The Martha Stewart Everyday brand will feature in the new advertising campaign for Kmart. The ads have a new strapline, "Kmart. Right Here. Right Now", and will use Jesus Jones' 'Right Here Right Now', which was a number one hit in the US in the early 1990s.
Brands featured in the campaign along side Martha Stewart Everyday, include a range of household furnishings, Joe Boxer clothing, Thalia Sodi, a range of jewellery, fragrance and homewares, and Sesame Street.
Kmart says that the commercials will feature the familiar faces that represent its exclusive brands. The ads will air on network and cable television beginning this Sunday, to coincide with the World Series baseball. They will be shown during primetime favourites including 'ER', 'Friends' and 'Will & Grace'.
Karen Austin, chief marketing officer at Kmart, said: "With this campaign, we are truly addressing the New America consumer, an understanding that makes Kmart stand apart from all other mass retailers.
"Our customers are cool, fashionable and always looking for great values. The Kmart shopping experience offers them an inclusive, open invitation that sweeps across ethnic and demographic lines."
Reports say that Martha Stewart's range of goods has continued to be a strong seller, despite the doyenne of good taste's legal woes. In June, she was indicted on charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and fraud, all relating to insider trading and the sale of shares in a company called ImClone, run by her friend Samuel Waksal. Stewart has strenuously protested her innocence, but has stepped down as chairman and CEO of the media company that bears her name, Martha Stewart Omnimedia.
Kmart has faced its own troubles, being forced into bankruptcy in January 2002 after failing to compete against other budget retailers such as Wal-Mart.
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