The chips are down for Sears, as they have been so often over the last few decades. Its latest round of closings of its Sears and Kmart stores, announced shortly after Christmas, may be the first ring of a death knell that could attend what used to be America's biggest retailer and the namesake of the building that originally was known as Sears Tower, in Chicago.

But Sears continues to go down fighting. In the past, it continually has attempted to offset its failing relevance as a retailer of soft goods and concentrate on areas and brands where Americans continue to rely on Sears, including Kenmore appliances and Craftsman tools.

The latest tactic: taking advantage of Sears' underappreciated but significant role as an outlet for fitness equipment. Few know that the retailer is America's no. 1 seller of fitness equipment, so it's stepping up its attention to the sector through branded content, community and conversation.Continue reading...

Kmart is helping promote Tyrese Gibson's upcoming album, Open Invitation, which is being released on Nov. 1st. The R&B singer is releasing his first album in five years on a promotional tour that got him into trouble earlier this month for speaking out against liquor stores near schools.

One of the basic tenets of sales is to go where the people are. So when Kmart decided it wanted to put some bucks toward going after tween and teen girls, it didn’t just plunk some ads down in a few magazines and on a few websites.

Instead, the Sears-owned retailer partnered with Alloy Media to create an online series, “First Day,” that features well-coiffed girls, cute boys, and lots and lots of clothes that you can find at — are you sitting down? — Kmart.

Then they give it a YouTube channel and a Facebook page, Twitter feed and watch the magic happen.Continue reading...

Ikea introduces a nursery… for men. Australian men. We're jealous.

Below, don't miss Tata's "car chase to end all car chases" spot (and more campaigns).Continue reading...

Pepsi returns to musical roots in spots for tonight's debut of The X Factor on Fox, while the UK version of the show copes with criticism over treatment of contestant. Meanwhile, analysts say that PepsiCo shareholders could reap big gains if the company executes a strategic split-up.

SABMiller gets Foster's to accede to a deal.

Burger King's post-King advertising clicks with consumers.

AOL needs Patch to turn a profit.

Apple schedules Oct. 4th press conference, presumably for iPhone 5 reveal.

CBS scores huge ratings for first episode of Two and a Half Men with Ashton Kutcher, including setting a Canadian TV record.

Chipotle sees strong growth potential from ShopHouse Asian eateries.

Chrysler seeks to keep lid on UAW pay through 2019.Continue reading...

Madres y Comadres is an eight-part original Spanish-language miniseries from Kmart targeting Hispanic mothers and the unique challenges they encounter raising a family in America and remaining true to their Hispanic heritage, as seen above, housed on a dedicated YouTube channel.

With Hispanics now the largest minority in the U.S., the webisodes are humorous and sensitive to the prevalence of extended families in the culture, hence the title: 'Madre' meaning mother, and 'Comadre,' her female confidantes.

Evocative of a 'telenovela,' the scripted episodes tackle issues such as a heartbroken mom who discovers her son is trading homemade tamales for tuna sandwiches at school; a son from a Spanish-speaking home who gets a ‘C’ in Spanish and an ‘A’ in Chinese; a mother whose daughter really wants a sleepover, a practice not popular with Hispanic moms.Continue reading...

The customer comments on a Comic-Con post on the Borders bookstore chain's Facebook page, its last post in fact, say it all.

Following on its "don't worry, it's business as usual as we search for a buyer" notice on its website, Borders Group, a pioneer in big-box booksellers, posted a sad notice on another section of its website confirming an unhappy ending to its story.

A press release yesterday confirms that it will close all stores and be out of business by the end of September. Unable to attract a buyer willing to rescue it from bankruptcy, the nation's second-largest bookseller, with 10,700 employees and more than 1,200 stores, is ending its run.Continue reading...

We've already looked at the Chevy tie-in for Transformers 3 and noted how the film is the third installment in a trifecta of films — with Fast Five and Cars 2 — that make automakers squeal with delight.

So let's look at what else is hitting theaters this Independence Day weekend, including product placement champ Tom Hanks' new joint, and the Ford viral tie-in that managed to win out despite the timing.Continue reading...