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Cartoon Network which is run by Turner Broadcasting is teaming up with Microsoft’s Xbox as part of a new branded partnership which will feature across Xbox and Kinect networks so they can promote their new show The Amazing World of Gumball.

The new show launched in the US in May and it is the first cartoon show produced by Cartoon Network in the UK. For the partnership it will be the first time bespoke animation has been created for the Xbox, The Amazing World of Gumball will be found in Xbox Live homepage called Spotlight and will be accessible on Kinect, to create a branded environment.

The animated environment within the Xbox for The Amazing World of Gumball which is aimed at children aged 4 to 11 has been created by Turner Broadcasting’s UK marketing team, The Amazing World of Gumball production team and the Xbox senior design team in the UK and the US. Players will find themed player avatars and wallpapers that they can download as well as millions of Xbox credits to give away.

The partnership between both parties also includes cinema, TV and online activity. Director of consumer marketing at Turner Broadcasting Sally Bezant says: “This is a truly engaging partnership which takes our content out to where kids are, and allows them to experience and interact with it in a totally new way.”

Chris Breeze, solution sales executive for Xbox adds: “Xbox will help Cartoon Network reach the core audience of 4-11 year old kids, as well as the parents who are the ultimate decision makers. The experience for the users will be highly interactive and engaging encouraging dwell time and repeat visits.”

After research by Mediacom London found that that games consoles and in particular Xbox, are becoming a core media platform for younger kids in the UK, the Xbox partnership was then brokered by Mediacom because 4.1M of the 6.7M Xbox’s sold within UK in the last 12 months to households with children 3-15yrs.

For many they are a bit behind with the times, most highstreet retailers, have online website to purchase their clothing from, so it’s no surprise that Primark are joining the rest of their competition and launching a transactional website. Primark have continued to focus on increasing their highstreet sales recently rather than looking to sell online, however the company looks like it is ready to make an online move to move forward.

Richard Perks, director of retail research at Mintel, said: “Primark was late to move into online retail because it wasn’t obvious that the sums would add up. Primark would risk losing market share if it wasn’t online, so to a certain extent, it’s a defensive move and not about growing revenue. Primark is about disposable fashion and I don’t feel as though it’s about long-term, considered purchases.”

Primark which is a subsidiary of Associated British Foods has put out a tender for a digital agency to build its first ecommerce site. It’s thought that the site could go live in 2012. Primark is also looking at increasing its expansion they have 36,000 employees and operates 220 stores in Europe, boasting that they are the second-biggest clothes retailer, in terms of volume sales, in the UK.

In the past few years many retailers have joined the online market, one of the most recent is H&M and according to the trade body for online retail, the Interactive Media Retail Group in 2010 online retail in the UK was worth £58.8 billion. Although at the moment the rate of growth is in decline, with year on year sales only increasing by 11.5% the lowest since January 2010.

Sarah Peters, lead analyst at Verdict Research, said: “Primark is still growing rapidly through its stores, so it has not been necessary to focus on digital. Now is about the right time. It’s more difficult for value retailers because they have a very low selling price and will have to sell high volumes. It’s a growth sector – there are people that can’t get to Primark stores and some may be put off because the stores get so busy at the weekend. It can also open doors internationally, if you look at what retailers such as ASOS and Next have done.”

With a lot of retailers now moving into more ecommerce, it’s no surprise to hear that British highstreet stalwart Marks and Spencer are moving closer to launching their first independent ecommerce and multi-channel platform. The company will be able to collect and use customer data to shape its international and UK business with this new platform, much better than they have in the past.

The new platform will be built by SapientNitro as part of the new CEO, Marc Bolland’s strategy to transform the retailer from a UK to an international multi-channel retailer by 2015. The company already had plans last year to sever ties with Amazon who currently hosts their online platform. This was so they could create a more flexible bespoke platform to help accelerate international growth and better integrate its multi-channel operations as part of Marc Bolland’s vision for the company’s future.

The development of the new platform will be overseen by M&S’s first multi-channel chief, Laura Wade-Gery who was appointed to that position last year after previously heading up Tesco.com.

Wade-Gery, executive director of multi-channel ecommerce at M&S, says: “We have had a very successful relationship with Amazon but in order to fulfil our multi-channel ambitions we need to build and manage our own platform.”

Over the next three years M&S aims to more than double its online sales to reach £1bn, after completing their new platform. Ecommerce, content management, search and analytics platforms for the site will be built by SapientNitro.

Discharge, or extract, printing is one of those processes that is rediscovered every few years.  It is a useful supplement to traditional silk-screen methods used for T shirt printing, because it solves the perennial problem of achieving good colours over dark backgrounds.  Ongoing improvements in the ink used and increased co-operation from T-shirt manufacturers in terms of process compatibility have brought the technique into prominence once again and made it a more accessible option.

Discharge printing outlines the chosen design by applying a bleaching (discharge) ink to darker fabrics.  By removing colour from the fabric, the image is defined in light or white areas against the dark background.  Specially formulated dyes may be combined with the discharge ink to colour tint the lighter areas.  The ink is activated by the addition of a catalyst and then has approximately a six to eight hour ‘pot life’.  Once printed, the discharge process is heat enabled, and designs do not become fully visible until the heat curing takes place.

Discharge printing creates a soft, smooth ‘hand’ or feel to the finished garment, since the ink is absorbed into the weave rather than sitting on top as some others do.  This makes it an ideal choice for all-over prints. 

Discharge printing works best on natural fibres; blends such as polycotton will discharge but not to the same extent as 100% cotton, as the ink will not be absorbed into the synthetic component of the fabric.  T-shirt suppliers like Adlogo need to be advised if dischargeable garments are required, as their dyes may vary from one lot to the next and results can vary accordingly.

Orange Thursdays is a new film download service from Orange, which has been launched in retaliation to O2’s new cinema offer, in a bid to retain its association as the movie mobile network. The new service called Film To Go allows Orange customers a free film download from iTunes worth up to £4.49 from Thursday 11 August.

This new deal for Orange customers comes as part of the companies new “more from Orange, for you” customer loyalty strategy which is aimed to complement the existing “Orange Wednesdays” offer, which enables customers to get two-for-one cinema tickets at a variety of venues. You can also enjoy 2 for one at Pizza Express too.

O2’s latest offering is Priority Moments, which includes a partnership with Odeon that allows its customers half price adult cinema tickets from Sunday to Thursday. They also offer numerous exclusive high street offers as well under Priority Moments.

The new Film To Go will be promoted with a £5million campaign which will highlight to customers that they will be able to watch their free downloaded films on a variety of devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Pandora, the famous jewellery manufacturer, is ready to produce a new digital magazine that aims to achieve an audience of over 1 million people. The interactive magazine will be available to Pandora’s Customer Club with a whopping 1.6 million members.

The mag enables readers to share their favourite articles with friends and family on social networking sites and comment on them. Pandora’s popular Facebook page is evidence that online publicity is key to moving the company forward.

The magazine is going to be available in 4 different languages and published 6 times a year. The magazine will eventually be adapted to different shops with local content. John Lewis and P&G are among some of the well-known brands to launch digital magazines in recent months.

Key elements that will feature in the fab mag will include: behind the scenes insights into the brand, fashion shoots, style tips and Pandora customer stories.

Executive marketing director, Mikkel Berg, quotes: “This magazine rewards our customers’ loyalty and gives new opportunities for them to share their thoughts with each other and the company. The dialogue gives us a better understanding of what Pandora customers want, which we can learn from and incorporate into our future plans.”

Argos, General merchandise retailer, is supporting a £4m multi-media advertising project promoting its same-day pick-up system for its internet orders.

The drive comes just months after Argos claimed it had sustained a close-10% recession in sales, hit by consumers avoiding buying its electronic items, based on its latest financial results.

The campaign commences today (5 July) over TV, video-on-demand, radio and outdoor. It focuses primarily on the benefits of ordering via the internet and collecting on the same day, for example purchasing a paddling pool or a BBQ, on a sizzling, sunny day.

Marketing Director at Argos, Karen MacLachlan, states: “We are shaping the future of shopping with routes to market suitable for all shoppers. Time-poor shoppers want a quick reliable online shop with the ability to pick-up the same day. Bricks and clicks are inextricably linked. With over 750 stores throughout the UK, typically within 10 minutes of customers’ homes, we’re finding this to be a major competitive advantage.”

The advertising was designed by CHI & Partners. Sarah Clark, from the agency, stated: “This campaign celebrates Argos’ unique advantage – the fact that you can order online and enjoy what you’ve ordered the same day.

Recently the company launched Argos TV, which can be found in 10 million UK homes, and an enormous 1.7 million people have downloaded the retailer’s iPhone application since it was released, sometime last year.

According to the retailer, more than one million people every month order online and pick up within hours of making their reservation, accounting for around half of its sales.