Sears Breaks Spring Ads; New CMO for Kmart

TV and print ads show fashion and hardware in full bloom

Sears, Roebuck & Co. breaks a spring ad campaign this week, while sibling Kmart readies for a new CMO.

Parent Sears Holdings continues to shake up marketing at both retail chains, with a rash of personnel changes at Sears under Sears Holdings Chairman Edward Lampert, including the July 2005 promotion of Joan Chow to senior VP-CMO, from VP-marketing services (Xtra, July 13, 2005) and the September appointment of Kmart veteran Aylwin Lewis to replace Sears veteran Alan Lacy as CEO (Xtra, Sept. 14, 2005).

Sears' campaign, themed "Spring Changes Everything," positions the store as one-stop shopping for apparel and hard goods spanning private-label brands such as Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End. Ads and offers feature core categories: lawn and garden, outdoor living, tools, apparel and home services.

TV spots broke last week, showcasing lawn and garden tools as parts of blooming flowers. Print ads in shelter books and women's magazines support.

Sears blitzes Manhattan on April 10 with 100 women, dressed alike in Sears apparel, handing out flowers, style guides and coupons to passers by. Event shop EventAbility, New York, handles the one-day "swarm." Online, consumers can sign up for daily "e-blooms" with style tips and promotional offers.

Sears also will sponsor two mall tours: ABC's "Road to the Daytime Emmys" and Hearst Publications' "Spring Fashion Show."

Young & Rubicam, Chicago, handles advertising; it won Sears' consolidated account, reported at $640 million, in a September shoot-out with longtime Sears shop Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago.

Meanwhile, Sears Holdings has tapped Levi Strauss & Co. veteran Bill Stewart as CMO for Kmart. Stewart is credited with repositioning Dockers while at Levi; he held earlier marketing posts at Coca-Cola and General Mills. Stewart replaces Paul Guyardo, who left Kmart in September to become CMO of DirecTV.

Kmart also hired Irv Neger as senior VP-Kmart apparel to oversee apparel strategy, product positioning, merchandising and buying. Neger had been senior VP-softlines for Family Dollar Stores.

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