Content about Design

NEW YORK — Delia’s has appointed Tracy Gardner as the company’s new chief creative officer, and also as a member of the board of directors. Walter Killough, who back in January announced his intention to step down as CEO April 1, has agreed to remain in the role through August 2. 

The company also named Michael Zimmerman chairman of the board, replacing Carter S. Evans, who will remain on the board.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in March 2012 vs. March 2013 and noticed some common overall trends across top retail chains. Surprisingly the total number of pages per circular increased across the majority of retailers included in the study which shows that retailers are still focused heavily on their print circulars.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Walmart and Target are targeting multi-cultural and health-conscious consumers with their private-label products directed at multicultural and health-conscious consumers.

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark has announced that Clive Sirkin has been named vice president and chief marketing officer, reporting to Tony Palmer, president of global brands and innovation.

Sirkin joined K-C in 2007 and has held a number of marketing leadership positions.

"Since joining K-C, Clive has been instrumental in building strong, healthy brands and businesses around the world," Palmer said. "As CMO, Clive will continue the ongoing transformation of our marketing function as a core driver of our growth agenda."

CINCINNATI — Dunnhumby Ltd.,an analyzer of brand value for consumer goods and retail companies, has hired Lung Huang, formerly of Arbitron, as VP digital advertising for global partnerships. In this newly created role, Huang will lead the company’s efforts to expand their integrated suite of solutions across media - both offline (traditional TV and print) and digital (online, mobile, social), across the globe. He will be based in New York City.

BOSTON -- Puma has launched InCycle, the brand's first closed-loop collection of footwear, apparel and accessories, all of which have earned the "Cradle to Cradle Certified[CM] Basic" certification. Puma's InCycle products are entirely biodegradable or recyclable. This product introduction is another important step in PUMA's mission to become the most sustainable and desirable Sportlifestyle company.  

In December, the retailers that increased their page counts were balanced out by those that decreased their page counts. However, of those retailers that did reduce their page counts, only two also reduced the number of inserts distributed by more than 2%. 

Keeping with their November strategy, Walmart continued its aggressive promotions this month, and has shown a significant increase in both drop of flyer and pages per flyer. They showed the highest growth compared to other advertisers in page counts, and the second highest growth in number of flyers.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap has added one more brand to its existing portfolio, purchasing Intermix Holdco for approximately $130 million in cash.

Intermix is a New York-based multi-brand specialty retailer of luxury and contemporary women’s apparel and accessories. It operates 32 boutiques across North America, along with an e-commerce site, offering a mix of luxury brands, including up-and-coming designers. Gap intends to expand Intermix’s network of stores, as well as add significant visibility and enhancements to its online site.

Digital audience measurement firm comScore has launched a new service called Media Metrix Multi-Platform to help advertisers makes sense of how shoppers are interacting with their brands in an increasingly multi-channel world.

NEW YORK — Luxury shoe retailer Stuart Weitzman has promoted Susan Duffy to chief marketing officer. Duffy, who joined the company in April 2011 as SVP global marketing and communications, will continue to lead marketing, advertising, public relations and social media to ensure the branding message is consistent across all worldwide communications platforms as the company expands into new markets.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Best Buy tops a list of the most effective back-to-school advertisers, according to Ace Metrix, which provides television and video analytics. An ad promoting free kids’ haircuts at JCPenney also was a top perfomer.

Launching new products is difficult in the best of times, but winners of the 2012 Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Award found ways to succeed during one the worst recessions in a generation.

Nielsen announced recipients of the awards at its annual Consumer 360 event in Hollywood, Fla., this week after analyzing more than 11,000 new products in the United States between 2008 and 2010. Of the products evaluated, only 34 met award criteria. These products comprise less than 0.5% of all new product introductions during the period.