Customizing the Holidays

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Hallmark Cards' Crayola division joined with Target for a co-op FSI promoting "color cans" of crayons – packed with $6 worth of coupons for other products – that would be available exclusively at the retailer on Black Friday.Four days later, Target's official Black Friday circular touted such other exclusive products as a doll and furniture gift set from Mattel Inc.'s Barbie, a red vacuum from Dyson Direct, a Razor USA scooter with light-up wheels, and a red Mr. Coffee single-cup brewer from Sunbeam Products.Target's highly publicized plan to obtain more exclusives from product vendors (unveiled in early 2012) was fully evident during the holidays, when the mass merchant's big late-season push centered on an unprecedented line of apparel and accessories developed in conjunction with upscale department store Neiman Marcus.But the strategy extended beyond apparel, toys and other gift ideas into grocery aisles where, among other manufacturers, Mars Inc. provided "only at Target" white chocolate peppermint M&M's, and SC Johnson delivered limited-edition Ziploc storage bags and clementine-scented Glade air fresheners.The concept also moved well beyond Target and other top retailers this year to include second-tier chains such as:Family Dollar, which signed on as exclusive retailer for Kenya's World LLC's relaunch of a Kenya doll line that was hugely popular among ethnic groups in the early 1990s.Rite Aid, which trotted out a new line of hand-held fitness equipment under the name Forever Fit by Denise Austin in conjunction with the well-known exercise guru.7-Eleven, whose hordes of young-male shoppers led Red Bull USA to partner with the chain for a pre-holiday preview of a Red Bull Editions line that will roll out nationally in March."Red Bull is one of 7-Eleven's top sellers, and we are the largest U.S. retailer of Red Bull," Jesus Delgado-Jenkins, 7-Eleven's executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and logistics, explained in a media release.An extensive P-O-P program that included outdoor banners, window posters, cooler clings and shelf danglers touted the three SKUs from the line that were available in November and December. Red Bull also provided mobile coolers for secondary merchandising. Social media updates supported.The partners also teamed for a Black Friday promotion that offered shoppers a free cup of coffee or other hot beverage with purchase of any Red Bull product. Counter cards, window posters and cooler clings communicated the offer.The exclusive merchandising was designed to help 7-Eleven drive seasonal store traffic that would then be exposed to a variety of c-store staples the retailer had positioned via P-O-P materials as ideal for stuffing Christmas stockings.Of course, when it came to exclusives, other retailers simply couldn't hold a candle – or, to be precise, an Air Wick "Black Edition" Color-Changing Candle – to Walmart (although Reckitt Benckiser's air-freshener brand also supplied Target with unique SKUs this season). The world's largest retailer gave preferential marketing treatment in stores and circulars to a bounty of exclusive products, including:a "peppermint mocha" holiday scent from SC Johnson's Glade, part of the brand's annual limited-edition Winter Collection. Custom pallet displays and dedicated Smart Network endcaps gave the line a prominent presence in stores.Pringles Stix, which Procter & Gamble (still marketing the brand it sold to Kellogg Co. last year) brought back as a Walmart-only before the holidays began, promoted through a co-op FSI.SKUs of P&G's Pampers containing 62 diapers (identified in marketing collateral as "huge boxes"), which the brand interestingly promoted in a pair of stand-alone newspaper inserts as providing dramatic savings compared with its own "jumbo packs."a men's grooming bundle from Koninklijke Philips Electronics comprising a Norelco PowerTouch shaver, gel from Energizer Holdings' Edge, and a travel case. A brand showcase on walmart.com spotlighted the bundle alongside other Philips exclusives, which included a camouflage-print shaver and trimmer pair. Display ads supported.And, no lineup of Walmart-exclusive products would be complete without mention of Coca-Cola Co., which has made account-specific packaging for the chain a standard component of its own holiday plan. This year's offering entailed an eight-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola shrink-wrapped with graphics of Hadden Sundblom's classic Santa Claus character, and a four-pack of vintage 8.5-ounce bottles. A supporting FSI directed My Coke Rewards members to visit the loyalty program's website on Dec. 1 to redeem points for $25 Walmart gift cards.

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