Phillips-Van Heusen's Calvin Klein division has launched an e-commerce microsite at calvinklein.com, to market and sell its better white-label line of sportswear. Beginning today, the Calvin Klein Web site now allows U.S. shoppers to access products from the Calvin Klein "better" brand--with apparel and accessories developed especially for the online store as well as Calvin Klein's specialty retail stores, per the company, which started opening the stores in the U.S. late last year. Such stores are now in Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles and Costa Mesa, San Francisco, and Glendale, Calif.; Aventura, Fla.; Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; Natick, Mass.; Denver and Las Vegas. The site lets consumers view products from various angles, zoom in and out, change color SKUs, search by size, create and send wish lists, and search store locations. Other services include gift wrapping, free gift messages, and free shipping on purchases over $200. The company says the online store will get Web ads and traditional print ad support with the Web address featured in ads. Calvin Klein will also serve up regular seasonal promotions to drive traffic. Next month, for instance, will offer online registrants a chance to win a $1,000 online fall shopping spree. John Walsh, president and COO of Calvin Klein's retail chain, said in a release that the new e-commerce site--the third phase of the U.S. direct-to-consumer program after the establishment of new stores--will drive future growth, especially in the U.S. "The continued expansion of this important revenue and communication medium is central to our future growth plans and has provided the necessary platform for the development of our on-line business," he said. The Web concept for the site is via New York-based CreateTheAgency.
Many diabetics and other health-conscious consumers have discovered the low-sugar Healthy Balances fruit juice cocktails line. In fact, it's already the leading low-sugar brand. But maker Old Orchard is now looking to better capitalize on the product's appeal to these segments--and to drive awareness of its new Fruitsense Vitamin Waters. Healthy Balance's new "Fit for Lifestyle" campaign seeks to use social media and other touchpoints to reach people with diabetes and those on restricted diets. In addition, its new packaging draws greater attention to the juices' nutritional content. Healthy Balance has six grams of sugar per eight-ounce glass, and nearly 40% fewer calories and carbohydrates than its leading competitor's "light" juice line, according to Old Orchard. A new Healthy Balance-branded, health-focused Web site (www.healthybalance.com) features a blog for volunteer organizers of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International fund-raising events. Old Orchard will be providing free samples of Healthy Balance to participants at more than 100 "Walk to Fund a Cure Diabetes" JDRF events across the U.S. this fall. The site also features blogs by a dietician and a fitness expert, recipes, fitness tips, health calculators ... and ads for the new Fruitsense waters. That line is 5% fruit juice and low-glycemic, and has 45 calories per serving. Healthy Balance will also get higher visibility via a national FSI in newspapers on Sept. 7 and national magazine ads through the end of the year. "We get a lot of emails from people living with diabetes who tell us that Healthy Balance is the only fruit juice they've found that fits their diet," says Kevin Miller, Old Orchard's vice president of marketing. "We want to eliminate the guesswork by placing nutrition information up front, and at the same time create a peer-to-peer space online for those seeking healthier food choices outside of the juice category."
Symetra Financial looks to allay people's fears about approaching retirement with a new online effort telling consumers: "Don't fear 65." The campaign--which includes a dedicated Web site, www.dontfear65.com, as well as banner ads on sites such as BusinessWeek, Yahoo Finance, CNN, CBS News, NBC Sports and the Wall Street Journal--is intended to encourage people to think about retirement with hope rather than dread. "Our research said there's way more optimism [about retirement] than folks might believe. We found people respond better to an empowerment message than fear," Symetra representative Colin Johnson tells Marketing Daily. "It is possible to avoid outliving your money. With the right kind of planning, you can stop worrying and start living." The heart of the program is a group of online videos of people confronting the idea of the traditional retirement age of 65. In one video, a woman approaches a podium on a stage. "Fellow retirees," she says. "Today we celebrate freedom. The retirement age of 65 once scared us. ... we looked to the future with more questions than answers." But as she continues triumphantly, she talks about having taken control of her finances, eliminated the specter of relying on Social Security checks and no longer having to triple-check grocery receipts. "Sixty-five--we've discovered the difference between just being retired and experiencing the retirement we've always dreamed of," she concludes. "It's time to start living. So take that, 65!" Another video depicts a man giving a similar speech, talking about "declawing" 65 and approaching retirement like a kid approaching a swimming pool, in a cannonball. As the speeches conclude, a title card appears with Symetra Financial's logo and the tagline: "Reach for great things." The site also includes content such as financial calculators to determine the right amount of savings, how-to planning resources, an advisor referral service and a section where people can find more stories about how to make the most of retirement through volunteering, hobbies or other activities. The effort targets people 60 and over, Johnson says. With a tone that is intended to create activism and appeal to people at a grassroots level, the company opted for an online campaign over more traditional venues. "We felt the Web was the right way to broadcast that message," Johnson says.
Chicken QSR chain Popeye's is launching its first national TV media buy as part of a rebranding campaign. The company is positioning itself with a paradoxical fast-food meets slow-cooking ethos, complete with a new tag, "Louisiana Fast." The tag refers to the fact that the chain started off in New Orleans. The effort includes a new logo, branding, products and ads to promote itself as a Louisiana Kitchen. The new look for the company--a division of Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises--includes a new "Big Deals" menu platform, with three signature products for $1.49 each, including a chicken wrap, Delta Mini and Chicken biscuit. Television ads launching this week--the first work from new AOR, Austin, Texas-based GSD&M Idea City--feature a young African-American guy--the chef--who strolls into the dining area of Popeye's restaurants followed by a camera crew, documentary style. He pulls a chair right up to customers and confronts them about the real value and quality of the new menu items, while the crew films. Rich Tlapek, SVP and group creative director at the agency, says the customers are real. "We had the whole crew in the back room, and when we descended with cameras, customers had no idea what was going on. So we got very real, natural reactions," he says. In one ad, the chef pulls up next to a pair of Asian guys who seem genuinely baffled by the experience, pulls out a calculator, and tallies up the time and labor costs to prepare the new chicken wrap. He calculates that the 12-hour marinating process, combined with a $6 hourly rate, means that the guests are actually eating a "$72 Wrap." He points out the fact by showing each of the guys the $72 result on his calculator. In another, he pulls up next to a guy eating a Mini Delta, and argues that the sandwich is a "bonafide oxymoron" because it is marinated for over 12 hours but is still considered fast food. Dick Lynch, chief marketing officer of Popeye's, which has 1,901 restaurants worldwide, said in a release that the new advertising is designed to resonate with the company's loyal customer base and appeal to a younger audience. Tlapek adds that the agency, which won the account two months ago, got the idea of promoting the chain around the concept of Louisiana not only because the chain was founded there, but because its preparation method reflects that heritage and differentiates the chain from the competition. "They marinate their chicken for 12 hours and hand batter, rather than injecting spices and pulling them pre-made out of the freezer. The whole notion is that in Louisiana culture you cook meals slow; there's care and preparation that goes into it," he says. The effort will include POP material in stores around the oxymoron idea. The new "Popeye's" logo, via Austin-based Pentagram Design, uses the Popeye's "dancing letters" look, but with "Louisiana Fast" underneath, and a new color scheme, among other Louisiana motifs.
The Top 10 cities in which adults who have downloaded music in the last 30 days live: 1. Austin, Texas 2. Miami/ Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 3. Baltimore 4. New York 5. Chicago 6. San Francisco/ Oakland/ San Jose, Calif. 7. Rochester, N.Y. 8. Baton Rouge, La. 9. Seattle/ Tacoma, Wash. 10. Portland, Ore. Source: MRI's Market-by-Market study, www.mediamark.com.