The Big Fat Marketing Blog

Sometimes you’ve got to laugh at the silly things you see online. Abercrombie & Fitch offered a substantial payment to Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino and the producers of MTV’s The Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand. They don’t want any of the cast wearing the brand, either, in fear it will hurt the brand’s image.

This is not a publicity stunt to provide a smokescreen for poor financials, either: A&F today reported that its second-quarter net sales sales increased 23% to $916.8 million. Abercrombie’s direct sales rose 28% for the quarter to $102.1.

Thoughts? Is this a wise move by Abercrombie & Fitch? Or should the fashion retailer just fuggedaboutit?

And the number of vendors offering digital catalog apps has grown by one, albeit a huge one. Google has repurposed its catalog search tool as a catalog browsing app for the iPad, the search engine giant announced on its blog.

Google’s app joins a crowded catalog app field alongside vendors such as iTouch Catalog, Coffee Table and Catalog Spree, to name a few. And don’t forget, TheFind.com has its own iPad app as well. And if I was one of those vendors, I’d get ready to cash in and retire on the millions Google will throw at me to buy your product. And if surfing digital versions of print catalogs on tablet computers takes off, your Google payday will definitely come in. more

Just a quick read from Forbes.com, which claims it’s time to write Google+’s obit: A Eulogy for Google Plus.

What do you think? Dead on (pun intended) or premature thinking?

Now that the New Year is fast approaching, a lot of 2012 and 16-month calendars from nonprofits are appearing in my mailbox. That got me to thinking: how useful premiums are for boosting donations?

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A marketer recently told me that Google will find a way to beat everyone in its path. On the heels of its Google+ and +1 launches, it appears Google is ready to launch an Android attack against Apple.

Google announced a plan today to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. According to the subhead of the press release, the “Combination will Supercharge Android, Enhance Competition, and Offer Wonderful User Experiences.” more

Forget Cabbage Patch Dolls or Tickle-Me-Elmos. The biggest wish list item this coming holiday season for consumers will be free shipping.

Panelists at eTail Boston earlier this week agreed that free shipping continues to be an enormous factor when it comes to converting online shoppers to buyers.

Jay Schaffer, CMO of California Delicious, noted that because of high gas prices people are making conscious decisions about where they shop. “People don’t want to drive 30 minutes to buy $6 worth of socks,” he said.

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