On July 15th and 16th, the 405 will be closed. It’s one of Los Angeles’s biggest freeways, and the city is already known for its heavy traffic, so things are going to get messy. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expects the weekend traffic to be “an absolute nightmare,” so what better time for shoppers to explore their own neighborhoods?

In that spirit, Westfield’s LA centers are opening their arms to local shoppers and planning a big weekend of giveaways, special offers and entertainment. It’s a way of saying “thanks” to those brave people that head out into the weekend traffic to do their shopping.

“Having already dubbed the 405 closure ‘Carmageddon,’ LA residents are understandably worried that going anywhere in the city July 16-17 will be a hassle,” says Zanne Augur-Daniels, regional director of marketing for Westfield. “Westfield wants to provide a fun alternative to staying at home, and we’ll have free entertainment, great giveaways, and special offers for anyone in the neighborhood of our three participating centers.”

Shoppers can enter to win a “I Survived the 405” prize package, including a $500 gas card, free valet parking and monthly car washes for the rest of the year.

Each participating center has a different plan for the weekend. Westfield Century City is randomly giving away gift cards worth up to $500 from participating retailers. Shoppers can also look forward to live music and movie screenings. Westfield Culver City is holding a tailgate party, with video game tournaments, races, photo booths and DJs. It’s also put together a Retail Refuge Savings booklet. Westfield Fashion Square has free valet all weekend, per-spend giveaways for free car washes, and kids activities.

“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”

Robin Williams
(1951 – )

Arizona Mills has welcomed a new team member. Dianne Agar has joined the management team at Arizona Mills as Director of Marketing and Business Development.

Dianne has been in the mall marketing business for some time, in her positions as Marketing Manager for Kingsway Garden Mall and Marketing Manager for Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre in Canada. She graduated from Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where she majored in Advertising and Public Relations. She has received several awards and accolades, including recognitions from the International Council of Shopping Centers.

“We’re excited to have Dianne become an integral member of our dynamic team,” said Todd Olson, General Manager at Arizona Mills. “Her professional experience will be a great asset to Arizona Mills, as we continue to be one of the leading outlet and value retail shopping, dining and entertainment destinations in Arizona.”

Congratulations on the new position, Dianne (and on the move to become a full-time Arizona resident)!

Have you recently moved to a new position or mall, or have you welcomed a marketer to your team? Let us know.

Well, it had to happen. There have been many parodies of Old Spice’s incredibly successful “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ads, but this one gained a life of its own. And it’s not hard to the reason why: a topless Page Three girl.

The Sun put out the video to celebrate 40 years of Page Three, a regular feature in the tabloid that shows off a topless model. The ad captures the set dressing of the Old Spice piece, but plays in heavy-handed gender stereotypes. We’re pretty sure the target audience doesn’t mind a touch of pandering, though – the video has picked up nearly 2 million views, and generally positive reactions.

The video should be safe for work: the nudity is implied, and carefully covered throughout.

It isn’t every day that I get to hop on a plane and fly more than 5,000 miles to discover a new land. But that’s exactly what I’ll be doing on November 4, when I’ll make my way to Beijing, China to attend ICSC’s 2010 RECon Asia convention. So why not share that experience with you? This opening stage on our weekly Road to RECon Asia 2010 is all about setting the scene.

Imagine a market with 1.34 billion people and a GDP growth of nearly nine percent. How’s that for a retail opportunity? It’s what makes China so attractive to investors, shopping center developers and retail brands wanting to export their concepts abroad. But while the success of global brands such as Apple, Nike and Guess make the idea of universal retailing seem possible, those who have attempted to conduct business in China and other Asian markets will tell you that it is anything but cookie-cutter.

Take Shin Kong Place in Beijing, for example. It doesn’t just promote its food tenants as either food court kiosks, sit-down restaurants, supermarkets or cafes. Its Gourmet Paradise offers a dozen different categories: Special Restaurant, Food Court, Fast Food, Top Food, Local Product, International Product, Bakery, Field Making, Supermarket, Tobacco & Liquor, Health Food and Coffee Bar.

At Langham Place (LP) in Hong Kong, meanwhile, mobile phone users can flash their LP app to get exclusive deals ranging from percentage discounts to GWPs at nearly 60 stores (see more on that in the upcoming edition of Tactics Magazine).

See what I mean?

Finding out more about what consumers in various Asian markets are looking for, how shopping centers like Raffles City Shanghai are meeting their needs and which challenges await those who seek business opportunities in that part of the world is what RECon Asia is all about.

So watch this space every week between now and November to get a preview of the topics to be tackled during the convention, as well as original mall marketing ideas from the Far East. Feel free to use them as conversation starters at your next retail networking meeting. Or better still, find a way to adapt them to fit your own shoppers’ needs.

Myriam Beaugé
Editor in Chief, Tactics Magazine