Kmart Climbs into Ring with Wrestlemania XXV

As part of an integrated online/ offline promotion, Kmart will host live chats with WWE stars on a dedicated microsite.

Value retail chain Kmart is tag teaming with World Wrestling Entertainment to mark an athletic feat in the month of March: the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania.

The promotion, which began on March 8 and lasts until March 21, features an in-store product boutique showcasing licensed WWE products from apparel and bedding to toys and gaming accessories.

“Kmart has been a fantastic retail partner for WWE,” Michelle D. Wilson, executive vice president of marketing for World Wrestling Entertainment said in a release.

Through April 5, customers who spend $50 or more on WWE merchandise from Kmart will get a $10 discount on the pay-per-view broadcast of Wrestlemania XXV, slated for the Reliant Stadium in Houston on the night of April 5.

To add a multichannel dimension to the campaign, a “Wrestlemania Madness”-themed Kmart microsite at http://www.kmart.com /wwe is hosting a pair of live chats with WWE stars. At press time, one chat session was scheduled for March 9; another will take place on March 16.

The site also links to trailers for Wrestlemania XXV and for the “Legends of Wrestlemania” video game. Visitors can also click through to the official Web site of the WWE or opt in to receive e-mails from Kmart. Web banner ads and e-mail blasts will drive traffic to the microsite.

Kmart will also support the campaign with a circular spread, in-store radio and TV, and P-O-P promotions ranging from hanging signs to shelf talkers. Customers will also be able to buy limited edition Kmart gift cards branded with the WWE logo.

The campaign will also be activated by autograph appearances from WWE wrestling superstars in the run-up to Wrestlemania XXV. While a release from the chain promised those appearances at “Kmart locations throughout the nation,” at press time the Web site identified only four signings: two in Georgia and one each in California and Tennessee.