OXY launches Cash for College Sweepstakes

OXY®, is continuing to help worried parents face future college costs with the second annual OXY® Cash for College Sweepstakes, available exclusively at http://www.oxymom.com.  “For more than 25 years, OXY® has been providing a clear face for millions of teens across America,” says Steve Smith, director of marketing for Mentholatum. “Last year we started the OXY® Cash for College Sweepstakes to give back to the many parents who purchase our products for their teens, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. This year, we wanted to give even more back so we increased the total prizes from $25,000 to $100,000.” In our research into moms, how they are going to pay for college is a top concern, he adds.  According to Smith, the sweepstakes continues to be a part of its current outreach efforts to moms of teen boys, whom research shows to be the primary purchaser of their sons’ acne products.  “Mom is usually at the forefront when it comes to dealing daily with their kids’ problems and planning for their futures,” says Smith. “We want to make sure we’re providing her with valuable resources she’ll appreciate.”

Spa partners with Sittercity to pamper moms

Noticing a trend toward super-moms taking a summer breather from their usual day at the spa, Pure Aesthetics-Pure Wellness announces the launch of the “Pamper Me Please” promotion with Sittercity.com. With purchase of any facial series, customers will receive a one-month complimentary membership to the largest online caregiving resource, allowing moms to go online and easily locate a highly-qualified, background- checked individual close to home without all the usual hoopla surrounding the “babysitter scramble.”  “One of my goals with PA-PW is to give my clients personal attention in order to meet their individual skincare and overall health needs. When I recognized that a great majority of hard-working moms cease to take care of themselves in the summer because they are toting kids to camp, ballet, and swimming lessons, a light bulb went off,” remarked founder Anastasia Ayala. “We thought it would be a practical and unique way to incentivize moms to take care of themselves, while making the task of finding a caregiver a little less stressful.”  The “Pamper Me Please” promotion will kick-off on August 1, 2008 and will culminate on Labor Day weekend. 

An Olympic-sized thanks to mom

JOHNSON’S(R) has launched a new comprehensive marketing campaign,”Thanks, Mom,” as part of Johnson & Johnson’s company-wide Beijing 2008 Olympic Games sponsorship.  “Thanks, Mom” builds on a national television advertising campaign that showcases 2008 U.S. Olympians, including Shalane Flanagan (track & field), Sarah Haskins (triathlon) and Cullen Jones (swimming), among others, thanking their moms on a global stage for the profound role that each had in helping them achieve their Olympic dream. Each spot celebrates the special relationship the athletes have with their mothers, providing viewers with an unscripted peek into a personal side of their lives that they rarely witness. Personal archival home video footage and photographs further bring the stories to life, and make clear that though each story is unique, the sentiment is universal. The “Thanks, Mom” digital campaign at http://www.baby.com/thanksmom includes extended clips of Olympic athletes as well as an Olympic-themed animated cartoon featuring the voice of Mariska Hargitay and a cameo appearance by Janet Evans, five-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming; both stars are new mothers.  “Behind every Olympic champion is a mom, and JOHNSON’S(R) is proud to thank moms for the love and care they’ve provided to help their children achieve their goals,” said Fred Tewell, group product director of JOHNSON’S(R). “It’s truly inspiring to follow these Olympic athletes to Beijing and beyond.”

Staples eases economic stress of back-to-school shopping

Staples, Inc. is launching its back-to-school advertising and marketing campaign by empathizing with the economic anxieties of the American shopper.  The new 15-second TV spots, created by McCann Erickson, New York, use humor to establish Staples’ low-price position and reinforce the brand equity of the iconic Staples® Easy Button®. The commercials began airing nationally on Sun., July 27, 2008. Targeting both moms and teens, Staples is speaking honestly and realistically to customers faced with rising prices of jeans, groceries and gasoline. “Like everyone, Staples is sensitive to the state of the economy and concerns of our customers,” said Shira Goodman, executive vice president of marketing at Staples, Inc. “Our entire back-to-school campaign underscores the fact that Staples offers a wide assortment of products at great prices. We’re offering parents an affordable solution to help save money for life’s other necessities – like gas for your car.”

Fisher-Price, Azul Hotels by Karisma to create program for kids

Azul Hotels by Karisma, a collection of Gourmet Inclusive® properties located throughout the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has announced a relationship with Fisher-Price®.  Azul Hotels and Fisher-Price will create the Azulitos Kid’s Program, a play program dedicated to children under five years old. Azulitos will open in conjunction with Azul Hotels’ new family-friendly properties – Azul Sensatori Hotel, by Karisma (October 1, 2008 ) and Azul Fives Hotel, by Karisma (December 1, 2008 ) in the Riviera Maya. Azulitos Kid’s Program will also be featured at Azul Beach Hotel, by Karisma, a hip boutique property for families located on a nine-mile stretch of secluded white sand beach, Bahia Petempich.  “We are thrilled to be working with Fisher-Price to enhance the guest experience at Azul Hotels by Karisma for young children and their families,” said Mandy Chomat, vice president of sales and marketing for Premier Worldwide Marketing, exclusive representatives for Azul Hotels by Karisma. “Fisher-Price is one of the most recognized and trusted names for parents everywhere. We are excited to team up with such a respected and valued company.” Added Kevin Curran, general manager and senior vice president at Fisher-Price, “Fisher-Price looks for partner brands that are committed to enriching experiences for families, and Azul Hotels are designed especially to bring family members together. They have a number of unique family playtime offerings that resonated with us, such as s’mores parties and sandcastle building contests. Our goal is to help create even more memorable family bonding moments at their properties with experiences like our fun, themed playgroups and an exercise program for mom and baby.”

It is TimeToo help moms keep family organized

TimeToo® has introduced solutions for families to cope with the hectic annual ritual known as back-to-school. The new line of Family Tracker™ products — including a wall calendar customized for the school year — helps the whole family stay on the same page when it comes to school meetings, sporting events, doctor’s appointments, field trips and more.  The new line includes: Family Tracker Wall Calendar, an oversized calendar for recording the whole family’s schedule; “my Weekly Dispatch,” a slim, on-the-go schedule booklet, and Family trackerdoo stickies — cleverly pre-formatted post-its for daily and weekly schedule reminders.  TimeToo, Inc. also makes BabyTracker, developed especially for new moms or working mothers who need to easily keep track of daily schedules, activities and needs of their young ones. TimeToo products are sold online as well as in stationery and specialty shops in the US.

Nickelodeon site ParentsConnect donating school supplies for every idea submitted

Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect has launched a program to help needy children get back-to-school supplies. For every “Back-To-School Idea” submitted, ParentsConnect will make a donation to Feed The Children’s Kid’s School Basics program, which provides low-income school districts with books, school supplies and other essentials to help impoverished children succeed in school. Visitors to the “Ultimate Back-To-School Idea Book” site are encouraged to share their parenting tips, handy lists, lunch menus and personal essays with other parents. The non-profit program will distribute school supplies to needy children in all 50 states. Click here to add your own back-to-school tips, ideas and memories.

Site gets new online program for home schooling parents

DMi Partners, Inc., has announced their partnership with Learning By Grace, Inc., a Philadelphia, PA-based provider of online educational solutions for Christian home school families. DMi, a full-service interactive marketing and e-business management firm, will provide each of the seven Learning By Grace academies with an integrated marketing infrastructure. The relationship will offer online visitors who are seeking a world-class home schooling curriculum an improved customer experience and will also institute maximized in-house efficiencies.  The Learning By Grace online academies provide home schooling families with an engaging, online learning-experience — including vibrant videos, exciting audio, interactive virtual adventures, cultural explorations, and much more. A unique marketing solution was needed because Learning By Grace caters to a distinctive audience: parents who educate their children at home.  ”DMi is providing us with a powerful communications tool and vehicle for sharing content and services with students, parents and publishers across the nation,” says Mimi Rothschild, founder of Learning By Grace. “DMi’s reputation for delivering streamlined back-end search engine marketing to companies with a niche target audience enables the Learning by Grace academies to expose their wide range of educational products to a narrow demographic, and continue to build our business in a very powerful, yet nimble fashion,” she concludes.

Study shows economic stress on today’s family

Job and income loss, spiraling gas prices, and growing residential insecurity top the list of sources of family stress, according to a briefing report presented to the Council on Contemporary Families. “Families and the Current Economic Crisis,” submitted by Evergreen State College Professor Stephanie Coontz and CCF research intern Valerie Adrian, examines the maelstrom of financial dilemmas facing Americans today, along with the far-reaching human impact.  We know financial stress is bound to family stress; Coontz and Adrian report what that family stress looks like in today’s economy. This detailed report is available at http://www.contemporaryfamilies.org.  As historian Coontz comments, “shared struggles can bring families and neighborhoods closer, but when people experience setback after setback without a larger picture of what is going wrong or any strong confidence that society as a whole is committed to doing something about it, family life and neighborly solidarities can quickly deteriorate. This report is a call for researchers and policy-makers to examine the full effect of our current economic climate on today’s families — and on the prospects for our youth.”

Uniroyal partners with family-savings expert

As gas and food prices continue to rise, more and more families are struggling just to make ends meet. To address these concerns, Uniroyal® Tire has partnered with consumer advocate and family-savings expert Kimberly Danger to help educate Americans on easy ways to keep more money in their wallets. Working together, the pair will offer a year-long series of advice, eBooks and instructional videos; all are available for free on Uniroyal.com.  A series of four eBooks and 14 videos featuring Danger will be offered to the public throughout 2008. Topics include: “Starting the Year Off Right,” comprehensive advice for organizing your home and finances; “Hit the Road for Less,” creative ideas for a fun and affordable family road trip; “Shopping and Cooking Efficiently,” quick and easy ways to keep your family fed for less; and “Holiday Savings,” holiday entertainment, crafts and gift-giving for less. Danger will also be conducting television, print and radio interviews nationwide to help spread the word on her cost-cutting tips.  “I’m excited about this campaign because Uniroyal and I share some very common goals,” said Danger. “We both want to help families save time and money so their lives will be a little bit easier. Together, our goal is to help people become smart consumers so they can focus their money and energy on the things they value most.”