WB chills out at Mervyn’s with Frosty promo

While it’s true this Christmas can’t come soon enough for retailers, who’ve been experiencing slower than average sales for most of this year, apparel chain Mervyn’s is making sure that its shoppers will be in a jolly spending mood when they enter its stores.

The Hayward, California-based chain has inked an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. for the in-store use of the Frosty the Snowman icon on various products and in holiday promotions. For the campaign, which runs from November to December, Mervyn’s will carry exclusive Frosty clothing, watches, plush toys, tree ornaments, throw pillows, rugs and musical books.

In support of the campaign, Mervyn’s will offer free bobblehead Frosty figures to the first 700 customers the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving. In mid-December, the company will also give a free video of a WB-produced Frosty cartoon (based on the classic Golden Books character) to customers who purchase US$50 worth of merchandise, as well as a Frosty premium to customers who use the Mervyn’s credit card to buy products from the stores.

TRU adds new marketing team

Hoping to enhance its position as the largest global toy chain, Toys ‘R’ Us has created a new corporate brand marketing team to seek out new licensing and marketing opportunities across its key brands.

‘When we’re sitting down with a movie studio, let’s say, we’ll now be able to speak on behalf of all the Toys ‘R’ Us operating divisions in all 27 of the countries where we operate,’ says Warren Kornblum, TRU’s executive VP of worldwide marketing and brand management. The new division will serve as a resource for the licensing and marketing personnel in each of the company’s key divisions–Toys ‘R’ Us, Babies ‘R’ Us, Kids ‘R’ Us and Toysrus.com–and where applicable, will work in tandem with them to sign deals.

Though the company has been more active recently in signing corporate-wide deals, such as its exclusive licensing agreement with Universal for E.T., Kornblum feels that a larger marketing team can build on that success. To that end, he has promoted Michael Tabakin, formerly director of licensing, sales promotion and partnership marketing, to director of marketing and licensing. Tabakin will focus on securing licensing deals on behalf of all ‘R’ Us brands.

Additionally, David Kuhnlein, formerly VP of marketing at Shoe Carnival, has joined as director of business initiatives and will be responsible for identifying new business opps for Toys ‘R’ Us. These may include finding new channels in which to sell toys, a goal exemplified by the company’s recent test of a TRU-branded toy area in a Giant Supermarket store.

A third director, who will focus on strategic alliances and sponsorships, will also be added to the team, though at press time TRU had yet to fill the position.