15 Seconds of Fame
American Eagle Outfitters is giving its 15- to 24-year-old customers the star treatment in a way that delivers a big wow.

AEO opened a flagship store at Broadway and 46th Street in Times Square in mid-November.

Capitalizing on its unique location, the specialty retailer installed a 25-story, 15,000-sq.-ft. digital sign outside the store. Called “15 Seconds of Fame,” the project provides customers who make a purchase with the opportunity to have their pictures displayed on the gigantic screen – along with a 20-character-long personal message — for all of Times Square to see. They also receive a plastic card with a photo as a souvenir.

Shoppers also are encouraged to share the experience via Facebook and Twitter. AEO executives say the goal is to offer customers a different experience. There’s no question that the competition for people’s attention in this busy hub is fierce, yet AEO is attracting shoppers and lifting foot traffic with its mega display.

Downward Dog = Upward Momentum
Lululemon Athletica knows how to draw attention to its business and cultivate a devoted following along the way.

Last summer the Vancouver, B.C.-based retailer of yoga-inspired apparel provided free bi-weekly yoga classes in New York City’s Bryant Park and Union Square. On several occasions more than 400 people showed up, yoga mats in tow, to be part of this one-of-a-kind experience.

Complimentary yoga classes are part of the company culture; Lululemon works with local yoga instructors at stores across the country, and the strategy draws in newbies and devotees alike. With more than 100 stores in operation and more coming in 2010, Lululemon is cultivating a devoted following.

Lickity-Split Product Trail
Sampling programs — or “try-vertising” — can be extremely helpful for introducing shoppers to the latest and greatest. Still, you can’t put beverages in direct mail or print.

Refusing to be deterred, Sunny D Beverages encouraged trial of its SunnyD Smoothies using Peel ’n Taste flavor samplers. This sensory marketing experience — described as the oral equivalent of “scratch and sniff” — consisted of Orange Whirl-flavored edible film strips, distributed via shelf-edge dispensers in Food Lion supermarkets, allowing the company to connect with parents (and their kids) at the point of purchase.

Peel ’n Taste strips may be familiar to grown-ups for another reason: The technology, created by First Flavor, has been used by Diageo for its Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay key-lime flavored rum and Skyy for its Infusions passion fruit-flavored vodka.

Luxury Goes Recession Chic
When the recession hit in 2008, many luxury brands struggled with a choice: reduce prices and take the chance of cheapening their brands, or hold fast to their pricing strategy and risk seeing margins slip precipitously.

Executives at Coach decided to adapt. Believing that shopper habits and expectations were undergoing a profound shift, they designed a line of handbags and accessories that could be priced to fit the times — without diminishing the Coach image.

The Poppy collection debuted in late June. With an average price of $260 — about 20 percent less than the average Coach purse — it quickly caught on with shoppers who were looking for something new, but couldn’t bring themselves to plunk down $300 or more.

The decision to offer a “good enough” version of a premier collection required executives to find some new sources of leather, fabric and hardware, renegotiate deals with suppliers and collaborate with them more than they had in the past.

As it turns out, the process was not as painful as anticipated: Coach found suppliers more willing to make deals and renegotiate contracts in an effort to preserve relationships and future business.

Temporary Stores, Lasting Impressions
Some try a pop-up store; others opt for a mobile store. Nomenclature aside, these once-scoffed-at temporary shops are making a lasting impression on shoppers — and proving to be a boon for retail landlords seeking to fill vacancies.

Until recently, Halloween and Christmas shops were the most likely to fit the pop-up plan. Over the last 12 months, however, luxury brands, specialty retailers and others have begun dabbling in the concept with notable success.

Gap unveiled its 1969 premium jeans collection in pop-up stores in key markets. Gucci Icon-Temporary, a “flash” sneaker store, is currently traveling the world. The first store opened in New York City in October, moved to Miami’s Design District in December and is scheduled for London and Tokyo this spring.

Argos, a U.K. retailer selling general merchandise and products for the home, tested a mobile store format during the summer at the Isle of Wight music festival, operating out of a specially adapted 60-ft. trailer.
Toys “R” Us takes the prize for the most ambitious program, however. During the holiday season, the toy seller took over more than 80 spots in malls and shopping centers across the country.

Espera la proxima semana para más historias!