Dick’s Sporting Goods, Joe Biden, Choice Hotels, Ocean Spray, Chef Merito….

• Dick’s Sporting Goods

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. is  expanding the global footprint by store expansion efforts. To this end, the company announced two types of concept stores —OVERTIME by DICK’S Sporting Goods and DICK’S Sporting Goods Warehouse. This move is in sync with its plans to expand outlet and clearance stores in a bid to offer popular athletic brands at discounted prices. Last year, the company had opened three clearance centers in Utica, MI; Spartanburg, SC; and Racine, WI. The current store openings will bring the total number of outlet and clearance stores to 11 in nine different states. The first concept store type, OVERTIME, will offer a wide range of apparel, footwear and equipment products from well-known brands, including Nike NKE, Adidas ADDYY and Under Armour UAA at up to 75% discount. The company is working on keeping inventory fresh for customers at these stores. It also noted that new markdowns will be added throughout the year. Further, two OVERTIME stores in Connecticut and Maryland will started operating last wednesday, while the one in Pennsylvania will be open from Jun 24. Speaking of the second concept store, the company will open DICK’S Sporting Goods Warehouse at five locations. Customers will be offered upto 90% off on popular footwear and apparel brands. Such warehouses will also come with temporary pop-up-style shopping experience for the next six months. These warehouses are now open in Avon, IN; St. Peters, MO; North Olmstead, OH; South Hills, PA; and Brookfield, WI.

• Joe Biden

Joe Biden is launching a US $15 million ad campaign featuring digital, radio, and print ads in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, and North Carolina. In two different clips, Biden speaks about racial injustice and the middle class. The campaign includes US $1 million in Spanish-language ads in Florida and Arizona.

• Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International has unveiled a new, multichannel national advertising campaign. “Many travelers are looking to reconnect with family and friends, get outdoors and enjoy our nation’s beautiful national parks, rivers, lakes and beaches, and explore other local attractions,” said Patrick Pacious, president and CEO of Choice Hotels. “We also know they are looking for hotel brands they know and trust as they get back on the road, and Choice’s new ad campaign reminds our guests that we’re ready when they are to welcome them with a wide variety of hotel options.” The campaign celebrates the return to travel, featuring unique scenery, landscapes, architecture and other familiar destinations across the U.S., seen from the perspective of travelers on a road trip. The ads, created by Choice’s creative agency-of-record, McKinney, will air across national markets and a range of digital channels. The campaign also will encourage travelers to share their road trip adventures using the hashtag #OnTheRoadAgain across social media. “We know many people are looking to take shorter trips, often closer to home, as they return to travel,” said Robert McDowell, Choice’s chief commercial officer. “Our ads intentionally spotlight drive-to destinations where guests can reconnect with family and friends at one of our nearly 6,000 hotels across the country.”

• AMC Entertainment

AMC Entertainment, the biggest chain of U.S. movie theaters, will open the bulk of its venues — 450 — on July 15, hoping to grab what remains of the big box-office revenue-producing summer blockbuster film season. A week after that opening, on July 24, AMC’s remaining 150 theaters will open. This will be in time for Walt Disney’s big “Mulan” release (July 24) followed by Warner Bros.’ highly touted summer film “Tenet” a week later (July 31).

• Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., the agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 farmer families, unveiled its newest marketing campaign “Ocean Spray X Nature,” highlighting the brand’s commitment to sustainable processes and regenerative agriculture. Developed with Energy BBDO, the TV spots and accompanying digital creative take a unique spin on the idea of a buzzy fashion collaboration and apply it to farming practices that have existed at Ocean Spray for decades. The creative features elements of nature including bees, soil, sun, and water, which show how Ocean Spray farmers work with each element individually and together to benefit the entire farm’s ecosystem. “Collaborations between brands have become common place and as we looked at our 2020 campaign ahead of our 90th Harvest, we were inspired by the true meaning of collaboration,” said Chris O’Connor, Vice President of Marketing at Ocean Spray. Creative launched across TV and digital starting June 15th, 2020, with a heavy focus around summer and celebrating nature.

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• U.S. Army Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Battalion

BRAINBOX Immersive Marketing (BBIM) has partnered with the U.S. Army Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Battalion in support of the Army’s National Hiring Days initiative. BBIM has developed a social media-based quiz for potential Army candidates called ‘Find Your Warrior’ and, based on the individual’s answers, the Army position that best suits them will be calculated. Once users determine their result from the quiz, they will have the ability to share their results with friends on social media. The campaign which continues through the end of National Hiring Days on July 2nd, will direct individuals to visit www.goarmy.com/hiringdays to see if they meet the qualifications, learn about job opportunities and associated hiring incentives, and connect with a recruiter in their area.

• Connecticut Tourism

The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and its Office of Tourism (COT) announced a new US $1.2 million marketing campaign to help reinvigorate revenues for the thousands of tourism businesses across the state impacted by temporary closures driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This multi-media campaign is begining this week (June 22( and extend through Labor Day. Through a unifying campaign theme, “So Good to See You, Connecticut,” it will encourage both Connecticut residents and likely travelers from nearby states to explore all Connecticut has to offer through fresh eyes. That messaging will be delivered through an integrated array of marketing tactics, including: robust paid social media campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest new content on CTvisit.com, the state’s official tourism website, paid search marketing and content seeding programs, a new video series showcasing how tourism businesses have adapted their operations to optimize visitors’ safety as well as enhance their experience a new TV campaign that will run in-state as well as on streaming TV in proximity states beginning in July.

• Chef Merito

Sensis, an integrated cross-cultural marketing agency, has been selected as agency of record to create a comprehensive marketing campaign for the Chef Merito brand of spices, seasonings, batters, breadings and marinades. Los Angeles-based Chef Merito hired Sensis to drive brand awareness, product trials, and in-store sales among the growing Hispanic market in California. The agency will create a strategic framework for a comprehensive campaign that includes creative development, media planning and buying across all channels, including digital, social media, earned media and content creation.

• CMI/Compass wins new account in the Pharmaceutical Space

CMI/Compas, a leading media strategy, planning, innovation and buying agency for the nation’s top healthcare companies and part of WPP, announced it has been named consumer and professional agency of record by a new company in the pharmaceutical space. The assignment includes launching the company’s first products, which include a drug with indications in women’s health and in prostate cancer.