How effective advertising campaigns affect retail sales

¶ … advertising campaigns, retail companies must know their customers to see what works and what does not. A company cannot sell anything that is not appealing to the customers, which could lead to profits being reduced. From there, the advertising campaign must speak to and under the everyday person since they would be the ones who are bringing in the profits. Without meeting the customers needs, there would be a lack of business for the company. Therefore, knowing the customers wants or needs is the key to an effective advertising campaign.

Sears

Sears Holdings Corporation (Sears Holdings) is a broad line retailer. Sears has recorded a continuous decline in same-store or comparable sales in recent years. The company has also been involved in several product recalls (Datamontior). Edward S. Lampert, the Chairman of Sears Holdings stated that while Sears is absolutely focused on profitability, Sears believe that in order to achieve that objective, Sears should strive to return Sears and Kmart to the position of prominence that both brands and companies held in American retailing (Datamontior).

From there, sears promoted itself as a one-stop store and highlighting disparate items like baby clothes, washers and dryers and widescreen TVs, uses concepts that can be traced back to its days as a mail-order catalog book. Its theme is "Sears. Where it begins," and it includes a tagline of "Sears ignites true possibilities for life at home. Along with that, Sears is thinking of expanding of its Lands' End division within Sears stores from 100 to 200 stores by year's end (What's Old Is New for Sears, Kmart). This advertising campaign targets long time customers and modern customers who like shopping convince. The long time customers get a taste of what sears used to be. With that comfortable feeling, they will stay loyal to the company and with modern customers, they will shop because they will feel sears is up-to-date.

Along with that, Kmart is promoting a new icon called Mr. Blue Light, who takes consumers on a tour of Kmart and shines his light on specials (What's Old Is New for Sears, Kmart).

There are more channels of retail distribution. Super retailers are dominating. The category specialty store growth is exploding. Every day I read about another niche to be filled - super pet stores, travel, what's next? Who knows? Regional department store players are merging to become national chain threats. And retailers today don't even need four walls. Electronic home shopping, interactive TV, and - as anyone over five years old knows - the Internet. The consumer can choose from virtually hundreds of options" (Witkin, Gary M. 1995).

Lord and Taylor

In order to reach target audiences, retailers use electronic devices such as the Internet. Lord and Taylor uses the Internet to advertise so that they can reach their targeted audience of modern women who are trying to balance career and personal lives. To reach the modern day woman, the company has teamed up Victoria Secret, which has always targeted that particular audience. By targeting this type of customer, they will bring in new generations of modern day women because young females shop together and follow one another.

Abercrombie & Fitch