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: National hotel chain Days Inn has part-

nered with mobile services firm Ping Mobile to communicate with customers via text message in its Days Inn Hotels for Business Travel. Using Ping’s Wizard Web Portal, these hotel branches can now send texts with marketing messages, such as daily hotel specials and coupons on hotel food, to guests who have opted in. “Our goal is to have a strategy to reach our consumers through a new marketing method, such as text messaging, and to have the opportunity not only to reach them but to reach them in a timely basis with last minute deals and that kind of thing,â€? said Tina Perry, VP of marketing for Days Inn. “Our ultimate goal is to book room nights.â€? The Days Inns that will be using the mobile service are all a part of the chain’s co-op marketing group called the Days for Business Alliance, which represents about 51 different branches of the hotel across the country. This group offers premier services, such as housing business centers, restaurants and corporate meeting rooms. “One of the challenges with this speciďŹ c group of hotels is that Days Inn is considered an economy-level hotel, but this group differentiates from economy, as it is full-service,â€? Perry said. “The goal is to let consumers know about these services.â€? Each hotel customizes according to the needs of their property. For example, the Days Inn in Boston ran a campaign that offered hotel guests a $3 off breakfast coupon. Those guests who responded to signage throughout the hotel and texted “BOSBACONâ€? received the coupon. The idea was to let customers know that the Chinese restaurant, not normally associated with breakfast, actually had a breakfast buffet. Once the hotel started this campaign, they experienced more trafďŹ c in the restaurant than they ever had before. To encourage opt-ins, Days Inn has included the campaign in banner ads, e-mail campaigns, on its Web site and in print. “We are building a database and proďŹ ling customers based on their geographic location and how often they travel through our Ping Wizard technology tool that allows all hotels access via an online connection,â€? said Shira Simmonds, president/founder of Ping Mobile. O

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: Outdoor clothing retailer The North Face

and athletic clothing maker Polartec have teamed up for a new social networking contest to promote the newest version of The North Face’s Denali coat, which is made from 87% recycled Polartec fabric. The new social destination, called “Eco Champion,â€? is aimed at consumers who are passionate about environmental issues, which is most of Polartec and The North Face’s audience. The Eco Champion program was created and managed by social media marketing ďŹ rm BrickďŹ sh. The site, at www.brickďŹ sh.com/ Lifestyles/EcoChampion, invites consumers to enter themselves or their friends in a contest for “everyday environmentalistsâ€? by sending in videos, images or by blogging. For example, if a consumer has founded a local recycling program, or takes public transportation daily rather than driving a car, they would be considered “everyday environmentalists.â€?

“Polartec really wanted to spread the news about this new fabric and its green features, and thought that a social media platform would be the perfect way to illustrate this,â€? said Polartec spokesperson Ian Anderson. The participants will be narrowed down to 25 ďŹ nalists, and consumers will vote on their favorite. The candidate with the highest votes will be named the “Eco Champion,â€? and a $15,000 donation will be made in their name to a chosen green cause. The winner also will receive a $1,000 gift certiďŹ cate to The North Face online store. This is the ďŹ rst partnership between the two brands in the social networking space. Because the Denali has been such a popular item with consumers over the past 20 years, Anderson said, it made sense to promote it through a social medium. “The hope here is that the program will spread virally. The green features of this product meant it made sense to connect this promotion to green charities and everyday

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: Sears Holdings has launched a beta ver-

sion of ServiceLive.com, an online services marketplace enabling homeowners who find home maintenance a hassle to name a price for home improvements and repairs. According to recent ServiceLive survey, 71% of homeowners say the repair, maintenance and improvement of their homes are more frustrating than making their mortgage payments. In addition, 89% have homes that need work, and of those, 44% say they haven’t done the work because they don’t think they can afford it. “We have created a marketplace that puts the homeowner back in the driver’s seat,â€? said George Coll, president of ServiceLive, in a statement. “It beneďŹ ts service providers as well by creating job opportunities and enabling speedy payment.â€?

“The beneďŹ t to consumers is the really exciting part of the ServiceLive.com model,â€? a Sears spokesperson told DMNews. “Consumers can save time and money, and really take control of the process.â€? The new site combines online auction tools used by other sites with proprietary technology and processes. Users can review and select pre-screened service providers in their area and then describe a repair or improvement project in detail, including price and desired appointment time. The project is routed to selected providers after the user uploads funds to a ServiceLive account. The ďŹ rst provider to accept the terms wins the project. Sears will initially market the program through paid search, online media and PR, and will test direct mail and e-mail campaigns throughout the year, the company spokesperson added. O

people who are making a difference in the environment,â€? said Anderson. “This is an experiment for both parties. But it is attractive because it has very quantiďŹ able results.â€? Round one of the campaign ends March 25. Round two begins April 15.O

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: Transcontinental has eliminated 1,500

jobs and introduced cost-cutting measures throughout Canada, the US and Mexico. This is due to a number of cancelled or postponed projects by Transcontinental customers that have been hit by the recession. The jobs were cut as a result of the company’s previously announced move to consolidate the operations of Transcontinental Direct USA Inc. Also contributing were a company-wide review of production capacity, the adjustment of costs to demand, the closure of plants and the termination of some publications. Transcontinental also is implementing a hiring freeze, reduced work weeks and unpaid leave. All these measures are expected to cut costs by about $75 million annually, including $50 million in 2009. O

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