Here’s the scoop: it’s calling February “Food Explorer Month” and rewarding shoppers who are willing to be a little courageous with their food choices. For starters, customers can play food reviewer whenever they eat at the center this month. For each meal purchased at the centre, customers will receive a review card to rate their experience. Not only will completed entries give shoppers the chance to win a £50 meal at Pizza Express, but their opinions will be counted. At the end of the month, one food outlet will be named Merry Hill’s First Class Eatery based on its reported merits in friendliness, tastiness, efficiency and value.

The center is also bringing in experts like Dr. Carrie Ruxton, an award-winning nutritionist, to make sure shoppers know how to explore food while considering their health. Samples will abound, and Little Explorers will get to participate for some half-term fun. Shoppers can also pick up food passports with some truly fantastic dining deals.

According to Kelly Reed, the center’s marketing manager, the idea is to “celebrate a variety of foods and to shine a spotlight on the great food options we have at Merry Hill for our customers to enjoy.” Hopefully everyone will tuck in for a good time.

The Where is the Love? challenge sends shoppers on a digital scavenger hunt for a little love. Those who find cupid, red lips and hearts adorned with QR codes are in luck: when scanned, they enter the shopper to win one of 30 $10 gift cards that will be awarded each day.

But that is, of course, not the ultimate prize. True romantics will get a chance to win a seven-day, six-night vacation for two to Kauai, Hawaii. They’ll be off to the new Kauai Marriott Resort on Kalapaki Beach with round trip airfare for two, hotel accommodations and airport transfers.

Persistence usually helps win hearts, and it will also help shoppers win the big prize. A shopper’s first scan awards one sweepstakes entry; finding a second code to scan awards five more, and the most persistant will get an extra ten for their third scan.

“Smartphones now play such a central part of our everyday lives, so we try to create fun and engaging promotions to keep our guests entertained while shopping at our malls,” said Keith Maladra, VP Digital Marketing, GGP. “This likely is the largest mall-based QR code promotion to date and just one example of how we’ll continue to use integrated mobile media at GGP.”

Oh, right. The Super Bowl.

It remains to be seen whether Volkswagen’s 2012 ad will pull off the same kind of popularity. In the meantime, the company has been hyping folks up with a pre-game ad for their game ad. Yeah, that’s a thing people do. And it works: the teaser has over 10 million views. It ties last year’s Star Wars theme in with this year’s canine theme.

Our bet for the Super Bowl? The new ad won’t do as well as the old one. It’s up online already and it lacks lil’ Vader’s charm. But the jury’s still out, so for now let’s enjoy the tried and true teaser. And click through for the game day ad if your interest is piqued.

With a receipt for a $5 purchase or a coupon from the event flyer, kids could pick up a wrist band for unlimited rides. That’s the Supa Swings, rock walls, jumping castles, super slides and cup ‘n saucer rides in one parking lot. Across the way, there was a petting zoo, pony rides, mini golf and a merry-go-round. That’s a lot of swinging and spinning.

Shoppers inside weren’t spared from the fun: Aussie-centric shows at center stage, free face painting, and supervised kiddie workshops for the parents that actually want to get some shopping done.

Oh, and candy floss. So much candy floss. Good luck with that, parents.

This is a promotion with low overhead and four very important goals: connecting with shoppers on Twitter and Facebook, through its e-newsletter and in the center. To pull it off, Billings Bridge created a scene: a cozy winter evening with a few of its shoppers’ favorite activities.

Center court was set up with a sofa, a television and a mannequin dressed in warm pyjamas. With them were four fun (but relatively simple) prize packs: an OPI nail polish set, the Pirates of the Caribbean Blu-Ray box set and a Snuggie, four of the hottest board games, and an Xbox 360 with the just-released Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Each of these things is part of a picture perfect evening at home alone or with friends, and the center made it easy to enter to win. The nail polish is up for grabs to one lucky newsletter subscriber, the films will go to a Facebook fan, the board games to a Twitter follower, and the priciest prize to someone who goes to the effort of filling out a ballot at the center court display.

A simple concept with straightforward execution, but Billings Bridge really pulled off the details.

If you’re planning to enter the BCSC Purple Apple Marketing Awards this year, you can’t go wrong with signing up. The mentors have all completed a two year term as a Purple Apple judge, so they have the inside scoop on what makes a submission great.

Of course, to take advantage, you need to have your submission ready to go. If you’ve got that ready, just email a word document version of it to Purple Apple Mentors with the subject “Purple Apple Submission Mentor” and they’ll get in touch.

If you’re not quite to that point yet, there are plenty of resources that can give you a leg up. You can check out the video presentations on the Purple Apple site once you’ve registered, read the top tips blog, and follow those involved on Twitter. Your entry is sure to impress if you take advantage of all that assistance.

Martin “Hap” Stein, Jr., Regency Centers chairman and chief executive officer, expressed his confidence in Palmer. “While it is always difficult to eventually lose a talented partner and good friend, we are particularly fortunate to have an exceptional executive to succeed Bruce. Lisa is not only a gifted financial professional; she also knows the shopping center business and is ingrained with Regency’s special culture,” said Stein. “In her 15 years with Regency, Lisa has amassed impressive skills from her key roles in capital markets, investor relations, and with our institutional partners.”

As he says, Palmer will be well-prepared for her new role. She has been with Regency since 1996 and has served as its Senior Vice President for the last nine years. In that time she’s led the capital markets and investor relations team, and she’s had primary responsibility for the co-investment partner program since its inception.

Congratulations on the upcoming advancement, Lisa, and all the best to Bruce in his retirement.

Have you recently made a change, or welcomed a new team member? Let us know all about it and you could be featured in our next On the Move.

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Gifting gets social online.

George Bernard Shaw
(1856 – 1950)