A new campaign from Allstate uses the tagline Good

Hands for the Good Life, which the insurance company

says connects its core values of customer service and

what it means to put people in “Good Hands.” The first

:30, called “Good Life Anthem,” features a young girl’s

voice describing the challenges and joys of life: “There

are man-eating sharks in every ocean. But we still swim,”

for example. “’Good Life Anthem’ taps into a simple yet

universal human truth that all the bad things that happen

in life cannot – and will not – stop us from making our lives

good,” said Lisa Cochrane, senior vice president, Allstate

Integrated Marketing Communications. The message of the

new campaign is that Allstate doesn’t just

help put things back together when things

go wrong, but prepares and protects

people so they can live a good life every

day. “Good Life Anthem” is the first in a

series of TV ads being shared through an

integrated advertising effort that includes

television, radio, online, cinema, print,

digital, outdoor and social media components……Rite

Aid reports that same store sales for May (the five weeks

ended June 1) were down 1.5%. Front-end sales were

up 0.8%, but pharmacy sales fell 2.7%. For the quarter,

same store sales were down 2.5%, with front-wnd up

0.4% and pharmacy sales down 3.8%……Kia is moving

upscale with its 2014 Cadenza with a sticker price around

$35,000. The first spot for the car shows a young woman

who’d been a wallflower in high school showing up for her

20 year reunion – and she, like the car, is “impossible to

ignore”……Fred’s Inc. reported sales for May (four weeks

through June 1) rose 0.2% to $152.4 million. Comparable

store sales declined 0.5%……Hallmark Cards has a multi-

year licensing agreement with A + E Networks Consumer

Products for the hit series Duck Dynasty. The first cards

are for Father’s Day and are being sold exclusively in

select Walmart stores. A wider array of cards will follow,

but all limited to Walmart……May sales were up 4.2% to

$72.8 million for clothing retailer The Buckle Inc. Same

store sales rose 4.1%……Pizza Hut is marking its 55th

anniversary with a TV spot for a special limited time

offer of a large one-topping pizza for carryout at $5.55.

The promotion runs through June 15. The :30 now airing

ends with “55 years of helping you make it great”……

American Apparel, Inc. says May sales were up 13% to

$55.6 million. Comparable sales increased 10%, which

included a 7% increase in comparable store sales in the

retail store channel and a 37% increase in net sales in

the online channel. Wholesale net sales increased 22%

for the month of May on a year-over-year basis.