Kmart, WWE Enter Ring for Second Round of Promotions
Following a successful in-store campaign to co-promote World Wrestling Entertainment’s merchandise and pay-per-view events, Kmart and the WWE will mark the signing of another partnership with a new multi-platform promotion.
From now through Jan. 31, all Kmart stores will operate product boutiques for licensed WWE merchandise, including men’s and boys’ apparel, bedding, DVD, music and video games. Also featured in the showcases will be a new line of WWE-licensed action figures and accessories.
Consumers who buy $35 or more worth of WWE gear from Kmart will get a $10 rebate off the cost of the organizer’s first pay-per-view cable event of 2010, the “Royal Rumble” taking place at the Philips Arena in Atlanta on Sunday Jan. 31. Customers who qualify will receive an access code at time of purchase that can then be entered at the Kmart/ WWE “Royal Riches” Web page , along with their cable or satellite account number, for the discount.
Visitors to the WWE page of the Kmart site can also enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Phoenix AZ for Wrestlemania XXVI on March 28, 2010.
The Kmart/ WWE “Royal Riches” tie-in is similar to a very successful pairing last year between the retailer and the wrestling powerhouse. That relationship used in-store boutiques to promote both WWE merchandise and pay-cable productions such as Wrestlemania XXV.
As in last year’s initiative, Kmart stores in selected markets will play host to live events featuring some of the stars of Royal Rumble. In this leg of the 2010 promotion, appearances by wrestlers Ted DiBiase, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and Kelly Kelly are scheduled for January, including in-store visits in the Chicago and New York City markets.
Web visitors can see a schedule of those planned Superstar and Diva events and can also find a countdown clock for live Web chats with WWE stars. The next such Internet event is slated for Monday Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. EST.
“After the overwhelming success of last year’s collaboration with Kmart, we are thrilled to expand our efforts by coming together again to offer WWE fans a great value for their shopping dollars,” WWE senior vice president of consumer products Jim Connelly said in a release.
Kmart will also again feature select WWE merchandise in a dedicated section of its popular weekly shopping circular.
