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Shopping Centers Today -> May 2007
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TRAFFIC DRIVERS
ICSC HONORS EUROPE’S MOST INNOVATIVE MARKETERS WITH THE 2007 SOLAL AWARDS
Competition is getting hot among Europe’s shopping centers, which must jockey for dominance in tight markets. To stay ahead of their peers, marketers are unleasing ever more innovative campaigns to raise awareness, garner publicity and draw in consumers.
For example, Manufaktura (pictured above), a center in Lódz, Poland, dumped more than 500 tons of sand in its public square to create a pseudo-beach, complete with deckchairs, umbrellas, a volleyball court and a Hawaiian bar with cocktails. During the three-week campaign, the center saw up to a 17 percent increase in visits compared with previous weeks and grabbed 47 media mentions. Manufaktura’s campaign is only one of the programs honored by this year’s ICSC Solal Marketing Awards. Keep reading for details on the rest of the 2007 winners.
Grand Opening, Anniversary, Refurbishment or Extension Category (From 5,001 to 20,000 square meters)
Winner: SHE’s got it!Scotch Hall, Drogheda, Ireland
The 18,000-square-meter Scotch Hall was scheduled to open in November 2005, around the same time as two similarly sized centers nearby. To set itself apart from the competition, the center developed an identity and brand that focused primarily on young adults. The Scotch Hall team developed the Scotch Hall Experience concept (SHE). All campaigns used young, chic and stylish images, with the tagline “SHE’s got it!” promoting the strength of the tenant mix. A second tagline, “SHE likes his style,” targeted men.
Three months prior to opening, the taglines were used on large mesh banners on the center’s exterior, in on-air contests and print ads. Three weeks before opening, a full advertising campaign was launched, using local and regional print, local and national radio, and outdoor cards and billboards.
Sales Promotion Category More than 40,000 square meters
Merit Award: “Le Gru Village”Shopville Le Gru, Grugliasco, Italy
Management at Shopville Le Gru wanted to maximize the areas outside the mall, specifically the area called “La Collinetta” (the hillside), that faces a major roadway. The mall decided to create a Summer Village, which serves as the setting for cultural and social activities that would draw a variety of customers. A 2,500-square-meter outdoor park area was turned into a trendy disco environment. Using the headline, “Move Your Summer.”
Le Gru Village opened on Saturday, July 22, and remained open through Sunday, Sept. 3. The village opened every evening at 9:30 p.m., with free admission. The press office logged 60 television items, for a total of 360 free minutes; 100 radio items, with free readings of press releases; 12 live radio broadcasts, for a total of 32 hours of free broadcasts; and 178 articles published, 46 of them on the Internet. As a result, the outdoor park area dedicated to Le Gru Village recorded 90,000 admissions overall during the 36 evenings.
Sales Promotion Category Joint Center Campaign
Merit Award: “Big League”GaiaShopping, ArrábidaShopping and Norte Shopping, Oporto, Portugal
Department stores were not a significant factor for shopping centers in Portugal— until 2006. Faced with a strong new competitor, the Spanish department store El Corte Inglés, three centers in the Oporto, Portugal, area managed by Sonae Sierra, decided to take action to avert a major impact on their sales. Working together, Gaia Shopping, Arrábida Shopping and Norte Shopping, created three sequential promotional campaigns. Though the three centers were not identical in their strategic context, all needed a strong promotional campaign. All were older centers, needing to refresh their retail offerings. In addition, it was critical to avoid the centers’ cannibalizing of each other’s sales. Each center was positioned slightly differently. One was dubbed “The Family Shopping Center,” while another targeted younger shoppers. The third touted its luxury tenants.
Consumer and Trade Advertising Category (More than 40,000 square meters)
Winner: “Be at the Center”Bullring, Birmingham, U.K.
The 2003 grand re-opening of Bullring was a major factor in changing the world’s perception of Birmingham, England, from a failing industrial town to a fashionable, world-class city. However, market research revealed that some potential shoppers living on the city’s outskirts believed that the center’s tenant mix was too trendy or upscale. Others still recalled the prerenovation center, and harbored serious safety concerns.
The marketing plan was completely overhauled to treat Bullring as a brand focused on the idea that “Life is more exciting at the Center,” stressing that the project was more lively and active than its out-of-town competitors. A multimedia campaign was implemented from October 2005 through December 2006.
Digitally animated television commercials dramatized a journey from the outskirts to the city center, the excitement of the holidays and a sale announcement. Radio commercials communicated holiday operating hours, special promotions and the launch of a gift card. Magazine inserts detailed special events, the gift card and specific retailers. A survey of 400 target customers found that 95 percent of those who saw it correctly identified Bullring’s television commercial (compared with a 50 percent recognition factor for other ads).
Merit Award: “Relax, It’s Christmas. Come Together”Field’s, Copenhagen, Denmark
Field’s bought the Scandinavian music and publishing rights for the classic Beatles song “Come Together,” which became the overall campaign slogan. Field’s differentiated itself with the Holiday theme, “Relax, It’s Christmas. Come Together.”
An advertising campaign included 30-second television spots (featuring a jazz-inflected rerecording of “Come Together”), full-page advertisements in newspapers nationwide and two editions of Field’s mall magazine. The largest Danish television channel aired a prime-time program from the center, describing the “Relax, it’s Christmas” concept and message. The “Come Together” theme was released on CD and given away at the center.
Results: With an index of 124 for November and 120 for December compared to 2005, the center’s revenue fulfilled and exceeded all expectations.
Merit Award: “Land of Shoppertunity”Meadowhall Center Limited, Sheffield, U.K.
After 15 years of operation, Meadowhall Center faced a number of challenges, including growing competition from other centers and non-retailers, and increasingly discerning shoppers.
Implementation: The center launched a campaign “Land of Shoppertunity,” to rebrand itself. A major burst of media to launch the campaign was followed by a drip-feed approach of tactical activity throughout the year.Results: Visitor counts through the end of 2006 were up 0.1 percent, compared with a nationwide decline of 4.4 percent.
Consumer and Trade Advertising Category (From 20,001 square meters to 40,000 square meters)
Merit Award: “Freeport Excalibur Lowest Price Guarantee Campaign”Freeport Excalibur, South Moravia,
Czech Republic
When it opened in 2003, the 22,600-square-meter Freeport Excalibur was the first outlet center serving the Czech Republic. Located near the Austrian border, the center should have benefited from a catchment area extending from Vienna on the Austrian side to Brno and Jilhava in the Czech Republic. But the center underperformed. By 2006, it needed a turnaround strategy. A research study in spring 2006 determined that consumers did not believe Freeport delivered on advertised promises of lower prices. Only 14 percent of visitors rated “price or value” as one of the best attributes of the center.
In September, the center launched the “Freeport Lowest Price Guarantee,” promising shoppers that if they found branded merchandise at a lower price anywhere in Austria or the Czech Republic, the center would refund the difference. The program required dealing with two different audiences: the center retailers, who had to commit to charging prices at least 30 percent off recommended retail prices; and the consumer, who needed to be persuaded that Freeport Excalibur’s stores would give them a true value. On the tenant side, meetings and presentations were scheduled with store managers and their corporate officers over a six-week period. The center conducted exit interviews of 871 visitors, 51 percent from Austria, 49 percent Czech. The consumer “value rating” rose to 82 percent (from 14 percent precampaign), far exceeding expectations. The retail conversion rate rose to 90 percent, also well above the goal.
Merit Award: “Heaven on Earth”Manufaktura, Lódz, Poland
Manufaktura opened in the heart of Lódz in May 2006 near a poor area of the city. The marketing team wanted to reconcile the needs of the local community with the business needs of the center, while having a social impact. “Manufaktura: Heaven on Earth” sought to involve children from the city’s less affluent areas, and attract new and future customers, by creating a substitute summer holiday for those unable to get away. Some 500 tons of sand were transformed into a beach that opened on Manufaktura Market Square. The beach, complete with deckchairs, baskets, umbrellas, a volleyball court and a Hawaiian bar with cold drinks, was introduced to the public via a press conference. A children’s play area was created, with inflatable toys, an art corner, swimming pool and train set. Other children’s attractions included sports competitions and art workshops. During the three-week campaign, the center saw a 15 percent to 17 percent increase in visits compared with previous weeks.
Community Relations Category Joint Center Campaign
Merit Award: “Bambini Colori”25 Cogest Italia-managed centers in Italy
Cogest Italia sought to make healthy children aware of others’ suffering by holding events at its 25 centers. The children involved in the project conveyed their sympathy to the sick children of the hospitals by making a drawing. The best artwork was then selected by a special panel led by a well-known Italian children’s singer, who performed at every center. The winning drawings became calendars and greeting cards, whose sales raised funds for the local children’s hospitals. More than 75,000 children (students, customers and patients) were involved, representing 250 schools and 3,750 classes, as were 22 hospitals and 10 national charities.
Merit Award: “Search for Tomorrow’s World of Champions”18 Metro Group centers in Germany
The FIFA World Cup 2006 provided shopping center marketers a major opportunity to draw shoppers and link centers to their communities, and to tie sister centers more closely together. Metro Group Asset Management developed a football-themed campaign for 18 of its 28 centers in Germany, crossing the sport with a variation on “American Idol.” Between February and October 2006, 18 Metro centers searched for the football stars of tomorrow, holding competitions for boys and girls between 7 and 16 years old. The competition drew 6,000 participants, making it the largest football talent competition in German history.
Center Productivity Category (More than 40,000 square meters)
Winner: “CentrO Christmas Market”CentrO, Oberhausen, Germany
CentrO Oberhausen became Germany’s first shopping center to run its own outdoor Christmas Market in 1996. The number of kiosks rose from 50 in 1996 to 100 in 2000, and on peak days, the market was too crowded for people to browse. By 2004, management estimated the expansion potential at 35 to 70 kiosks. Additional income was generated, and return on investment maximized from existing tenants by granting 25 long-term participants a three-year participation guarantee for a one-time premium. “Show kiosks” were introduced to demonstrate products and increase interaction with visitors. Craftsmen demonstrated traditional glass blowing, porcelain painting, carving and baking. All 150 kiosks received new roof decorations, and animated Christmas scenes were placed at the market.
Merit Award: “CentrO Corporate Sponsorship Programme”CentrO, Oberhausen, Germany
CentrO wanted to renew and expand its lucrative long-term sponsorship contracts business. By May 2006, CentrO had extended four of the six expiring contracts and replaced two minor banking partners with one major sponsor. With two contracts still in place, the center maintained eight long-term partnerships.
Public Relations Category (From 20,001 square meters to 40,000 square meters)
Merit Award: “Kanyon Under Construction”Kanyon, Istanbul, Turkey
Kanyon’s “Under construction” program used art to celebrate the center and its creators, weeks before it opened its doors. About three months before the opening ceremony, the marketing team invited nine photographers and one video artist, both from Turkey and abroad, to shoot the project and its workers.
Working in different disciplines, from architectural stills to portraits, from abstract to nudes, the artists captured different aspects of the project during the construction phase. The 40 photographs and one video art selected were exhibited at the construction site two weeks before Kanyon’s official grand opening. An “Under construction” party was held at the building site for a select target audience and the media. The photos also were collected in a book, with 500 copies distributed at the party to give further exposure to the local market and media.
Public Relations Category (More than 40,000 square meters)
Merit Award: “Glòries Sponsors the Barcelona FC”Glňries Shopping Center, Barcelona, Spain
Glòries became the offical sponsor of the Barça football club. This partnership represented the first of its type in Europe. In return for funding, the center received the right to use the term “Official Sponsor of Barcelona Football Club,” as well as the brand and logo both internally and externally.
Plaza Romania, Bucharest, Romania
Halloween is not a major celebration in Romania, so the Plaza Romania marketing team decided to create a memorable event by transforming the 41,000-square-meter center into a “Halloween world.” All tenants were asked to decorate their shops and have their sales clerks in costume between the 15th and 31st of October, with a center contest held for Best Costume and Best Decorated Shop. Media coverage totalled 56.53 column inches in four national newspapers, 21.67 minutes of coverage in four national television channels and five articles in four newspaper Web sites, above goal. Approximately 42 percent of the tenants participated in the costume contest, well above the 25 percent goal. The party drew approximately 700 attendees, at least 300 more than expected. Raffle participation was 31.46 percent above target.
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