are face-to-face, and 13% by phone, they are three times more likely to occur online than similar conversations among the adult population.
Green Toys™ Launches Plastic Toys Made From Corn
Green Toys™ has launched a line of classic toys made from a new generation of environmentally friendly bioplastic material derived from renewable, sustainable resources like corn. “We’re offering a real alternative for consumers looking for earth-friendly toys,” said Robert von Goeben, co-founder of Green Toys.
The raw material used to make Green Toys brand toys is produced by Cereplast, a leading manufacturer of proprietary bio-based plastics.
Dell Notebooks Unveiled In Eight Color Choices
Dell has unveiled Inspiron notebooks in eight color choices including Sunshine Yellow and Flamingo Pink.
Dell has also premiered its new integrated consumer marketing campaign, themed “Yours is Here.”
“We’ve packed these new Inspiron and XPS systems with features like mobile broadband, widescreen displays and colors choices to help customers experience the high definition lifestyle they seek,” said Alex Gruzen, Sr. V.P., Dell Consumer Products.
New 80GB PLAYSTATION
Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA)has introduced a new 80GB model of its PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system.
By featuring an expanded hard disk drive (HDD), the new 80GB PS3 is designed to appeal to the online gaming and entertainment enthusiast, providing ample storage space to download more games and entertainment content from PLAYSTATION(R)Network.
Timex Launching iControl Watch
Timex is launching the iControl ™ watch, an advanced sports watch that serves as a wireless operating device for Apple’s iPod and also works with Apple's iPhone. The newest addition to Timex's Ironman collection wirelessly syncs with a user’s iPod.
“The days of fumbling for your iPod in mid-stride are over,” said Heberto Calves, Timex V.P., Sports Marketing.
Nikon Debuts COOLPIX S50c Wi-Fi Enabled Camera
Gone are the days of waiting to go home to plug a camera into the computer to send pics to friends and family.
Nikon’s new COOLPIX S50c Wi-Fi enabled camera allows consumers to share the fun as soon as it happens and free up space on their digital cameras so they can keep capturing the moments. The new technology allows photos to be instantly uploaded and saved to flickr as well as e-mailed.
Kanguru Introduces Eco Drive
Kanguru Solutions has released the Kanguru Eco Drive, an environmentally friendly and energy efficient computer hard drive. With three Power Saving modes, the Kanguru Eco Drive reduces power consumption by up to 75%.
“With energy costs and environmental concerns on the rise Kanguru is setting the environmental standard,” said Nate Cote, V.P., Product Management.
Above All Advertising, Inc., has introduced The Curbie, an Inflatable innovation in outdoor billboard advertising. Its unique design easily overcomes signage regulation by allowing the Curbie™ to be mounted in the back of a truck or on any flat surface. The Curbie™ comes with an attachable 1/4 HP ADAT IV blower for quick and easy setup. The Curbie™ has attachment points sewn into it for attachment of banners. The Curbie™ measures 11ft X 4ft with a billboard display area of 92"x58" The Curbie can be used for store front p.o.p. advertising, special events, exhibits, etc. For more information, contact Above All Advertising, 9080 Activity Rd, San Diego, CA 92126; (Tel.) 866-552-2683 (Fax) 858-777-3537 (Web Site) www.abovealladvertising.
Nintendo’s Wii Game System Tours Country
Nintendo’s Wii game system is making appearances in fun locations around the country to give people of all ages a chance to experience a whole new way to play video games.
“Wii will be where gamers and their friends and family are gathering to have fun,” said George Harrison, Nintendo’s Sr. V.P., Marketing. “The best way to understand the fun of Wii is to try it for yourself, which is why we've made it easy for people to find it.”
Some of the places people can find Wii include: Six Flags Theme Parks, Norwegian Cruise Line Ships, NASCAR races and soccer tournaments.
Pepsi Is Launching Mountain Dew Game Fuel
Pepsi-Cola is launching Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Created in conjunction with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 exclusive title, Halo 3, Game Fuel has the same Mountain Dew flavor with a blast of citrus cherry and 30% more caffeine.
“This is the first time we’ve created a beverage for an entertainment property, in fact, we believe this is the first time a soft drink has been created specifically for a video game,” said Frank Cooper, V.P., Marketing for Mountain Dew.
Chris Di Cesare, Director, Creative Marketing at Microsoft, said, “With Pepsi’s launch of Game Fuel, we’re seeing unprecedented support from one of the world’s strongest consumer brands.”
Special promotional displays supporting the product launch include standees, special pole displays and vending snipes.
Walt Disney Launches Magical Blu-ray Tour
Walt Disney Studios has launched Disney’s Magical Blu-ray Tour, to educate consumers about new high-definition home entertainment technology, that will feature interactive kiosks, and a presentation theater where consumers can experience the benefits of Blu-ray Disc technology. The Tour, will visit malls nationwide.
Dick Cook, Chairman, Disney Studios, said “There are so many high-definition enabled households not taking full advantage of its capabilities and we hope to change that.”
Burger King Promotion Celebrates Simpsons Movie Launch
Burger King recently tied in with The Simpsons Movie. Simpsonizeme.com, an interactive website featured HAVE IT YOUR WAY® technology to convert digital photos of consumers into personalized, Simpsonized versions of themselves. The result is a character that would feel right at home in Springfield. When finished, visitors could create screensavers and wallpaper designs with their new look or email it to a friend Burger King also sponsored a traveling Simpsonizer, giving consumers a chance to step inside a photo booth and instantly become Simpsonized. Participants had the option to immediately print their transformed photo, send it as an e-card or send it to a mobile phone.
Russ Klein, President, Global Marketing, Burger King, said, “We’re thrilled to offer BURGER KING® guests their own piece of the action by Simpsonizing their photos through the HAVE IT YOUR WAY® technology”
Xbox 360 Bus Tour Educates Families On Safe Video Gaming
The Xbox 360 Citizenship campaign bus will inform consumers about the Entertainment Software Rating Board rating system for video games and highlight family settings available in electronic gaming consoles.
Sponsored by Microsoft, Best Buy and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the nationwide campaign, “Safety is no game. Is your family set?” is designed to ensure parents use the tools available to provide a safe, secure entertainment experience for their families both on video gaming and online.
The bus will provide hands-on education and training on video games including how to understand ESRB ratings and how to take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Family Settings, a feature that allows parents to set access restrictions to content on Xbox 360, the Xbox Live service and Xbox Live Vision camera.
Access 360 Media Helps Samsung Reach Electronics Shoppers
Access 360 Media recently launched its “Words, Music” in-store program for the Samsung UpStage m620 at For Your Entertainment (fye). For Your Entertainment (fye) is the largest specialty music and video retailer in the U.S with 782 stores. This launch along with the signage will include bagstuffers and television spots at the retail outlets.
For more information, contact Access 360 Media Inc., 1255 Electric Avenue, Venice, CA 90291; (Web) www.access360media.com
Essence Swingbox™ Power Wing
This Power Wing for Essence was designed using the patented Swingbox™. The display features a permanent marketing panel on the front of the display. The unit folds down allowing for significantly reduced shipping size. The smaller outer shipper container contains less cardboard offering environmental savings, and allowing more displays to fit on each pallet. The displays are made from a single die, creating a highly efficient corrugated display. The Essence Swingbox™ Power Wing was created by Inventive Media, 68 Water Street, Norwalk, CT 06854.
Bose Corp. Two Sided Sounddock/Triport Headphone Display
This display was designed to offer maximum exposure to a new product. It offered a secondary merchandising location in-store. The back and sidewalls are litho mounted "B" flute corrugate. The header is litho mounted "E flute and the base and shelves are flood coated "B" flute. Steel tubes were utilized under the shelves for added stability.The Bose Sounddock Headphone Display was created by Great Northern Corp., Consumer Packaging and Display, 1800 South Street, Racine, WI 53404.
Sanford Brands Office Max Endcap
This corrugated display was used to promote a Sony Playstation 3 contest where shoppers could enter to win 1 of 33 game systems. Under the theme "Grab your School Gear", the endcap showcases multiple Sanford Brands all in one central location. The display's large dimensions and eye-catching graphics draw the consumer to the colorful pack sizes that include all writing instruments from pens and pencils to permanent and dry erase markers. This promotion was intended to last l - 3 months. 930 displays were produced in the average time range from initial contact to final shipment: 1.5 months. The Office Max Endcap was created by U.S. Display Group, 8l0 S. Washington St., Tullhoma, TN 37388.
WL Concepts & Production offers double sided extremely slim light boxes. Shown are light boxes produced for SONY which measure 40.80" x 96.4" x 39". They were purchased for window displays for the refurbishing/marketing shopping mall of a major casino in Atlantic City. The light boxes were placed in the window of the mall shopping area. From its display and size it clearly draws people from the outside to come in and explore the many items SONY has to offer. For more information, contact WL Concepts & Production, 599 Jerusalem Avenue, Uniondale, NY 11553.
Above All Advertising offers The Curbie™, an inflatable innovation for outdoor billboard advertising. The Curbie may be mounted in the back of a truck or on any flat surface. The Curbie is a constant air inflatable unit that comes equipped with an attachable l/4 HP ADAT IV blower for quick and easy setup, inflating in less than 30 seconds. The eye-catching size of an inflatable creates visibility, brand awareness and name recognition. The Curbie™offers attachment points which are sewn into its vertical display area for easy attachment of banner changes or signage. This feature permits the easy change of a banner message. The unit measures 15' x 4' in the back of a truck and ll' x 4' on the ground using a billboard display area of 92" x 58". It can be used at events, parking lots, trade shows, etc. It is economical and can be customized and ready for delivery in two to four weeks. For more information, contact Above All Advertising, 9080 Activity Rd., Suite A, San Diego, CA 92126.
This attractive floor display features a wire grid on steel tubes. It holds a large supply of children's books and games. The steel shelves are adjustable to achieve the height required. The unit is on casters so that it may be wheeled to any position on the retail floor. The header features bright colors and graphics to attract both children and their parents. For more information, contact Flair Display, Inc., 3920 Merritt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466.
This mesh Metal TOC add on attaches to Wal Mart's current top of Counter Display and was created for comic book giant Marvel Comics. The attractive display allows for Marvel graphics panels which calls attention to the brand. The metal add-ons are easily interchangeable. For more information, contact Creoh Displays, 246 Siegel Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206.
