Come Shop with Me!

By Michelle Buxton
As consumers continue to jealously guard their wallets, shopping centers have to adopt ever more persuasive “Come Hither” tactics. The recession has mostly put paid to high-budget incentives such as giveaways and prizes, so marketers are having to dig deep and come up with creative and inspiring promotions that encourage maximum attendance, spend and goodwill—on minimum budget. Toolbox Marketing’s Michelle Daniels, managing director UK, is relishing the challenge.

“Marketing during an economic slowdown is tremendously exciting. Clients demand better and better results at a time when consumers are less and less likely to be spending. It’s no good trotting out familiar, old promotions and expecting them to reap rewards. You have to go the extra mile to engage with your target consumers and persuade them that it’s okay to spend and that they want to shop in your center.”

So, ‘Come Hither’: how best to flutter your center’s eyelashes?

“First off, your promotions must empathize with the general mood of the moment,” Daniels said. “It’s no good planning an indulgent champagne celebration when consumers are either embarrassed or unable to spend. Online designer retailer Net-a-Porter.com introduced plain brown packaging for its deliveries earlier on this year, so their clients could carry on spending without their neighbours or their postmen noticing! In that kind of environment, it would be no good staging a flashy, ostentatious event.”

The Haymarket, a mid-sized community shopping center in Leicester, UK successfully tapped into the local mood of realism and value for money earlier this year when it ran its “Real Shopper” campaign. It involved identifying six local, “real” Haymarket shoppers to star in the center’s next advertising campaign, as well as act as fashion bloggers on the Haymarket website.

“Consumers suffering economic hardship will identify better with someone they can relate to rather than with a glossy celebrity,” noted Daniels, who oversaw the promotion. ‘By picking local shoppers, we were giving them something attainable to aspire to and something real to get involved with on a personal level.”

The Brunswick shopping center is a sophisticated destination with an excellent fashion offer. However, despite being in central London, it has a high body of student shoppers from nearby University College London and a large local community of families. An event in early 2009 delivering fun, frolics and free entertainment ticked all the boxes for these target groups.

‘”Whereas in good economic times we might highlight the Brunswick’s high-end fashion offer, this year we wanted to demonstrate how families and young people could have a really good time at the center without having to spend lots of money,” said center manager, David Plumb. “Feedback from visitors reflected immense gratitude that they were being offered free entertainment with no apparent payback or strings attached. I say ‘apparent’ here, because in the end all our retailers reported markedly increased sales and were delighted with their takings.”

Relating to the mood of the moment is one thing, but is not enough to guarantee a successful recession-time event. Promotion must be vigorous, eye-catching and imaginative to entice shoppers. This is not the time for being demure.

The Brunswick opted for balloons, bunting, brass bands, a town crier and many thousands of promotional postcards. Other alternatives could be pavement print advertisements or giant props strategically placed near busy thoroughfares.

The Haymarket chose to harness the power of social networking in order to get word out about its “Real Shopper” campaign. Facebook campaigns to vote for particular contestants spiralled involvement and enthusiasm. And “Real Heroes,” a similar model-scout campaign staged in London near the newly built 2012 Olympic stadium, employed imaginative creative of local heroes conducting familiar, mundane tasks in the style of superhuman Olympiads.

“It’s all about encouraging your target shoppers to relate to their local center and believe in their right to shop there,” Daniels said. “Hammer the message home with imaginative creative, a loud noise and, where possible, some humor to lighten the load. You need to present your center as a sanctuary and a viable respite from daily worries.”

‘Don’t be afraid to adapt and re-work the promotion if take-up is slow, “ she added. “Marketers must be prepared to work hard during a recession! Early “Real Hero” nominations were scarce, so we collaborated with the local paper, which we’d heard was anxious about keeping a local focus amidst an increasingly national spotlight. The paper provided free publicity for the campaign and further encouraged participation by including a click-thru facility on its website. We also employed promo girls in-center to advance the campaign.’”

On the basis that everything must work harder when times are tough, it’s advisable to drag out the effects of a promotional event for as long as possible. The Haymarket’s six “Real Shoppers” now each have a weekly fashion blog on the center’s website, which is being regularly read and referenced by the local press as well as by fellow consumers. In addition to keeping the winners motivated and involved, this is resulting in increased local awareness of the center.

On a different level, but equally important is ensuring that all efforts count for the greater good. The excellent set of statistics and results from the Brunswick’s empathetic event are now being worked into a marketing award entry for 2010. When an event does what it’s supposed to do, don’t just save the benefits for a grateful consumer. Parade that little beauty to the world!

Michelle Buxton, a founder member of the Retail Marketing Group, established Toolbox Marketing in 2000. The firm has made its mark on the shopping center industry in the UK and abroad, with offices in Suffolk, London, Bristol and Stockholm. This full-service agency’s client roster includes ING Real Estate, Boultbee and British Land. Send your queries to john.trowell@toolboxmarketing.co.uk or visit the firm’s website at www.ToolboxMarketing.co.uk.

Dec.
2009

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