HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sears has
partnered with some of the biggest names in youth interactive marketing to
ensure that their new back to school message, "Don't Just Go Back. Arrive,"
resonates with and engages the coveted teen and tween demographic this
season. Thirteen sites have partnered with Sears to create custom
animation, virtual worlds and social networking applications aimed at
driving the target market to the Sears online "Arrive Lounge."
The Web site, http://www.arrivelounge.com, features excusive,
interactive content from the entire Sears 2008 back to school offering:
-- Content from Sears' back to school campaign featuring Vanessa
Hudgens, star of the hit film series High School Musical, including a
long-format video shot by Grammy award-winning director Joseph Kahn. The
five-part video series focuses on Hudgens' quest to pick a style for the
first day of school.
-- A chance for visitors to vote for the male cast member who will star
with Hudgens in the final episode of the five-part commercial series.
-- A remix master that goes live in July, which will offer users a tool
to make their own music videos and share them with friends via YouTube,
Facebook and MySpace.
-- Exclusive content from MTV's "The American Mall" that includes Sears
product integration throughout the movie.
-- Registration for VIP Access Cards, part of a Sears loyalty program,
that offer cardholders the opportunity to obtain exclusive benefits,
including entry into various sweepstakes and notification of exclusive
sales at Sears and Sears.com.
-- Sweepstakes prizes include a Vanessa Hudgens concert at the winner's
school, private jet and limo rides to arrive at school in style and a jet
shopping trip to Hollywood.
A host of online partners, such as Alloy.com, Disney and Nickelodeon
have partnered with Sears for this back to school initiative, and are
engaging their interactive elements to connect their users with Sears
messaging and direct teens and tweens back to http://www.arrivelounge.com.
Partners include:
-- Alloy Media + Marketing's Teen.com Network - Virtual world
Zwinky.com created a Sears virtual store within its Zwinchester Mall,
offering users exclusive apparel for their personal avatars and items for
their rooms and will host a "Fashion Forward" event celebrating the best of
B-T-S fashion. 3d avatar creator Meez.com features a Sears B-T-S boutique
offering users the coolest clothing, backgrounds, and animations to get
ready for the new school year and invites users to compete in a "Best
Dressed B-T-S" competition. Additional promotion will run across Alloy.com.
-- GoFish.com - GoFish has created custom Sears Back-To-School branded
experiences. These include a Sears clothing store and runway contest on
Cartoon Doll Emporium and WeeWorld Sears WeeMee assets and contest.
-- Nick.com - The site developed a custom Sears back to school section
on their site with Nickelodeon character driven activities, quizzes and
videos that link to http://www.arrivelounge.com.
-- Addicting Games - The Web site developed a fully branded back to
school hub featuring custom games created exclusively for Sears and
integrated Sears "Arrive Lounge" content throughout the site.
-- The-N.com - The-N.com developed a custom Sears boutique in its
avatar mall and products within The-N avatar world. Every day the boutique
is giving away a free virtual item and free creds (the-N's online
currency). The-N also features a Sears Screening Party where users can view
and interact with custom Sears back-to-school content.
-- FunBrain.com/Poptropica.com - Developed a custom Sears game for
Funbrain.com and a Sears building within Poptropica.com, a virtual world.
-- NeoPets.com - NeoPets has included exclusive Sears content within
the Summer Faire environment on their site.
-- Facebook - Sears back-to-school Facebook Pages featuring "Arrive
Lounge" content and applications as well as the ability for students to
become "fans" of Sears and interact.
-- MySpace - Custom Sears back-to-school page featuring "Arrive Lounge"
content and apps.
-- Seventeen/CosmoGIRL! - Both magazines are participating in
cross-channel promotions with custom online Sears back-to-school content.
"Expanding our marketing strategy into the online world of user
communities and social networking is a critical means of developing
engagement and brand loyalty within the youth demographic," says Richard
Gerstein, SVP and chief marketing officer, Sears. "By modifying our
strategy to reach tweens in their own environment we are demonstrating to
them how Sears can be a part of their life, from their entertainment to
their school wardrobe."
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 specialty
stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and
services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears,
Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore,
Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred
brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home
services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more
information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com or
the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com.
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