Chief Marketer Staff

• Agencies

  Holiday Shopping Reports: Buckle Up; We’re in for a Bumpy Ride

  October sales were up over the same period last year, but only slightly, signaling a slow-down in consumer spending just as the holiday shopping season begins, the National Retail Federation reported yesterday.

• Tim White Promoted to CMO of Charming Shoppes

  Tim White, formerly senior vice president of marketing, has been promoted to executive vice president and CMO of Charming Shoppes, Inc.

• Loyalty Lab Hires George Wright as Senior VP of Global Sales

  Loyalty Lab, Inc., San Francisco, has hired George Wright to serve as senior vice president of global sales effective immediately.

• Letters to the Editor

  The University of Idaho doesn’t care. It has no relationship with any of our companies. On the other hand, our customers will care — if we are providing them with goods or services that they value.

• Black Friday Ad Leaks Anger Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Others

  Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Linens-N-Things and other retailers have sent cease and desist orders to a number of Web sites that are posting their Black Friday ad circulars and specials without permission and prior to their official release dates.

• Agencies

  Coffee Beanery Launches Scratch-and-Win Game

  The Coffee Beanery is out with a scratch-and-win game to get people into its stores.

• Grand Prize Marketing Opens its Doors

  Kevin Mendelson, a long-time promotional products distributor, has opened Grand Prize Marketing.

• Agencies

  Heinz Targets Best Tailgate Recipes

  Heinz is once again looking for a good tailgate recipe, offering a reward of tickets to the Super Bowl.

• Word-of-Mouth Marketing to Hit $1.35 Billion in 2007: Study

  Thanks in part to the Internet and social networking applications like MySpace and Facebook, word-of-mouth marketing is emerging as a leading alternative marketing strategy. In fact, it’s one of the fastest growing advertising and marketing segments, according to a new study.

• News Brief

  CIRCUIT CITY: and Kodak have launched a nationwide search to find the perfect dog to star in a TV commercial for the retailer’s firedog services unit.