Blue Light Special

E364278

Blue Light Special was Kmart’s famous in-store promotional campaign featuring sudden, limited-time discounts announced with a flashing blue light.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Blue Light Special canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf in-store promotional campaign
marketing gimmick
sales promotion
announcementPhrase Attention Kmart shoppers
associatedWith Kmart brand identity
impulse buying
in-store experiential marketing
brandOwner Kmart Corporation
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
culturalImpact became part of American retail pop culture
phrase used generically to mean sudden bargain
discountType temporary price reduction
unadvertised special
feature flashing blue light signal
in-store announcements
sudden limited-time discounts
unannounced price reductions
hasColorTheme blue
inspired similar flash sales in retail
language English
marketingStrategy event-based promotion
in-store theater
scarcity marketing
medium public address system
notableFor creating crowd rushes to sale area
spontaneous timing
use of physical light as promotional cue
operator Kmart Corporation
surface form: Kmart
popularPeriod 1970s
1980s
promotionChannel brick-and-mortar stores
promotionLocation sales floor
specific aisles in Kmart stores
purpose attract customer attention
clear excess inventory
create sense of urgency
differentiate Kmart from competitors
increase in-store traffic to specific products
retailSector discount department store
revival periodic revivals in later decades
startPeriod 1960s
status discontinued original format
symbol flashing blue police-style light
targetAudience in-store shoppers
timeLimit limited-time offer
short duration
usedFor promoting overstocked items
promoting seasonal merchandise
promoting specific products

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Kmart Corporation notableBrand Blue Light Special