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JLL MARKETS TO TEENS THROUGH NEW WEB SITE

Jones Lang LaSalle is marketing directly to the Generation Y shopper (teens and 20-somethings) through a new Internet gathering place called whatzbuzzin.com.

The site, which was launched in December, informs young people about events at local malls as well as store sales and promotions. It also provides information about fashions, cultural trends and even job postings. At the whatzbuzzin.com main page, the visitor selects one of 12 malls managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. (The firm says it hopes to have about 20 of its 54 regional malls in the United States and Puerto Rico hooked up to the network next year.) At the link, the visitor meets Gabby, a comic character who functions as “hostess” and serves up mall updates and info about the latest trends.

“It has been a great experience for us, because it is keeping us in touch with that demographic,” said Liz Gillespie, SCMD, vice president and regional marketing manager at Jones Lang LaSalle. Whatzbuzzin.com got about 500,000 hits the first month, she says.

Beyond drawing shoppers, the site is also an effective gathering tool for information, Gillespie says, especially for future leasing decisions.

Meanwhile, the firm is expanding whatzbuzzin to keep youngsters engaged. In June it launched an essay contest to find a Gen-Y blogger (an Internet journal keeper) to write for the site. The blogger will work from a laptop computer, compliments of computer maker Dell.