The runway better get wider because here comes Kmart. With a new line of trendy, fashion-forward apparel launching this fall, Kmart challenged ARS to develop an interactive shopping experience to complement their upcoming direct mail launch. We simply replied – it’s a walk-off!

Based on Kmart’s “It’s True” fashion campaign, we went to work on some fierce new looks that rocked the Internet. The grand finale broke the shopping mold with a Flash experience that moved users through the new Kmart fashion styles with an animated black ribbon. Add edgy copy and contemporary photography, the site embodies the future of Kmart fashion. It gives shoppers the glamorous feeling of being “on set” with an opportunity to view a behind-the-scenes video of Kmart’s “It’s More” photo shoot.

See it for yourself. Click Here

“Holy awesome, Batman!” As you can imagine, we were pretty geeked when ARS was asked to partner with DC Comics to create an online shopping experience celebrating their 75th anniversary on Kmart.com.

Our creatives were flying around the office. Leaping chairs in a single bound. Knocking out ideas left and right. And when all the “BOOMS” “WHACKS” and “POWS” settled, ARS developed a Flash experience that paid homage to the superheroes everyone knows and loves, while promoting Kmart’s back-to-school campaign. From a fan-centric trivia quiz to historical comic tidbits to a blockbuster back-to-school shopping page, DC Comics and Kmart both needed their own thought bubbles because they were speechless. “Wow!”

Check out the experience. Click Here

If you were to ask Tony Stark how comic book fans could look cool while saving the world, he’ll probably say “it’s all in the suit.” So we took his advice and teamed up with our interactive and social ally Votigo to help Kmart launch the Iron Man 2 Suit Up @ Kmart Photo Contest.

Fans can enter the contest by building their own Iron Man suit and then upload a photo of it to the contest gallery where others can vote for the best suit. The Grand Prize winner goes to London to visit the set of Captain America and also receives airfare and hotel accommodations, plus spending cash.

You can check out the contest at suitup.kmart.com

To help Kmart get the word out about the new Kenny Chesney Summer In 3D DVD, we created a fan-centric and multi-media interactive experience.

Our goal was to capture the essence of a Chesney rock concert and the chilled-out tropical island vibe of his music. In addition to giving fans an exciting glimpse of Summer In 3D’s storyline, the experience also offers fans free downloads, links to Chesney’s “No Shoes Radio,” exclusive trailers and a chance to win a trip to see the country music star live in concert.

The DVD & Blu Ray is being sold exclusively at Kmart stores and on Kmart.com.

Check out the experience at kmart.com/kennychesney

Kenmore’s strategic initiative for Summer 2009 was to generate buzz among its core target. Given Kenmore’s non-presence in the social media arena and shrinking share of voice versus key competitors, it was imperative to create a dynamic program that could jolt consumers into rethinking Kenmore appliances.

Solution

ARS Interactive developed an interactive program with “full-funnel integration” via YouTube and Kenmore.com. The disruptive social media program leveraged Kenmore dishwashers and laundry appliances that make everyday chores easier and less time consuming.

• Targeted online media hit the mark with a pure entertainment focus
• Kenmore utilized Amy Clark, a well-known mommy blogger, as host
• Agency launched a social media outreach and seeding campaign with popular mommy bloggers
• A user-generated video contest showcased crazy cleaning confessions submitted by people who had challenges with their laundry or dishwashing routines
• Contest was divided into four phases: Video Submission, Selection of Finalists, Voting and Winners Announcement
• Agency seeded the contest with sample video confessions to kick off the submission phase
• An engaging companion website hosted by Amy Clark showcases the benefits of high-efficiency laundry and dishwashers
• Kenmore had real families put Kenmore appliances to the test by sending them appliances to “reform” their dishwashing and laundry habits

Results

• At least 180% above-target performance on all engagement metrics: brand channel visits, video views and user comments
• 52 entertaining video entries with over 2 hours of user-generated craziness
• Most popular videos included product-related video posted by the brand
• Overwhelmingly positive user comments and natural viral buzz

Takeaways

• Active seeding with bloggers is probably the most important component, especially at the initial stages of a user-generated content (UGC) campaign.
• Leverage the advanced contextual targeting available on YouTube. General ad placements do not generate click-through.
• Real families – Real results was the most rewarding tactic because:
• It had a pure UGC feel but was on message
• It was introduced at the right time (during phase 3 – Voting)
• It was featured at the right spots (in response to contest entries)

ARS interactive is now an Enterprise partner with Magento, a leading e-commerce solution. “This partnership gives our clients a powerful e-commerce platform that can scale as their business grows,” said Dale Heim, vice president, sales and marketing.

“An e-commerce system is the single most important business application for our clients, so reliability and flexibility are very important. We feel Magento is the best choice.”

Check out all Crazy Cleaning Confessions at youtube.com/Kenmore.

Do you go to extremes when you do dishes or laundry? That’s what the “Crazy Cleaning Confessions” contest asks at youtube.com/Kenmore. The contest kicks off the launch of Kenmore’s brand channel on YouTube. Contest host Amy Clark of MomAdvice.com, a well-known mom blog, also stars on a companion site, Kenmore.com/CleanandGreen, which illustrates how Clark cleaned up and greened up her laundry and dishwashing habits with Kenmore appliances.

Kenmore is an innovative industry leader, so the approach to building brand awareness and relevance was through innovations in social marketing. “The launch of Kenmore on YouTube is about starting conversations with target consumers,” said Kashif Zaman, vice president of interactive marketing. “We’ll build brand consideration by reaching moms who may not be thinking about laundry products, but who relate to the challenge of clean laundry and dishes,” he noted.

Commenting on and sharing the YouTube contest videos raises awareness of the brand, as will the donations Kenmore makes to conservation efforts for every video and vote submitted.

Getting your product data together, says the article author, and keeping it organized, is the foundation of online selling. Sears Holding Corp.’s The Great Indoors relies on ARS to manage its 25,000 SKU product content database. ARS gets the data from The Great Indoors’ suppliers and keeps it organized, formatted, updated and ready for the retailer’s merchants to push to the site or other venues, like affiliate sites and shopping engines.

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