Recent research conducted by Deloitte,  found that 74% of Americans intend to buy a greater number of items on sale during the holidays this year, while 54% will use more coupons.

Wal-Mart debuted it's festive campaign, in the form of its "Christmas Wish" TV spot, last week, and has also recently started to sell 100 toys for $10.

Kmart, the discount department store chain, launched its holiday ad platform, based around the tagline "There's Smart and There's Kmart Smart", more than a month earlier than in 2008.


Similarly, Sears' holiday communications centre on the message "More Value, More Christmas", as the firm seeks to adapt to the new preferences being displayed by many shoppers.

Gap, the apparel group, has previously announced that it will boost its advertising spend by $25 million in the third quarter of 2009, and by $45m in Q4, as well as running its first TV ads for two years.

By contrast, Best Buy, the consumer electronics giant, is introducing its new television campaign as late as mid-December, but its cmo, Barry Judge, argued "there are many low-cost advertising alternatives" available alongside traditional media.These include Facebook and Twitter, portals on which the consumer electronics chain has been highly active to date, such as with its "Twelpforce", which offers customer support via the latter service.

Figures from TNS, the research firm, show that the "advertising weight" of the retail category as a whole – namely, the number of viewers exposed to ads from companies in this sector – rose by 35% in the first half of October on an annual basis.

Jon Swallen, senior vice president of research at TNS, said "we are seeing increases across a large number of retail advertisers," an indicator that this group is attempting to "jump-start" sales.

In the FMCG segment, Procter & Gamble, the world's biggest advertiser, has outlined its ambition to develop new products covering a range of different price points going forward, and to shift Cheer, its detergent, to a value offering.

The Campbell Soup Company has also adapted promotions on its V8 beverage brand to two for $5, compared with the previous offer of two for $6, to try and attract price-conscious consumers.

In the fast-food segment, Burger King is selling a double cheeseburger for $1, while Applebee's, owned by DineEquity, has initiated a new deal giving diners the chance to buy two entrees for $20.

source: Wall Street Journal