More than 50 million Americans are “food insecure,” according to a 2011 US Department of Agriculture study. In its latest designer collaboration, Target is partnering with FEED Projects to help change that. 

Target is joining forces with Lauren Bush Lauren's FEED Projects, which has previously partnered with Gap, Bergdorf Goodman and Pottery Barn, but the Target partnership is the largest to date. The collection is due to launch June 30. The duo just wrapped up a five-city tour of Feeding America programs that took them to food banks and local pantries in San Francisco, Minnesota, New York City and more. Target and FEED are hoping the partnership will generate 10 million meals for Feeding America.

"Target (has) such a massive reach that we just don't have," Lauren told USA Today. "So it's wonderful when we can partner with Target to really just blow it out and have such a big impact in a short amount of time."Continue reading...

Viral games Angry Birds and Words With Friends are “prime spots for luxury mobile marketing” according to a recent Luxury Institute study.

The study, conducted in early 2012 among respondents reporting an average net worth of $2.8 million, reveals that of the 67% of high net worth individuals who shop via mobile, 63% made purchases in the past 12 months and spent an average of $628.

Of the 60% of luxury consumers in the US with smartphones, 28% own an iPhone, 22% an Android and 16% a BlackBerry. About 73% of them use apps at least once a day, and 80% have downloaded an app.

“Apps are becoming ubiquitous, so it’s what we do with them that make the experience more extraordinary that will make the difference,” said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. “How the app is being used by the consumer or to contact someone who represents the brand is now where the real opportunity lies.”

The most frequently downloaded apps for millionaires include Angry Birds, Facebook and Words With Friends.

However, since millionaires prefer the in-store experience, “luxury brands have to start creating humanistic experiences on mobile. Mobile applications are the most common form of engagement for affluent consumers, indicating that luxury marketers need to step up the in-app experience,” the report recommends. Continue reading...

Pinterest, the virtual pin board at the crossroads of social and style, covered here in December when the buzz was reaching fever pitch, has burgeoned into a marketplace for consumer brands, offering a visual and demonstrable platform for engagement.

A wide range of major brands are using Pinterest to engage fans through social curation and as an online focus group to see what clicks with consumers, including:Continue reading...

Bergdorf Goodman goes to the dogs for its annual holiday video. BG Films presents "Unleashed," starring some of New York's most charismatic characters who invade the store in search of perfect gifts for their owners. Guest star, Salty, steals the show with a very sweet-natured performance. You can shop the video in a version that will be released on November 29 on BG.com.

Bergdorf Goodman promotes their holiday 2010 windows with a teaser (see more after the jump) featuring a musical track from a Web-bred talent, Audrianna Cole.

The brand discovered the teen phenom from Oregon the same way her burgeoning fan base did: by word of mouth on MySpace and YouTube, as she has yet to release an album, although one is now in the works. "Everything we do is meant to startle," says Bergdorf's visual director, David Hoey, a musician himself.Continue reading...

Three years ago the Empire State Development Corporation called for a revitalization effort for the iconic "I ♥ NY" logo to "restore the campaign to primacy among state tourism campaigns." The state organization made good on its promise by unveiling a new advertising campaign this past summer featuring celebs including Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

Now, the planet's most recognized place branding and tourism campaign will be appearing on JetBlue's advertising.Continue reading...

The investor group that purchased Halston in 2007 will launch two men’s lines of suits and sportswear this fall. The company will also offer a secondary line, called Heritage, which will be more fashion- and sportswear-driven at lower prices.
 
The brand has been out of men’s wear since the early 1990's when it was primarily a licensed tailored clothing business. Halston’s 1970's aesthetic played out in the most recent women’s collection for fall 2010 with a muted palette, minimalist silhouettes and an ode to the 1978 set design of Eyes of Laura Mars with Faye Dunaway. Women’s is carried in Neiman Marcus, Harrods, Selfridges, Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman.Continue reading...

Is that $1,400 snakeskin Michael Kors bag out of your price range? Fear not, because now you can buy the leather version for a mere $695 at Neiman Marcus -- yes, that retail oasis for the wealthy.

Neiman Marcus will continue to sell its violet Halston gown (size 6 only) for $5,500, but the brand is making adjustments as the Neiman Marcus Group struggles through a year that’s pummeling the luxury market. Neiman Marcus is some $3 billion in debt and experiencing double-digit losses at its stores, including Bergdorf Goodman. Longtime CEO Burton Tansky says as a result the brand is “pressing suppliers to produce lower-priced versions of designer styles.”

It might seem presumptuous to ask favored footwear brand Manolo Blahnik for a 43-percent-off version of one of its styles of flats, but that’s exactly what Tansky did. And Manolo, rather than go elsewhere (Neiman Marcus is the brand’s biggest client), is now looking to introduce more cost-cutting styles in the future.Continue reading...